There are many, many positive things that can be said about sports involvement for high schoolers.
Participation in sports can be an almost unparalled activity in regards to personal and mental development in teens.
But sadly, there are thousands of cases of serious injuries reported each year from high school sport.
Many of these injuries could have been avoided with the help of an attentive and rational coach.
High school sports are intended to make children grow into responsible adults.
They instill many qualities in students such as: oSelf confidence oTeam work and how to get along with others oA strong work ethic and pushing through hard times without giving up oMaintaining a healthy life style oLeadership But all too often coaches forget what they should be focusing on in the grand scheme of things.
They forget that their athletes are still, for the most part, children and not professional athletes.
Instead they focus obsessively on winning.
For many coaches, winning takes over their better judgment and they push students much harder than they should.
They sometimes push students to the breaking point when they can become seriously injured or even killed.
Types of Injuries in School Sports When coaches push children, the following injuries can occur: oBroken bones-many students are taught to be "tough" in team sports.
This manner of thinking can lead students to push so hard that they slip, fall and run into opposing team mates.
The result of hitting the floor hard are broken arms, fingers, legs or even noses.
oBusted knees-human joints can only endure a certain amount of strain.
This is especially true for younger high schoolers who are still in the process of growing.
Too many drills can lead to knee blow outs which can affect the student for the rest of his or her life.
oHeat stroke-it is tempting for coaches to use every available time slot for training.
But many do not take weather into consideration.
Heat stroke is especially common in southern states and it can result in swift death if not promptly caught and treated.
oMuscle and ligament tears-the number of teens requiring surgery for sports injuries today is alarming.
One common surgery is for ACL ligament tears.