Youth Sports Safety Summit: Attending in Dual Role As Advocate, Member of Media

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Tue, 12/06/2011 - 14:10. | comments

The Capital, Washington, D. C.

MomsTeam's continuing mission from the day I launched the site in August 2000 has been to improve the safety of our young athletes and prevent catastrophic injury and death.

Today, I am excited to be in Washington, D.C. for a one-day Youth Sports Safety Summit hosted by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA).

Today, I am excited to be in Washington, D.C. for a one-day Youth Sports Safety Summit hosted by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA). I am attending in a unique and dual capacity, both as a member of the Youth Sports Safety Alliance and as a member of the media.

Brooke de Lench

Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal: What Happens When Media Spotlight Fades?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:40. | comments

The alleged sexual abuse of boys by a longtime coach at Penn State* has focused media attention once again on the issue. For the parents of the alleged victims, of course, their worst nightmares have come true. But what could have been done to prevent it? And is the culture of male sports itself at least partially to blame?

The sad fact, as noted in an article by Michael Hartill, a lecturer in the Department of Sport and Physical Activity at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire, England who has studied sexual abuse of boys in sports extensively, is that "the largely unregulated world of children's sport has typically been slow to address the issue of sexual abuse of youth athletes."

The alleged sexual abuse of boys by a longtime coach at Penn State has focused media attention once again on the issue. For the parents of the alleged victims, of course, one their worst nightmares has come true. But what could have been done to prevent it? And is the culture of male sports itself at least partially to blame?

Find Activity Child Can Enjoy With Family And As Adult

Involve children in activities they can enjoy with the family and as adults, such as kayaking, canoeing, or bicycling, says MomsTeam's Brooke de Lench.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Remembering A Friend Lost

MomsTeam founder Brooke de Lench says she is remembering Lucy Kent, a friend lost to cancer, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, especially when she is paddling her kayak.

Recognizing and Preventing Abuse in Sports

Collision Sports: Is Letting Young Kid Play Child Abuse?

Brooke de Lench

Are Parents Who Allow Young Athletes To Play Contact or Collision Sports Guilty of Child Abuse?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 20:01. | comments

As long-time visitors to MomsTeam or readers of my blog and 2006 book, Home Team Advantage, know, I have always taken a somewhat expansive view of what constitutes child abuse in the context of sports.

Parents who allow their children - particularly elementary school age-children - to participate in collision sports are not engaging in child abuse simply by letting them play.

Brooke de Lench

Concussion Safety: Past, Present and Future

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 17:13. | comments

The other day I was asked in a radio interview what I thought were the biggest recent developments in concussion safety, and what I saw happening in the near future to protect our kids from the dangers of brain injury in contact and collision sports. Here are the five developments that I view as the most significant, and a seven-point "wish list" for what I hope to see in the not too distant future to make such sports even safer:

The other day I was asked in a radio interview what I thought were biggest recent developments in concussion safety, and what I saw happening in the near future to protect our kids from the dangers of brain injury in contact and collision sports. Here are the five developments that I view as the most significant, and a seven-point "wish list" for what I hope to see in the not too distant future to make such sports even safer:

Brooke de Lench

Impact Indicator: New Tool in Concussion Toolbox

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 18:07. | comments

If you are anything like me, worrying about your kids' safety is woven deeply into the fabric of your DNA. As the mom of a football player, I know football moms are no exception. No matter how strong we may appear to be on the outside, worry is our constant companion, especially when it comes to injuries, like concussions.

So what's a mom to do? Live with it in anguish? Or do something about it?

More and more moms are choosing, like I have been for more than a decade, to be pro-active about their kids' safety in sports, and, in doing so are turning to an unlikely source - technology - to ease their fears.

More and more moms are choosing, like I have been for more than a decade, to be pro-active about their kids' safety in sports, and, in doing so are turning to an unlikely source - technology - to ease their fears. One of the new products on the market, to which MomsTeam is proud to give its Seal of Approval. is the Impact Indicator from Battle Sports Science.

Sports Safety Is Lifelong Passion for MomsTeam Founder

Brooke de Lench