Article reposted from KSBY
Author:Alexa Bertola
Trainers and physicians on the Central Coast will soon be putting on a safety clinic to educate parents about head injuries on the football field.
Certified athletic trainer Shelby LaMendola works at Templeton High School. She says prevention is key for reversing the statistics.
“We want coaches to understand that, before an athlete starts to look bad, that we’ve stopped it before it got to that point,” said LaMendola.
Those who are teaching the course want everyone, including parents, to know that it’s important for young athletes to take breaks in the shade and to cut down on the amount of time they’re wearing equipment. Plus, a new CIF rule limits high school sports to 18 hours of practice a week.
The upcoming safety clinic at Templeton High School is focused on youth and high school football athletes.
Aside from concussions, knee sprains, MCL and ACL injuries are common. Some athletes do not realize the lasting impacts.
“An ACL surgery, in the teenage years, it’s a big surgery. It takes you out of sports for a long period of time and it can have effects the rest of your life, and so we want these athletes to have those– ‘How do I strengthen? How do I appropriately use my body in my sport to prevent these injuries?'” continued LaMendola.
Football parent Mark Avery has two kids, a freshman and a senior, gearing up to play football at Templeton High. He said he’s talked with his kids about staying safe.
“I want you playing smart, I want you playing aggressively, but I want you playing ready to play,” Avery said he tells his kids.
Although football is a seasonal sport, training is year-round for Avery’s family. He says he’s glad to see the community getting together and informing other football players and their parents.
“We need athletes to understand what they need to look for in themselves to prevent these injuries. What we need parents to know to look for to override a child who says, ‘Oh no, I’m fine,’ and then that last level with the coach,” concluded LaMendola.
The Football Safety Clinic for Parents & Athletes will be held on August 22 from 7p.m to 9 p.m. at the Templeton Performing Arts Center at Templeton High School.