By Joe Hadsall

jhadsall@joplinglobe.com

Frank Vazquez was one of dozens of parents who watched the Monday practice of the Joplin Youth Football Association.

He sat under the liftgate of his SUV for shade, but the tinted window couldn’t keep away all of the sun’s merciless heat. Beads of sweat dotted his head.

He had parked the SUV strategically so he and his wife, Lori, could sit in the shade and watch their 10-year-old son practice. Sitting in a foldable lawn chair, he leaned back in the shade, wiped the sweat from his brow and shifted uncomfortably from the August heat and humidity.

Though Vazquez could have dropped his child off for the two-hour practice and waited somewhere with air conditioning, he and Lori said that was out of the question.

“We want to make sure that if something happens to him, we are right there,” Vazquez said. “That’s why we don’t leave, and why we deal with the heat and sweat.”

During the fall sports season, hundreds of student athletes across Southwest Missouri participate in football leagues. Hundreds more participate in junior-high or high-school athletics.

As children play and practice, parents have mixed emotions. They say they are proud of their athletic children, but fear an injury might befall them.

“I close my eyes a lot,” said Lisa Harns, who has a 10-year-old playing with the JYFA. “My son is a pretty big boy, but an injury is always in the back of my mind.”

Doctors across the nation say they are seeing more and more children suffering sports injuries. The National Council of Youth Sports reports that of the 50 million children playing organized sports each year, 1 million of them suffer an injury that causes missed school, a trip to the hospital or surgery.

Another trend is a higher number of injuries from overtraining, poor technique and rushed recovery — injuries that could be avoided with proper prevention.

Ryan Melton, executive director of St. John’s SportsCare, said he sees that national trend locally.

“We’re seeing an increase in injuries,” Melton said. “I don’t think coaches spend enough time stretching or demonstrating proper technique. There’s so much pressure to win that they want to get to the X’s and O’s, and miss out on stretching.”

SportsCare has partnered with the JYFA and other athletic leagues around Southwest Missouri. Bobby Landis, manager of the JYFA, said that all coaches are required to have first-aid training.

Some parents of the players say they feel their kids are generally safe with their coaches.

“My two sons haven’t been hurt yet,” said Nicole Rhoades, a mother of boys ages 12 and 11. “They roughhouse a lot, so they are probably safer here in pads than at home.”

Others say that work needs to be done.

SportsCare held a recent informational meeting for parents. The meeting included information on heat sickness, nutrition, stretching and a video presentation about proper tackling technique.

During the session, certified athletic trainers demonstrated several ways to stretch, including some incorrect methods.

When one demonstrated a bad stretching technique, known as ballistic stretching, several parents in the session said their children’s coaches used the technique.

Anita Simmons is the mother of four boys, three of whom play football. Her two oldest sons played with the Joplin varsity team, and her third son plays in the JYFA.

She attended the informational session and furiously took notes.

Simmons said she sees the JYFA improving in its second year, in terms of preventing injuries. She also said the trainers at Joplin High School worked well with her two older sons.

During the session, she found out she had been doing several things wrong.

“I was feeding them the wrong things, and feeding them too soon before a game,” Simmons said. “I also didn’t know how important stretching was.”

Melton said parents should get involved and learn more about the sports, so they can help their kids stay healthy.

“If parents can work with their kids at home on proper health, it will create better, safer athletes,” Melton said.



Stretching makes a difference

Ryan Melton, executive director of St. John’s SportsCare, said that most athletes stretch only when practicing for their sport. He recommended that parents help their children develop daily stretching routines.