OT: CT Proposed Bill for Youth Sports - Concussions

[Carl Spackler]

http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillst...=5113&which_year=2014&SUBMIT1.x=0&SUBMIT1.y=0

FWIW: There is another bill ready to go if this one gets scrapped. I do NOT like this bill because of part 4. This is a proposal meant to cover ALL youth sports from hockey, football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, etc....... Limiting the amount of "full contact" practice is nonsense first of all, and there is no definition of what "contact" means.

Write your legislators based on whatever you think. You can find them at the top of the link under "House" and "Senate" and "Find your Legislator" in the drop down menu.

 

[Carl Spackler]

FWIW: My understanding of this bill as it's written - it would also include basketball in the 90 minute per week of "full contact" practice. This thing is trouble if it passes. Just a badly written bill, with some good stuff. take out the #4 part and it accomplishes what it needs to accomplish.

 

[BlueMAB]

From the bill:


(d) No operator or coach of a youth athletic activity shall conduct, or cause to be conducted, full contact practice for more than ninety minutes per week. For purposes of this section, "full contact" means any drill, scrimmage or live game simulation that includes activities that may include, but not be limited to, youth athletes tackling, striking or colliding with one another at full speed.


I don't have a problem with them limiting full contact. I do have a problem with only 90 minutes per week.

I think it's appropriate to make sure coaches are educated on brain injuries, are required to notify parents, and are not allowed to put players back in if there are signs of a concussion.

I also don't think the state BOE has any right to demand access to personal medical records of youths by requiring schools to report concussions to the BOE. Unless the personal and specific sport information is redacted, and only the fact there was an occurrence is reported. But then, what good would that do them?

Edit:

I would rather it pass without the limit on full contact, than not at all. But I am okay with them limiting the amount of full contact practices. I think the time should be sport specific. Only players to practice at full speed for 90 minutes a week is crazy. If a team has 4 practices a week, that's 20-25 minutes out of each 2+/- hour practice.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Ha - somewhere somebody wrote recently on this website about "they don't even read the bills." That's damn true - for people as well legislators. I didn't read the full text, I had problem enough with the abstract - didn't even make it to the full text before I didn't like it. So "full contact" is defined. It's still supposed to be a broadscope bill for youth sports and the definition involves all sports and as "full contact" is defined, lacrosse and hockey involves full speed contact. I see nothing wrong with #1-#3 in the abstract - 4 and 5 I do. Putting a time limit on it per week is just dumb.

Tracking of these things can be accomplished other ways. There are also problems here - big problems, because most pop-warner, youth football leagues (as well as other sports, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, etc....) are NOT school and board of education affiliated. They are parent associations and independent organizations from school athletic programs. How do you account for that.

This is just a very poorly written bill. Take out #4 and #5 from the abstract and it accomplishes what it needs to.

AN ACT CONCERNING YOUTH ATHLETICS AND CONCUSSIONS.

To reduce the number of concussions in children by: (1) Requiring the State Board of Education to develop or approve a concussion education plan, (2) requiring the operators of youth athletic activities to provide information on concussions to youth athletes and their parents and guardians, (3) requiring youth athletes suspected of sustaining a concussion to provide written clearance from a medical professional prior to returning to the athletic activity, (4) limiting full contact practices to ninety minutes per week, and (5) requiring local and regional boards of education to compile and report all instances of concussions suffered by children in school.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Wing - write an email to your legislator. It's easy. It works. I think we agree - that this thing as it's written is not good.

 

[huskypantz]

So this would include high school football? Right. Like others have stated, I don't have a problem with enacting some level of limitations, especially for pre-high school organized football. At the high school level, you could limit to 3 days per week. I think we technically did that anyway, although I can't fully remember. I believe we used to have lifting, running and film study on Monday, regular practice tues-thurs with a heavy day thurs and friday was pregame walkthrough, which was mostly limited contact.

 

[uconnbill]

Must have been written by someone who never played sports. Most ridiculous rule I have ever heard of for those playing sports.
I want youth to be protected but this is going way to far.

More feel good legislation that hurts the youth in the long run