Received the following e-note yesterday from the coach at Hill Murray - I am posting because their is good information on concussions but also thought I would share what HM is trying to limit or eliminate.
Across HM sports there have been a few major concussions and for the last 3 years the school has used pre-season baseeline testing in case a concussion occurs to insure someone doesn't return to early. Many of the hockey players at HM know other top players who have had concussions. So read the background and look at the solution at HM, they are working with a local dentist and getting each girl a dental fitted professional grade mouthgaurd out of fund raising efforts. These guards allow girls to be protected but also to talk and breather better. If you not seen these they basically form a seal over the teeth so players don't pop them in and out of thier mouth at each whistle (once in you basically have to peel them off with your hand). Not sure this fits every school but it is a step any parent can make to protect thier player's brain.
Hello,
Just a few more days until tryouts! I want to present some information about concussions and make and offer you can’t refuse! Many of you might know who Kim McCullough from Total Female Hockey is. Kim has become a renowned speaker and spokesperson for girl’s hockey across North America and she visited with us last year at HM during january. She has written articles about concussions in girl’s hockey before and sent this one today. Perhaps you received it also but it really is an eye opener for our sport. As a parent who witnessed first hand the difficulty young kid’s face from concussion symptoms I want to do whatever I can to prevent them for our players. We have and will do many of the things below:
PLEASE TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO READ BELOW! ALSO NOTE THE SPECIAL OFFER AT END OF MESSAGE!
In the last 4 days alone, I've had 7 parents email me with
concussion concerns. Some were worried that their daughter
had one and others were scared they might end up with one.
It's hockey season, which means it's concussion season,
so I thought I would send you some critical information about
the concussion problem in girls hockey and share my thoughts
on some possible solutions.
Did You Know...
That girls' hockey players are TWO TIMES more likely to suffer
a concussion than male hockey players and almost THREE TIMES
more likely than football players!
Last year, I shared these (and other) scary concussion statistics,
as well as my own concussion story, with the media here in Toronto
and the story spread like wildfire.
All that coverage sparked a great debate about WHY these injuries
are happening and IF the research numbers are accurate.
It's true that these stats came from a single study and don't necessarily
represent a trend across the entire female hockey world. And after spending
two years doing my master's research on the brain activity of elite hockey
players, I know that researchers will sometimes skew their numbers towards
the result they are looking for.
But the concussion stories that players, parents and coaches like you
have shared with me tell me that these numbers are "bang-on":
I've heard heart-wrenching stories from parents who have had to help their 13
year-olds cope with the lingering effects of a head injury for over 6 months.
I've heard from 16 year-olds who have had to quit hockey after suffering from
multiple concussions. One university coach even told me that her team had 12
concussions in just 1 season!
These stats and stories tell me one thing...
==> This is a problem that needs a solution NOW.
We can debate the statistics and the causes until we are
blue in the face, Bill.
But I am NOT willing to wait for more girls to sustain serious head
injuries to support (or refute) the numbers before I start taking action.
And you shouldn't wait either.
To tell you the truth, I am tired of talking about IF and WHY concussions
are a problem in girls' hockey.
They are.
So please read the important information below and
please feel free to pass this along to any player, parent
or coach who you think might benefit from reading it.
**********************************************************************************
What's the most devastating injury in female hockey?
1) Knee injuries
2) Shoulder injuries
3) Back injuries
The answer is...
None of the above.
One injury has by far the most devastating effects of all.
Concussions are one the most common injuries in women's hockey.
In fact, the NCAA sport with the highest concussion rate (by far)
is women's hockey.
Not men's hockey. Not men's football.
At the university level, female hockey players suffer 1 concussion
for every 1000 "exposures" to the game - with each practice and
game counting as one exposure.
On a team of 20 players, that means 1 concussion every 50 exposures.
With 3 concussions in my 4 years at university,
I represented my team well in this area.
Female hockey players are TWO TIMES more likely to suffer a
concussion than male hockey players and almost THREE TIMES more
likely than football players.
Pretty amazing for a sport that doesn't allow full body-checking,
isn't it?
Although statistics on younger players are harder to come by,
I would guess that their concussion rate would be just as high
(and maybe even higher) than with the women.
Girls are having more exposures than ever to the sport -
they compete on school teams, club teams, travel teams,
Olympic development teams and weekend tournament teams.
Girls' hockey players are playing just as much as the boys -
but are getting hurt twice as often.
So what's the solution?
* New helmets?
* Mouthguards?
* New rules?
* Neck exercises?
One injury researcher said that:
"If the numbers in women's hockey are even close to correct, they
should just stop playing until they figure out how to lower them".
I definitely wouldn't go that far - but have to find a way to
prevent these potentially devastating injuries from happening.
Knee, shoulder and back injuries can be devastating to a young
player who wants nothing more than to play the sport they love at
the highest level possible...
But they rarely have the same long-term effects as a concussion.
:: So what's the SOLUTION?
These are the 2 suggestions for prevention that I recommend
at all of the Concussion Clinics I run for teams and associations:
1) Girls Have To Be Better Prepared Physically.
A lack of overall strength and conditioning is a big reason for the
alarmingly high incidence of concussions in girls' hockey.
The stronger a player is, the better she will be able to hold her
ground when she is hit unexpectedly (which is how a large number of
concussions happen in girls' hockey).
By building better core stability, balance and overall strength,
players are better able to control their bodies in space and
withstand the force of impact.
2) Girls Need To Be Taught How To Take A Hit.
In every girls' or women's game I have ever watched or played,
there is always at least one instance where I think,
"Good thing we don't have full body-checking because that
player would have been run-over".
The female game may not have full body-checking,
but girls are going to get hit - and most of them have
never been taught how to take a hit properly.
We are doing our players a great disservice by not teaching them
how they can protect themselves if (and when) they do get hit.
If more coaches, teams and associations start showing girls how to
take a hit properly, it will go a long way towards preventing
concussions, as well as a whole slew of other injuries.
Bottom Line:
It is our responsibility to make sure that our players are prepared
each and every time they step out on the ice. If we don't teach
girls how to take a hit, or how to build strength and stability out
on the ice, we can't be surprised when they are getting hurt.
That's why I've created a basic body-weight strength and stability program
that players can use off the ice to make sure they are protected
on the ice. It will not only help prevent injuries, but also make
the girls stronger, faster and better players.
To find out how this training program will help you "bullet-proof"
your players, click on the link below:
http://www.totalfemalehockey.com/strength.shtml
Work Hard, Dream BIG and Stay Safe,
Your friend and coach,
~ Coach Kim
Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director, Total Female Hockey
All of the information above is really, really important. Probably the most important is wearing a mouth guard, all the time! Obviously it is a rule for the girls to have mouth guards for games. This year they will also need them for practice! You have a better chance of getting a concussion during practice than in a game. It does not really matter how good (or bad) your helmet is if you don’t have a good mouth guard. Because of this I am offering the following:
Have a custom mouth guard made at ........and I will pay for it! Just call his office at........and make an appointment. His address is ...........
Concussions in Girls Hockey
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
Can you show where in the world this data came from?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1748409/
Doesn't even mention womens hockey.
For males it does indicate mens hockey but for women it says it's Tae Kwan do. Who would have thunk
The NCAA says it is cheerleading followed by gymnastics. I can understand cheerleading and to an extent gymnastics.
http://www.livescience.com/health/08081 ... uries.html
Finally in this article they do make some of the claims you are but it relates to Girls soccer and basketball and that girls suffer concussion rates 68% greater then boys did. In a sport where in most cases neither sex wear mouthguards or for that matter any protective gear sans shinpads.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/sport ... sions.html
All I really want to do is really read the article and the data subsets and try and figure out how they came up with the numbers to substantiate the claim.
I don't think these numbers are really true for a whole host of reasons as for boys it might be broken bones, or ACL injuries or a whole host of other reasons that are readily identifiable verse a symptom that occurred simultaneously and may not even be known about, or covered up for a whole host of other reasons.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1748409/
Doesn't even mention womens hockey.
For males it does indicate mens hockey but for women it says it's Tae Kwan do. Who would have thunk
The NCAA says it is cheerleading followed by gymnastics. I can understand cheerleading and to an extent gymnastics.
http://www.livescience.com/health/08081 ... uries.html
Finally in this article they do make some of the claims you are but it relates to Girls soccer and basketball and that girls suffer concussion rates 68% greater then boys did. In a sport where in most cases neither sex wear mouthguards or for that matter any protective gear sans shinpads.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/sport ... sions.html
All I really want to do is really read the article and the data subsets and try and figure out how they came up with the numbers to substantiate the claim.
I don't think these numbers are really true for a whole host of reasons as for boys it might be broken bones, or ACL injuries or a whole host of other reasons that are readily identifiable verse a symptom that occurred simultaneously and may not even be known about, or covered up for a whole host of other reasons.
Good info, Thanks.
What I have seen is, most girls at the HS level are NOT prepared to go on that ice. I have talked to many parents that have the attitude, "It's just girls hockey" and think off ice workouts are over kill. In my opinion, the better core strength and work ethic you have the less chance of getting hurt.
Also, If they allowed checking in HS Girls Hockey, it would actually decrease injuries. I compare this to the first year boys Pee Wee level when they can first check. The first few months they check like crazy but then realize they need to keep their head up and skate defensively, the checking amount drops and they get to the business of the game.
As a strong proponent of HS Girls Hockey, I would really like to see checking allowed at the Varsity level and attitudes change about what the game is about. Head injuries could be minimized the more serious the girls work at it and the more Parents support them.
What I have seen is, most girls at the HS level are NOT prepared to go on that ice. I have talked to many parents that have the attitude, "It's just girls hockey" and think off ice workouts are over kill. In my opinion, the better core strength and work ethic you have the less chance of getting hurt.
Also, If they allowed checking in HS Girls Hockey, it would actually decrease injuries. I compare this to the first year boys Pee Wee level when they can first check. The first few months they check like crazy but then realize they need to keep their head up and skate defensively, the checking amount drops and they get to the business of the game.
As a strong proponent of HS Girls Hockey, I would really like to see checking allowed at the Varsity level and attitudes change about what the game is about. Head injuries could be minimized the more serious the girls work at it and the more Parents support them.
Interesting stats.
One thing I thought of thinking back to my girls first starting out in mites. I never saw the coahes take the time to teach a good solid hockey stance or base. Knees bent legs shoulder width apart that sort of thing.
when I was first starting out, I remember spending a good deal of time with the coaches working on that hockey stance. Granted that was many years ago and a time when most coaches didn't near the experience as they do now. Back then hockey was the new up and coming sport at the youth level. I wasn't the biggest or the strongest kid out there, but because I had a good base I could take a hit from the bigger kids and not get hurt or sent sailing. Like the car commercials, wider is better.
Our oldest girl, started getting injured alot at the High School level. In my opinion because she played more upright, feet too close together. She would come out on the losing end of most collisions. Never had a concussion but shoulder and leg injuries non stop. She never played a full varsity season.
Do crunches and push ups all you want but if you don't have a solid base you will get knocked around.
I am no expert, but do you guys recall seeing your girls at a very young age standing on the ice working on something as basic as a good hockey stance, other than for pix. Just my thoughts thats what I noticed with my kids. I would like to here if anyone else noticed this when their girls were younger.
One thing I thought of thinking back to my girls first starting out in mites. I never saw the coahes take the time to teach a good solid hockey stance or base. Knees bent legs shoulder width apart that sort of thing.
when I was first starting out, I remember spending a good deal of time with the coaches working on that hockey stance. Granted that was many years ago and a time when most coaches didn't near the experience as they do now. Back then hockey was the new up and coming sport at the youth level. I wasn't the biggest or the strongest kid out there, but because I had a good base I could take a hit from the bigger kids and not get hurt or sent sailing. Like the car commercials, wider is better.
Our oldest girl, started getting injured alot at the High School level. In my opinion because she played more upright, feet too close together. She would come out on the losing end of most collisions. Never had a concussion but shoulder and leg injuries non stop. She never played a full varsity season.
Do crunches and push ups all you want but if you don't have a solid base you will get knocked around.
I am no expert, but do you guys recall seeing your girls at a very young age standing on the ice working on something as basic as a good hockey stance, other than for pix. Just my thoughts thats what I noticed with my kids. I would like to here if anyone else noticed this when their girls were younger.
too often this is true( not correcting the bad form) I believe that coaches are too busy watching other things. I think that if the focus was on the little things the others could get better also.joxs wrote:Stance is it for sure. Funny, when you are low your stride is longer and less work to faster. The coaches my kids had went through the motions of teaching better stance and form but rarely corrected kids and thus some of them were practicing bad form!