At KOA sports, we do everything in our power to ensure that our athletes are safe, and that includes retaining the services of a DC and Maryland personal injury lawyer. With the help of the experienced Washington DC personal injury attorneys at Cohen & Cohen, PC, we can see that we are up-to-date on all local, state, and nationwide safety guidelines in place for a youth sports organization in Maryland. Below are some of the basic guidelines you can expect Koa officials to enforce.
- Flag football- At Koa we play flag football instead of standard American football. In this way, we can teach kids all the fundamentals of football while significantly reducing the risk of a severe injury. Studies have shown that the force with which two child football players hit each other is not much lower in impact than the force with which college-level athletes hit each other. However, the strength of an eight-year-old’s neck muscles– and that child’s ability to take the hit– are only a fraction of an adult athlete’s. Therefore, a young child who sustains a head injury during football will have more difficulty recovering than an adult who sustains a similar injury. Young bodies that are still developing need extra safety and nurturing.
- Keeping equipment up-to-date- Across all sports we keep our equipment clean and regularly check for rust, wear and tear that could jeopardize anyone’s safety. Every protective element must be fully functioning.
- Wearing the gear- Our athletes must be fully clothed in protective gear in order to play.
Here are some tips you can follow in order to help keep your children safe.
- Keep your kids in sunscreen- field hockey, football, soccer and baseball are all outdoor sports that we offer. Wearing sunscreen when we go outside is an important part of protecting ourselves from skin cancer, not matter what our sensitivity or coloring. Children with lighter skin tones are more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer, but children with deeper complexions are not immune, and cancer tends to be more aggressive in these cases. It is important for all our young athletes to protect themselves.
- Keep your kids hydrated- We encourage our kids to drink water– not sugary sports drinks that are really designed for professional athletes who have played nonstop for hours. Dehydration affects your health directly, and indirectly by affecting our alertness and physical ability on the field. Make sure your athlete keeps a full water bottle on hand during practice.
With safety precautions in place, parents and coaches can help athletes play at their best and prevent severe injuries. The most common injuries in youth sports are:
- sprains and strains
- heat-related injuries
- sprains and strains
- growth plate injuries. “Growth plate” refers to the developing tissue at the end of long bones (arms, legs,etc.), which will harden into bones during adolescence. Injuring this tissue can disrupt your young athlete’s natural growth.
Our Koa coaches are happy to discuss more safety tips with you, along with the guidelines set forth by our personal injury lawyers in DC. Together, we can ensure that we have a safe, fun environment for your athletes to learn, grow and play!
