Take care of our Athletes

With Spring’s arrival means Spring sports for High School. Baseball in full swing, Soccer players out of the field, High School Softball and of course, the dreaded Spring football practice with the 7 on 7 games.

Although Springtime isn’t a HOT time of the year as far as temperature, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be aware of the issues and problems that our young athletes can run into. Our young athletes can get dehydrated, and experience muscle strains, tears and at times broken bones.

We depend on the Coach’s to prepare the water for the athletes and make sure they stay dehydrated, but what if there is a underlying problem that no one is even aware of, not even that high school football player or his family.

There are several steps that parents/coach’s and high school trainers can take to ensure the safety of the football players:

1/ Make sure that a trained staff member/adult is present at all times during a game or practice Make sure that staff member is trained and certified in first aid and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)~ If you don't know it, LEARN it! If you have access to a AED (automated external defibrillator) at the school, double check to make sure it is accessible quickly.

2/ Educate the player on health safety and warning signs. Make sure that the players are educated on nutrition, injury prevention and hydration and if he/or she feels sick or has shortness of breath ~immediately let a Coach or Administrator know!

3./ Have a AED available and near at all sporting events including practices. This could save a young person’s life.

4./ Encourage your High School athletes and parents to have a heart screening. Heart conditions are often undiagnosed until Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs, and currently~ the majority of Sudden Cardiac Arrest incidents in youth athletes are fatal.

Living4Zachary promotes Heart Screening for all but especially in young athletes. It does make a difference, and if you don't believe how important screening is ~ just ask Karen Schrah, Mother of Zachary Schrah . Zachary died in April of 2009 of SCA at football practice, a simple Heart Screening could have helped save his life.

If you would like more information on the Living4Zachary mission, please visit our website and find out how to help with SCA awareness.