Damar Hamlin MNF commotio cordis event highlights need for youth sport safety programming,

When Damar Hamlin went down from sudden cardiac arrest, my wife looked at me and said, "something serious just happened." My reply was,"it's the NFL, something always serious is happening." But this one, this event, in front of the world on NFL Monday Night Football, hit like a sudden thunderstorm during an outdoor camping trip in the Rocky Mountains. This one - made the world aware. This one, you could say, HIT HOME. And so thankful Mr. Hamlin survived. The world breathed a sigh of relief when we heard the news. Prayers and blessings for that news.

It made sense to us. See, these deaths happen all the time in recreational, school and youth sports tournaments and competitions, Our Amazon e-book details that the recreational sports industry does not have the same level of oversight mechanism for sudden cardiac arrest, CPR, first aid healthcare professionals that the professional sports events have.  And the estimate of youth athletes alone is not small, in fact, it is estimated 80 million kids play recreational sports in some capacity.

Consider the Certified/Licensed Athletic Trainer (ATC/L) only have about 55,000 in their overall community. Most of these trainers work in high school, collegiate and professional sports, some work in hospital settings and others work with Physical Therapy or Orthopedic clinics, Some, sadly, have retired or left the industry due to risk of financial security. Where does the sports medicine oversight mechanism for concussions, CPR/First aid and AED for the massive number of athletes at a sports tournament come from?

Question: If 80 Million kids play sports and you only have 55,000 trainers, what is the ratio of kids: practitioner?
Answer: 1454 : 1

Q: What does the ratio mean?
A: This means in order to have an oversight mechanism in the recreational sports programs you need partner programs across all levels of businesses, hospitals, industry AED (automated external defibrillators) tech providers, government committees and non-profits working together to build the sports medicine community.

While we recognize a nurse, EMT/Paramedic or teacher on school premises, unless otherwise qualified, has the skills to perform CPR/First aid/AED, that position should not be taking the place of the athletic trainer during the school sports program hours.

Q: What is the ratio of athletes : trainers (healthcare personnel) suggested for  events?
A: 300 : 1

Q: What does 300 : 1 mean?
A: That means if you had an event with roughly 1500 athletes, the event should have at a minimum 5 Athletic Trainers/health professionals on-site. Most organizations, however, consider the contact verse non-contact event when booking practitioners and may consider a non-contact sport event a lower risk than a high contact sport like football.  This means in a non-contact sports event, you might see 2 ATCs or EMTs on-site for up to 750 - 1,000 athletes.

Q: How do you know if your ratio is right for your event?
A: Preparation, practice and consistency. Having partners that help you assess your needs and be a teammate for your athlete success is imperative. You know you run a great organization but do you have great sport safety? Having a system in place and being willing to add a few details into sport planning will go along way in determining the ratio for athlete safety best practices during sports activities.

We need more Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists, Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, even Nurses & Doctors to support youth sports safety programs at school (and recreational events).

It will take at least 10 - 20 years to build these industries up to speed, to cover every sport event in schools, recreational and competitive programs alike. The tragedy for all of youth sports programs, parents, kids and referees is an event can occur at any time. If your organization does not put athlete sport safety first, you have to consider if they are also putting your own safety at risk. 

Q: Can professional sports events start without Emergency Medical personnel, Athletic Trainers, Team Doctors on-site?
A: No.

So, why do youth sports programs sacrifice the safety of their personnel and student-athletes for the sake of saving money in the budget?

On May 7, 1997, the day I learned about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) as a 15 year old growing young man. I learned you could die playing sports. We keep Matthew Tennyson Wanke spirit, intangibles of effort, the kindness, integrity, friendship, love of sport and combine that with my vision for sport safety in the future - when working with our partners. We strive to help your athletes thrive through fundraising, sponsorship and support to help youth student-athletes learn about career fields available other than being a pro athlete. The chance for success is 99.7% in something other than a pro  athlete, so please partner with us so we can lead kids to industries they'll love so they'll strive to complete school and build their own health and wellness, sports medicine or healthcare team.

We consider the possibilities for updating supplies and providing partners with supportive event safety programs so that partners can trust they are prepared appropriately for any recreational or competitive event.

#makeanassist #pennyaday just $3.65 towards our program helps support underprivileged youth sports programs with sports medicine supplies.