April 20th, 2020: Youth Sports During COVID-19

This week, we will be talking about youth sports during COVID-19. School is out and sports seasons have been postponed — what does this mean for young athletes? Some will continue to train at home without the supervision of their coach. Injuries might occur from improper technique and overuse. Others have difficulty staying motivated and might be disappointed or angry that their sports seasons have been cut short. On the other hand, social distancing could provide a much-needed rest period for athletes that train all year long. We have compiled resources that address all of these topics to better support young athletes during this time.

Staying Injury-Free While Training at Home

• inCourage: How to Keep Your Kids Safely Active…and Out of the Emergency Room

• Safe Kids: Sports Safety Checklist for Parents, Sports Overuse Injury Tip Sheet, Dehydration Safety Tip Sheet

• Health.com: We're All Doing At-Home Workouts Now—Here's How Not to Get Injured

  • Not specific to children and teens, but can be applied to any age

Encouraging Movement (Or Rest)

• The Aspen Institute Project Play: How can parents keep kids physically active if schools and sports are closed?

• At Your Own Risk: COVID-19 - Supporting Athletes at Home

Addressing Disappointment

• Positive Coaching Alliance: Dealing with Disappointment During Coronavirus Cancellations, Postponements

• Association for Applied Sports Psychology: The COVID-19 Pandemic - Tips for Athletes, Coaches, Parents, and the Sport Community 

Lastly, the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative is hosting an interactive discussion titled “Coronavirus & Youth Sports: What Kids Need from Coaches Now” on Wednesday, April 22nd from 2 - 3PM EST. The webinar will feature young people and their coaches as well as resources from trusted professionals about physical health and social emotional well-being. Register for free here.

COVID-19 Quick Tip

Over the last few weeks, some emergency departments have been seeing an increase in ATV injuries. Please share these resources with your peers and your community to encourage safety on ATVs.

• ATV Safety Toolkit

• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: ATV Safety Information Center

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Action of the Week

Every Monday, we are promoting a new, simple action that each family can take to keep their children safer while social distancing. This week, we want every family to review their child’s home training plan. If you have a young athlete in your home, it’s important to make sure that they are training safely. Ask your child a few questions to be sure that their plan was given to them by their coach or a certified program or individual, that it includes warm-up and cool down exercises, and that it includes days for rest.

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Coming Up

Kids In Danger is hosting a webinar next Wednesday, April 29th at 1PM Central Time. Nancy Cowles, KID Executive Director, will be discussing children's product safety, including recalled products, furniture tip-overs, and choking and ingestion hazards. She will also be talking about creating a safe sleep environment for infants. A Q&A session will follow. RSVP for this event here.

Next week’s newsletter will focus on National Playground Safety Week (April 27 - May 3), with a focus on backyard playgrounds, and the week after that we’ll be talking about National Bike Safety Month (May 4 - 10). If you or your organization has any materials or events about these topics that you would like us to promote to our members, please email info@preventchildinjury.org.

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