It's All About The Numbers

Submitted by Tim Twellman on Thu, 05/01/2014 - 14:35. | comments

Play the Percentages

The College Recruiting process is a game of percentages. There are 390,000 plus male high school soccer players. There are 350,000 plus female high school soccer players. Approximately 6% of all high school soccer players play college soccer and even a smaller number receive a full scholarship. The average male soccer scholarship across all three divisions is 39%. The average female soccer scholarship is 43% across all three divisions.

Play the percentages in looking for a college athletic scholarship, says Tim Twellman.

National Youth Sports Safety Month

Deb Bowen: "Aha" Moment After Son's Injury Inspired Career Teaching Yoga To Teen Athletes

Submitted by National Youth Sports Safety Month on Wed, 04/16/2014 - 14:07. | comments

In recognition of April as National Youth Sports Safety Month, MomsTeam is again asking our friends in the health, fitness, nutrition and athletic training communities to write blogs answering two questions: first, how or why did they get into their field, and second, how have they made a difference in the life of a youth athlete in the past year.

Today, we hear from certified yoga instructor, Deb Bowen.

A sports mom tells how she was inspired by her son's overuse injury to become a certified yoga teacher so she could bring the physical and mental benefits of yoga to teen athletes.

NFHS 2014-15 Spirit Rule Changes Focus on Minimizing Risk During Inverted Stunts

Changes adopted by the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) to the rules for Spirit in 2014-2015 are designed to minimize risk during inverted stunts.

Douglas E. Abrams, J.D.

Youth Sports Hero of the Month: Matthew Marotta (Prince George, British Columbia)

Submitted by Douglas E. Abrams, J.D. on Sun, 03/02/2014 - 17:39. | comments

On Sunday, February 16, the Nanaimo (B.C.) Clippers edged the Prince George Cougars, 3-2, on a hotly disputed goal in the final moments of a hard-fought double-overtime pee wee hockey tournament game in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The victory moved the Tier I Clippers into fifth place in the 43rd annual Vernon Coca-Cola Invitational.

When a pee wee hockey team lost in controversial fashion in overtime, the coach decided not to go through the traditional post-game handshake line to congratulate the winners. Except for one player, who shook his head when his head coach called him to leave the ice with the rest of his team.

Brooke de Lench

Research Papers and Peer-Reviewed Studies: A World of Difference

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Tue, 02/25/2014 - 13:54. | comments

Note to reader: I wrote this blog on February 25, 2014 and updated it to include new information and updates one year later February 25, 2015 about a new "helmet add-on paper.

Last week, we posted to the site a group of four articles about a peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Neurosurgery showing that football helmet design affected concussion risk among a large group (or what scientists call a "cohort") of college football players.

Last week, we reported on a peer-reviewed study showing that football helmet design affected concussion risk. At the same time, we received a press release about an abstract of a research paper on football helmets reporting that they do very little to protect kids against the rotational forces that cause concussion. MomsTEAM decided not to report on the paper, and here's why.

Injured Soccer Goalies Must Leave Field, Be Replaced, Says New NFHS Rule

Goalkeepers must now leave the field when they suffer an apparent injury and the referee stops the clock, according to a new rule approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Soccer Rules Committee and subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

NFHS Adds “Targeting” and "Defenseless Player" To High School Football Rules for 2014

In an effort to reduce contact above the shoulders and lessen the risk of head and neck injuries in football, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has revised the rules governing high school football for the 2014 season to add definitions of "targeting" and "defenseless player."

Study Showing Football Helmet Design Reduces Concussion Rate Raises Many Questions, Says NOCSAE's Oliver

A 2014 study (Rowson S, Duma SM, et al 2014) reporting that football helmet design can reduce concussion risk raises more questions than it answers, says Mike Oliver, Executive Director of the National Operating Committee Standards and Equipment (NOCSAE), the non-profit group that sets standards for football helmets.

Concussions Lead To Microscopic Structural Changes In The Brain, Three New Studies Say

Concussions result in microscopic white matter and inflammatory changes to the brain, say three new studies published in the Journal of Neurosurgery. The studies add to a growing body of research suggesting that concussion can no longer be thought of as a transient injury resulting in a temporary disruption of brain function, but results in structural and electrophysiological changes which persist long after the injury occurs.

Study Showing Helmet Design Can Reduce Concussion Risk Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

A new study provides the first good clinical evidence that helmet design can lower the risk of concussion in games and practices but leaves unanswered the practical question faced by football parents, coaches, and administrators: whether a difference in concussion risk reduction exists between currently available helmet models incorporating the latest design features.

Sports