PITTSBURG, Kan. — Sports is a major focus of family life nearly year-round for Rich White, a former college athlete at Pittsburg State University and now the father of three young athletes.

But with spring comes their longest and busiest season: Baseball for Drew, 11, and Dylan, 10, and cheerleading for Rachael, 6, that runs from March through July.

Surviving it means both adequate preparation before the season begins, as well as heeding the advice of athletic trainers and sports medicine experts throughout the sports season.

Be realistic

Each year, White and his wife, Deonna, get input from the kids about which sports they’ll participate in.

“I think making sure it’s the kids’ decision is the important part, otherwise it’s not really worth all the expense and time,” said White.

Phil Carr, head athletic trainer at PSU for the past 16 years, says it’s also important to sign children up for a sport that’s appropriate for their age.

“With extremely young kids, it’s all about play. With 5- to 7-year-olds, focus on getting children outside and involved, maybe touching on skills. With the 8- to 10-year-old age group, it’s appropriate to begin working on speed and fitness levels,” said Carr.

In teenage years, athletes can begin focusing on being a sport specific athlete, and work on skills and strength training that is sport specific.

“One of the biggest mistakes I see is we enter a kid in tee ball and all of a sudden we think he’ll be the next Jose Canseco or A-Rod. We put too much pressure on them,” said Carr.

Prepare their bodies

Dr. Jim Boyle, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine with Freeman Health Systems, says young athletes of all experience levels need to come out of winter hibernation slowly.

“The big thing in the spring is people haven’t been real active,” he said. “It’s important to start gradually, and not just pick up where they left off last fall.”

With younger athletes or those just beginning, Carr says parents or other adult family members can help get them ready by tossing a ball out in the backyard. It doesn’t matter what kind — if they are signed up for baseball, throwing a football is OK.

“We start throwing and hitting in the batting cages in February as we have time,” said White.

Schedule a physical

Boyle says a physical is important prior to a sports season because it allows a physician to assess the general health of a young person — particularly their extremities, which are prone to injury.

Most schools require them, but all athletes should have them.

“A physical also allows you to focus on areas they’ve had problems with in the past, and to set up a routine like stretching to prevent further problems,” said Boyle.

Check your gear

Parents of young athletes should plan to spend some time getting out gear and making sure things fit.

“Kids are growing, and they may have outgrown gear even just over the winter,” said Boyle.

Watch nutrition

With a full schedule and limited time, it may be tempting to stop for fast food on the way to or from practice or a game.

“But the biggest thing with kids is that they need a well-balanced diet,” said Boyle. “Proteins and carbohydrates — pasta, potatoes, bread — as well as fruits and vegetables.”

Says Carr: “Young kids are full of energy, but when they hit the wall, they’re done.”

The biggest mistake he sees? Choosing sports drinks over water.

“The nutritional makeup of sports drinks is they have as much sugar as a can of soda. I see people go to the ballpark and have a bottle of Gatorade before the game, about halfway through have another one, then afterwards have one,” Carr said. “That’s equivalent to about four cans of soda.”

Be aware of risks

Risks are a part of most any sport, Carr said. To reduce the potential for them, parents should be realistic about their children’s abilities.

“Some parents might think that Johnny, who is 8, needs to be playing with 10s and 11s because his skill level is better than most his age,” said Carr. “But there are some 10s and 11s who have a skill level of a 12-, 13-, or 14-year-old. Those age brackets are there for a reason.”

Boyle said that during the growth process, young athletes are especially susceptible to ligament injury due to overuse.

“I see it in baseball, and also runners, soccer players can have knee problems. With females we tend to see a lot of ACL injuries — almost to the point of being an epidemic in this country,” said Boyle. He advised finding out prevention protocols and encouraging children to do warm-ups.

White said that when the soreness in his sons’ shoulders and elbows doesn’t respond to ice treatments, he has them take a week off from throwing hard.

When it comes to concussions, that doesn’t necessarily mean an athlete is knocked out, said Boyle. He advised parents to watch for continuing headaches, vision problems, and mood changes.

“If your child doesn’t seem like your child after he gets bonked on the head, he needs to get evaluated.”