Athletics drives many college students to develop their time management skills, leadership skills, and requires them to make academics a priority. Playing sports in college also requires a lot of physical training; practice, games, and strength training. Athletic trainers have started to notice the dramatic increase in sports related injuries and a drastic increase in the amount of injuries (more than double)!
We regularly hear on the news, in the media, and from our medical providers to get kids enrolled in sports and make sure they are being active. We are supposed to encourage them to start at a young age so they understand the importance of physical activity and how to take care of their body; this may be creating the opposite effect.
Kids are recruited at a younger age each year, and athletic children are often enrolled year round in different sports with 44 million children playing sports. Additionally, students are invited by college campuses to participate in different sports camps and tournaments. Students push themselves even harder during trainings and games to prove they are scholarship worthy. Students who experience more wear and tear earlier are more likely to get injured in college.
Coaches and athletic trainers have started to notice the trend and even if they don’t get injured, they will probably experience burn out opposed to those kids who played less or in a lower level of competition. They say these athletes are coming with “baggage,” which makes them more difficult to manage and may even discourage coaches from offering students a spot on the team. One coach said he would rather recruit a student who has played multiple sports because their bodies have developed differently and all the strain wasn’t put on the same areas of their body meaning less chance of injury.
Students are training and practicing more than 30 hours a week, football players logging about 40 hours a week, and they are playing year round once they get to college to stay competitive and in shape. What does this mean for the athletic training staff? There are too many injuries and not enough staff to help treat them. The costs are continuing to rise and they have to treat more and more athletes who are getting injured in college.
I am a huge proponent for college athletics, and I think it does great things for the students who are involved, but we have to take care of our students and make sure treatment is available to them before we go any further. Athletes are pushing themselves too hard and too early after an injury because they want back on the field, court, or arena and don’t want to lose their spot on the team. It’s the responsibility of the athletics department to be sure that athletes are truly ready to return so they do not suffer more permanent injuries that might cut their college athletic career even shorter.
However, I think we can also see the problem starts way before students reach college. How do we change the way we view athletics and competition? As higher education institutions, I guess the only thing we can do is try to be sure the athletes we do recruit are healthy and that they stay healthy.
You pose a tough question. I am not sure if we can change the way we view athletics and competition...at least at the collegiate level or professional level for that matter. However, I hope we can do more in the K-12 arena.
ReplyDeleteI often go to the park in the fall and see several children playing all kinds of sports and its exciting but what is more interesting is on occasion when you see family pushing a child or coaches pushing the team to do more and better...push through the pain so to speak. I believe if we want to make an impact with how our students are arriving at the collegiate level we need to start with youth teams/sports, and discussing what is happening to their bodies. C
Half of the students I see in my work want to be physical therapists because they themselves have been injured...not the best recruiting tool and it does concern me that I see so many injured students with "baggage".
I do believe in an active society and are youth do need to be active (since many PE classes are cut out these days) but maybe we can encourage hiking, biking, or simply walking. I also think we may have a decent chance in changing the mindset from competitive sports at the age of eight to simply being active at the age of eight by working with and educating people on some long term injuries that can be sustained and affect students as they progress.
I may have an extremely biased opinion here (since I was a D-I student athlete) but I am going to go with it for the purposes of our blog discussion. College athletics is competitive and, in my experience with a few of my coaches, a cut throat, demanding experience. We were pushed physically, mentally, and emotionally way past our limits sometimes. One coach admitted to me that one of our fitness tests was designed to be near impossible to pass but instead was intended to be a test of mental strength. Basically, he wanted to see who would break down first. I actually think he enjoyed that. I realize this sounds borderline abusive but looking back I would not have changed that intense experience for anything because my mental strength has served me well.
ReplyDeleteWe were often put in situations where we had to make difficult, dangerous decisions. Coaches ultimately had our best interest at heart and they also wanted us to be mentally strong to compete at a high level. Athletic trainers were our biggest advocates as far as attempting to protecting us from further injury. But ultimately, it is the student athlete's decision how far they push themselves. If a student athlete is still injured and not ready to play they know exactly what to say to trainers and coaches in order to return to competition quicker. What can coaches and athletic trainers do?
As far as making sure our youth do not burn out or come to college with injuries or "baggage", I agree yet I am not sure how to do that and at the same time have the same level of competitiveness. As a kid, I was all about soccer and played any chance I got. I realize soccer is not a high injury, impact sport like some others but looking back, I wish I had played more and been even better. I would have risked my health for that.
Kelsi I very much appreciate your post and concern for our student athletes. I wonder how we can protect our youth and collegiate athletes from injury while also maintaining the same level of competitiveness and opportunities to develop mental strength.
Whether positive or not, the competitiveness and big money associated with athletics in this country has created the atmosphere that we are now all familiar with. While there are a lot of injuries, there are obviously quite a few more individuals who do not get hurt, otherwise there would never be a full roster. That being said, I do believe there should be greater steps taken to protect the phsycial and mental well-being of children and teenagers. I believe Little League Baseball has done a great job of this by limiting pitch counts and ensuring fair playing time for all team members. I hope other sports and youth organizations follow suit with similar actions.
ReplyDeleteThis article caught my eye as well. Some of my interest comes from own experiences playing sports as a child and in high school. More of it comes from having a child who is becoming increasingly interested and involved in youth sports. I can recall my own parents (especially my mother) being the overly loud and boisterous parent on the sideline. She was always there to root me on, whether it be basketball, tennis, soccer, track, swimming, football, or whatever. My parents were great about letting me play whatever sport interested me at the time and were supportive and encouraging. I know my dad was disappointed that I opted to avoid baseball, but he was nothing but supportive of my choices. He was so supportive he volunteered to coach my first soccer team. He know nothing about the game. It showed.
ReplyDeleteHaving been a youth coach and parent the last several years has be an education. There are still the supportive and overly loud parents on the sidelines. Still the parents who second guess the coaches and yell at the refs. There are even the parents who belittle their 6, 7, or 8 year old for not being perfect on the field. What has changed is that parents are already discussing which sport their kids should focus on as a specialty. There is a palpable pressure about choosing the one sport that they are going to pursue for high school, college, and the pros. Wow. I remember having seasons. Fall was soccer, winter was basketball, spring was track and field, summer was swimming and tennis. Now children (parents) are choosing one sport that goes year round with seasons, camps, training sessions, etc. I worry about what this means for the experience of youth sports, the carefree enjoyment of riding your bike to a practice after school.
I hope to allow my kids to choose what they want to play, when they want to play it. I worry though. I worry that the recreational experiences of my youth are becoming highly organized, highly prices, competitive experiences. The kind with logo'd duffel bags, sweat suits, and travel schedules.
I also wonder what effect this might have on young athletes in terms of pressure and stress. What happens if you put all of your eggs in one basket and nothing hatches?
http://articles.cnn.com/2006-07-03/health/kids.sports.parents_1_darrell-burnett-youth-sports-life-lessons/2?_s=PM:HEALTH
http://www.robystahl.com/post/2008/11/13/Scholorship-Pressure-Changes-Youth-Sports.aspx
I think this is an interesting issue. I agree with both Kelsi and Lisa. I have some concern for the injuries of student athletes but I also know that it is a very competitive experience. I think that those who are in D1 athletics know what the risks of injury are and choose to participate anyway.
ReplyDeleteIf things are starting at a much younger age, are young kids aware of what is happening to their bodies? If we start making laws to protect children who aren't old enough to make an informed decision, where do we start? What age do we stop making those decisions?
I feel that if we start to restrict the freedom to choose participation, it is a slippery slope to restricting freedom in other areas. On this issue, I think that athletes should be able to continue to participate through their injuries, if that is what they choose.
I love this topic and I am glad to see people post on it and enjoy hearing what the standpoint is coming from various arenas. The thing that I notice most in public, in the secondary schools, and even speaking with college coaches is that times have changed...for the better or worse, I am not sure.
ReplyDeleteMy ex has created an athletic program for kids aged 18 months to 8 years. Yes, 18 months. The point of it is to expose them to all types of sports, but also to put a part of physical education into their life, due to the PE classes that have been cut more and more as Karla pointed out. However, you begin to see the competition begin around age 6-7, especially from the parents. This is where the "burnout" factor comes in. From speaking with kids who get "burnt out" of sports, more times than not it is not because of the sport, it is because of the pressures put on them at home from parents. They don't like having a bad game and then have to come home and hear it from their parents for another hour.
As far as the recruiting at an early age, I think this is one of the worst things I have seen develop, especially in baseball here in Colorado. I have seen off season training facilities literally pull kids aside and give them special rates for coming to them because they have more talent than someone else...but then bring in the high school baseball coach and have that coach talk with the KID, who is 10, and the parent and "sell" their high school because the kids has some talent. Then they urge that kid to NOT play other sports because he has a "future" in baseball. HE IS 10!
As you can this hits an emotional spot with me. I believe too much emphasis is placed on expectations for youth sports, but parents place too much expectations on their kids to make sure they will be D-1 athletes, which in reality is not a realistic expectation...based on the statistics. Let the kids play, because they love it.
Thanks for the post, Kels!
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was young...around middle school (before summer camps were mandatory)...and being in gymnastics, skating, softball, basketball, tennis, and golf...all at once. Eventually I settled on three sports, but it wasn't my body that was making these decisions, it was the clock. I just didn't have enough time for each, too much overlap.
I was a triple sport athlete through high school and the first years of my college experience. I remember one day in the training room as a sophomore very well. I was up to my groin in the ice bath, with a towel on my head, waiting for my body to turn numb, so it didn't hurt anymore. One of our head trainers was preparing my next "station," an electric stim machine for my knees. Once on that table, she said to me, "Kylie, it's time to make a choice. You can't do this to yourself anymore." From then on, I was strictly a softball player, and my body definitely thanked me for it.
As far as your comment about recruiting at a younger age, I see it, but only slyly and indirectly. The NCAA still does not allow coaches to make recruitment contact with potential athletes until they are a junior in high school. Many coaches I'm sure find ways around these rules, but they are enforced strictly when it comes to phone, email, snail mail, and personal contact. I was a college coach, and we had to take an annual exam on these guidelines before we were cleared to recruit.
Overall, when speaking of sport injuries, I believe a lot of this is due to athletes growing up fearless and viable. As our bodies age, they require extensive preventative and post-activity treatment. Stretching, icing, rest, healthy diet--all of this didn't matter much when we were in our teen years. Athletic training staff within college athletics need to be constant and consistent with their recommendations for long-term competition.
The intensity of competitive sports at a young age is scary! My daughter at 12 years old competed at Junior Nationals in pairs skating. Her partner was 3 years older and they were on the ice every day (except Sunday) and often times were on the ice twice during day. They did off ice conditioning, off ice dance, off ice lifts, on ice speed skating along with their individual lessons, pairs lessons and just practice ice time. A little much for a 12 year old and way to much for a mom of three. But what do you do when your child loves it and they have the talent. Oh, but wait....less than a year after competing at Junior Nationals, my daughter was injured. A serious ankle injury that would take her off the ice for several months. So, her pairs' partner had a new partner within 24 hours of her injury.
ReplyDeleteHow does this story relate to college athletes? I do believe that sports get too competitive way too early. I think that injuries are happening at a young age because of the stresses put upon the body. The college athlete is one that has not only gone through many years of rigorous training as a child but now has extended hours and extended trainings and work pretty much year around. That is a lot to ask of your body. I would like to see programs that allow the body both rest and rebuilding. I think that good coaches and trainers recognize this need.
I wish that more coaches put an emphasis on the well rounded athletes. I think multi sport athletes are better mentally and physically. I also hate to see parents put so much emphasis on one sport just so their child can get an athletic scholarship. There are a significant number of high school kids that quit the very sport that they have been training for over the years. A lot of these athletes are quitting their senior year of high school. With that said, college athletes are definitely dedicated and exceptional. But, these athletes should be well taken care of and overtraining should be considered!
My 8-year old daughter recently had to pull out of her gymnastics class, due to some growth-plate issues in one of her heels. Back in my day in the 70s, she wouldn't have likely had this problem, because there were so few gymnastics classes (or just about any organized sports, for that matter) for girls. So a "dark side", if you will, of Title IX is that the exponential growth of girl's and women's sports has correlated with a sharp increase in the number of reported injuries among girls (as well as boys) over the past couple of decades.
ReplyDeleteAs a former little league baseball umpire, cross country and track coach, and running event director, I am sympathetic to the charges that parents can be too intense about their kid's sporting activities, particularly with respect to how success is often equated with scholarship opportunities for college.
However, I wonder if this problem is also overblown in some respects. If anything, kids and young adults today play active games and sports outdoors less than they used to, overall. This is anecdotal opinion, of course, but peering back into the past with my rose-colored glasses I recall fields, parks, lakes, rivers, and such as being alot more occupied with youth engaging in active play- particularly unstructured play without adults around to dictate things and enforce "safety" rules and protocols. Nowadays, whether in California, Hawaii, or Colorado, I often find gorgeous parks, fields, tennis courts, etc. empty of youth and play, even on days when the weather is ideal.
How do I reconcile oft-empty outdoor play venues with the supposed increase in youth and young adult sporting injuries? Well, I would agree with everybody on this post that some kids are often steering into and encouraged to stay in sports that they show both initial interest and/or some degree of comparative success, and that these are the kids who may disproportionately suffer from -especially-growth-related injuries.
But many kids are not playing organized sports beyond maybe their initial foray at soccer in the 1st through 5th grades. And they are not required to participate in PE on a daily basis, if at all. They are often gaming or texting or on the phone or facebooking or watching TV, if not doing homework (kids and young adults alike). And like Ann mentions, rates of childhood obesity and diabetes have increased at alarming rates in recent years. Meanwhile, actual documented rates of both high school and collegiate sports injuries are actually rather modest, upon inspection (a national average of 2.4 injuries per 1000 athletic practices or competitions among all boys and girls sports; 1 combined injury every 2 games and 1 combined injury every 5 practices among an average intercollegiate program totaling 50 team members: see http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5538a1.htm , and: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1941297/ ). In sum, the research doesn't appear to bear out the thesis that high school and college athletes, at least, are getting injuried at epidemic rates. I totally agree that kids and adults alike should exercise for all the positive reasons- teamwork development, physical health, getting outdoors a applicable, trying out new experiences, and learning to push oneself to become more resilient in general ways (as Lisa points out above). My fear is that students are exercising too little, not too much, generally speaking.