Top 10 questions to ask the college coach during the recruiting process.

Most student-athletes and their family will let the college coach dominate the interview process. The students and their parents should begin to control the process by asking the right questions and understand the coach is making hundreds of calls to other prospects, so find out quickly if there is interest on both sides.

Below are the top 10 questions the student-athlete should ask any college coach or one of their staff members during the one-on-one interview before making a commitment:

1. Based on what you know now, what are my earliest opportunities at playing my position?

2. How many athletes are you recruiting that play my position?

3. How many strong undergraduates are ready to move into the position I play?

4. Do you intend to play me at another position than what I played in high school?

5. What allowances are made for class and exam preparation?

6. Does the athletic program have an off-season schedule?

7. What is the breakdown of the staff, coaches, and their specialties and who will I be working with if I decide to commit to play for your college?

8. If I am offered a partial scholarship, what do I need to do to get a full scholarship?

9. How much money is a typical athletic scholarship worth?

10. If I get hurt, and cannot play anymore, what provisions are available for me in order to keep my scholarship?

The college coach’s main intent is to get the student-athlete to commit, it is very important you ask the right questions so both parties have a clear understand as well as a comfort level before moving to the next step.

Scholarpreps.com

"Little League Elbow" - When to rest your young pitcher

Jeannine K. Hurst MS, ATC

Baseball season is upon us. Young baseball players, especially pitchers, may experience “Little League Elbow.”

The elbow is a joint where the upper arm bone (humerus) meets the two bones of the lower arm (Ulna and Radius). The elbow is a hinge and pivot joint. The hinge part of the joint allows the elbow to bend; the pivot part allows the lower arm to rotate. The throwing motion combines elbow flexion/extension and rotation. The repetitive forces from the above motion may pull tiny bone fragments away from the humerus. This can disrupt normal bone growth resulting in deformity.


This occurs when repetitive throwing creates a strong pull of the tendons and ligaments at the elbow growth plate. Growth plates are made of soft cartilage, and therefore are not as tolerant to forces as ligaments, tendons, or mature bone. It is generally the weak link for young pitchers.

The young athlete will complain of pain at the bump on the inside of the elbow. They may also complain of decrease range of motion. Pain is generally worse during and after pitching.

To help prevent ‘Little League Elbow’ all children should be limited in the number of pitches thrown per day. The USA Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Committee have
published guidelines for maximum pitch counts based on age.

Maximum number of pitches/day

AGE (PITCHES PER DAY)

17-18 (105)

13-16 (95)

11-12 (85)

9-10 (75)

7-8 (50)

American Sports Medicine Institute 2008

How much rest do youth pitchers need?
Rest is a critical part to preventing injury. Below are charts to indicate proper rest time. Rest time indicates rest from pitching only. The athlete may play other positions on their ‘rest days.’

For pitchers age 7 to 16:

Pitches in a Day (Rest Time)

61 or more (3 days)

41-60 (2 days)

21-40 (1 day)

1-20 (0 days)

For pitchers age 17 to 18:

Pitches in a Day (Rest Time)

76 or more (3 days)

51-75 (2 days)

26-50 (1 day)

1-25 (0 days)

Little League International, 2008

If a child is complaining of elbow pain and/or restricted range of motion you should have them rest for a few days. If symptoms persist or reoccur when throwing is resumed discontinue throwing and consult a Sports Medicine Physician. The earlier an injury is diagnosed, the earlier treatment can begin. The result is everyone’s goal; shorter healing time and faster return to pitching.

http://www.scholarpreps.com/

Source:
Jeannine K. Hurst MS, ATC is a Certified Athletic Trainer at Providence Athletic Medicine. She holds a Bachelors degree in Sports Medicine and a Masters degree in Sports Medicine/Biomechanics

Under Armour and USA Football team up

Under Armour, Inc. which outfits and warms some of the top athletes around the world, just signed a deal to dress youngsters playing football.

Vienna-based USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, had no previous outfitter prior to the deal with the Baltimore-based sportswear apparel company (NYSE: UA).

“It’s a partnership that goes through 2009 with a mix of cash, performance apparel and media,” said Steve Alic, director of communications for USA Football. “Under Armour represents a ground-breaking outfitter partnership for USA Football’s national team program.”

USA Football recently picked Chicago-based Riddell as its official football helmet and protective equipment partner.

USA Football will conduct more than 100 football training events nationwide this year that UA will provide apparel for.

USA’s members that benefit from the training sessions include coaches, game officials and league administrators, who reside in every state and D.C.

The partnership also gives UA the exclusive right to outfit USA Football’s 2009 Junior National Team, America’s first high school-aged national team in football. It will compete this summer, dressed in Under Armour uniforms, against seven other nations at the world championship in Ohio.

UA will also participate in USA Football’s grant program, which awards uniforms and equipment grants each year to youth leagues and high school football programs, based on merit and need.
UA’s existing youth partnerships include the Under Armour High School Football All-America Game, and it recently amped up its relationships with universities.

Late last year, Under Armour inked a deal to spend $11 million over five years to outfit the entire Texas Tech University athletic program.

In September, Under Armour and the University of Maryland athletic department announced a five-year, $17.5 million all-apparel pact.

Source: Washington Business Journal

HEAD Introduced New MicroGel Extreme Racquet Line

HEAD announced the launch of the new MicroGel Extreme Series featured by a revolutionary material called Teflon® friction reducing polymer. Teflon® friction reducing polymer has been integrated successfully in various branches and HEAD is the first brand to introduce it in the tennis racquet industry. The concept of reducing the friction between the racquet and the strings results in more power on the court.

The new MicroGel Extreme series will be available in January, fabricated with Teflon® friction reducing polymer mixed with Polyamide (PA = standard material for grommets), which is injected before the racquet’s molding process. The result is a racquet designed with a built-in lubricating effect that enables strings to glide fluidly through the grommets with nearly no friction, losing no energy during ball impact.

“The DuPont Teflon® friction reducing polymer is one of the premier innovations on the market today, and we’re extremely proud and excited to be teaming with this brand to improve tennis,” said Robert Marte, Executive Vice President of HEAD Racquetsports. “With its combination of MicroGel technology and Teflon®, the racquet series is one of the most advanced on the market today.”

The Teflon® friction reducing polymer also allows the racquet to maintain a constant and even contact surface over all the grommets, which creates a consistency in the string tension and offers a bigger sweetspot.

In addition to the Teflon® friction reducing polymer, the grommet strip extends around the frame as an inlay into the bumper, which is reinforced by high-resistance aramid fibers, which provide maximum protection against impact and abrasions from competitive court use.

- The MicroGel Extreme with Teflon® polymer offers a perfect combination of weight and balance, allowing it to be quick through the air while still providing rock-solid-feel

- The MicroGel Extreme Pro with Teflon® polymer offers the extra touch and power aggressive players want on the court

- The MicroGel Extreme Team with Teflon® polymer frame shares many of the characteristics of the tour racquets, ensuring maximum spin and power with a unique solid feel and touch.

In addition, HEAD introduced the new Tour Team bag line. The new bag lines are designed with extreme abrasion and dirt resistant material on the bottom; longer, padded shoulder straps; metal buckles; and a detachable, adjustable, convertible shoulder strap system. The new Tour Package is available now in pro/specialty and sporting goods stores.

*Teflon® is a registered trademark of DuPont and is used under license by HEAD Sport AG as of Jan. 1st, 2009

Source: Head

Finishing Strong....Never Give Up

Great Message and something every child should see….

McDavid HexPad Technology "The best new protective technology in years!”

What is HexPad?

Hexpad Technology is a padding system that bonds dozens of individual athletic foam pads permanently into fabrics. Hexpads are machine washable and cost effective allowing the development of a new generation of apparel that incorporates protection right into the shirt or pant, unlike anything seen before. Hexpad Technology allows the replacement of your existing undershirts, pants and sleeves with true performance products.

Comfort: Hexpad Technology utilizes super- lightweight athletic foam that conforms to and stretches with your body. It doesn’t pinch or bind like traditional sports padding. It breathes for comfort and maximizes the benefits of our Ultra hDc™ moisture management technology, keeping you cool and dry.

Protection: Hexpads use high quality closed cell athletic foam padding, the same padding density and impact resistance that is used in pads for football and other impact sports. The lighter weight Hexpads allow for greater coverage at the same or less weight than traditional padding systems.

Compression: Incorporated into compression (spandex) shorts and shirts, Hexpad products also offer all the benefits of this snug fitting fabric. It supports large muscle groups to help reduce pulls and fatigue. It moves with your body to prevent skin irritation, chafing and abrasions.

Durability: Products using Hexpad Technology have been designed and tested to be durable. They have been used in some of the most rugged sports like football and rugby and wear well through at least one full season. They may be machine washed and dried. Follow directions on the label.

Acceptance: Hexpads are being embraced by athletes in virtually all contact and collision sports including most college football and basketball, all NBA teams, elite soccer teams, lacrosse, rugby and volleyball to name a few.

Source: McDavid

Scholarpreps.com

An Air-Cooled, Football Shoulder Pad System That Works...Cool!

• Introducing the latest advanced technology in combating heat stroke and heat related illnesses in football players. Developed by Physicians and Scientists from the University of Florida Research Foundation.
• Significant changes in the body core temperature cause conditions ranging from mild weakness and fatigue to decreased athletic performance, coma and death.
• Cool, compressed air enters the pad then flows through vertical air flow channels that are open next to the chest and back of the player.

Athletes, coaches, and even armchair quarterbacks know that successful athletes need conditioning. But did you realize that they need ‘air’ conditioning?

One of the most dangerous health risks to football players has always been the risk of heat stroke. Two years ago, after having gone through the tragedy of losing an athlete to heat related complications during practice, Physicians and scientists from the University of Florida immediately began researching a means to prevent this dangerous and sometimes fatal condition.

It was determined that the air temperature under the players’ shoulder pads often reached dangerously high levels leading to severe dehydration through perspiration. Although players frequently removed their helmets, this only fooled their bodies into thinking that they were cooler, when in fact, the temperature surrounding the player’s body remained dangerously elevated.

It was farther determined that the way to alleviate this condition was to lower temperature of the body’s core. The researchers found that they were able to successfully cool the body core by passing cool air over the strategic areas of the player’s shoulder and back.
Dr. Nik Gravenstein from the University of Florida came up with the concept of a pad that players could wear that would address the real issue of heat-related illness. This invention was brought to Fred Williams of Williams Sports Group, LLC of Jacksonville, Florida. Mr. Williams has invented numerous protective designs which are being used by numerous NFL and college football programs.
Fred Williams developed an ‘air flow channel system’ which, when built into the protective cushion of an existing shoulder pad would provide a unique system of air delivery. This system is the revolutionary new ‘Temperature Management System’ (TMS).

In the TMS system, cool, dry air effectively lowers his core body temperature, keeping it from rising to dangerous levels. The device was field tested by University of Florida research scientists and has been incorporated into the Douglas Custom Pro and Riddell Power Shoulder Pads.

• Heat related illness is second only to head injuries as a cause of death among athletes in the United States.
• The TMS system will replace the air across a players chest and back over 100 times per minute.
• A rise in body temperature is also associated with a decline in athletic performance.

Source: Williams Sports Group

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