Team Sports Injuries

[minniebeth]

I know a lot of your kids play sports and I have a quick question:

In today's day and age, I know a lot of us drop off (older) children at sports practices and even some games. If your child got hurt during a practice, would you expect a phone call?

My DD13 got hurt at a volleyball practice tonight that I was not there for but got no word about it until I came to pick her up. It was a scrimmage, so a lot of parents were there and I felt like the lame mom who didn't care about her hurt kid, but had no idea. I thought a quick call from the coach would have been appropriate. DD said she texted me, but since they are in a gymnasium, many don't go through. I put a little of the blame on her since she didn't follow up with a phone call when she did not hear back from me.

 

[si-am]

It depends on the severity of the injury and age of the child, really. If it were something minor and the child is old enough and well enough to text or call, then I wouldn't expect the coach or school to do it.

If it was a serious injury or a young child, someone should make sure the phone call happens.

 

[mamacatnv]

Your situation based on your post does not sound like it was an urgent matter.

I think that if you have deemed your chilld old enough to be there unaccompanied they are old enough to take a bit of responsibility and find you if they deem they need your immediate attention.

If we are talking about a major injury requiring immediate medical attention or the child is unconscious then of course, someone needs to find the parents. Under normal circumstances as described, I do not think the coach needs to take the time to find you.

 

[Tinkh]

If coach told or asked daughter if she contacted you then maybe they thought it was covered or maybe the coach assumed you were there? If it were serious, of course I would be bothered. However, if your daughter could not get a text through, then what are the chances the coach could. Usually, a head coach would be coaching during a game.

 

[christineann]

I agree that it depends on the injury. Both my kids played high school sports, and from time to time there were injuries. I was only called for a bad one that occurred during a practice, and fortunately, I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for her when it happened.

 

[minniebeth]

Thanks for the feedback, I am probably overreacting a little, my DH is out of town and when it rains it pours, we've had several things happen hard to deal with as a "single mom".

DD said she texted me, but in the cinderblock gymnasium, texts don't always go through. But for some reason, calls do.
It was a scrimmage, not a game and there is a head coach, 2 assistants and two HS helpers, so it's not like someone would have been way overly too busy to follow up w/DD to make sure she or someone let me know.

I'm a phone call away, finding me is not too hard.

No, it wasn't a serious injury where immediate medical attention was required, but bad enough that DD can't walk on it and she started feeling dizzy/nausous when we got home. I guess my frustration is, is that if I had known about it when it happened, there was time enough for me to take her to a local children's hospital urgent care. But by the time I learned about it, it was too late, and since my DH is out of town, out of the question for an ER visit this late in the evening.

I guess my expectations of her coach were too high...her coach from last year was awesome at communicating and I know I would have heard from him in a heartbeat in this situation. I got on DD too, she's getting old enough now too to realize that she should have called, but said she tried to suck it up, lol.

 

[Hannathy]

Nope not at that age, unless it required a trip to the hospital. As they get older they will get hurt a lot in practice and if the coach took time to call everytime they would be on the phone constantly.
I just found out when she came out holding an ice pack or limping or got off the bus from an away game. Or holding a paper towel from a sliding injury.

Parents actually stay for practices at that age? wow!

 

[minniebeth]

That's why I figured I would ask here, it's my "real world" reality check
Yeah, our school has a little helicopter parent-ish thing, I'm really not that way too much, really, but had some parents look at me for not knowing DD was hurt. That's what set me off a little, well, that and the fact that I'm sad my DD is hurt.

It was a scrimmage, so of course the parents were there, lol.

 

[redlight]

Did your daughter have a head injury?

 

[ENSOCK]

That is the reason I or DH is at every game. Practice is directly after school but many days I have sat in my car watching the end of a practice. In the first football game for DS11, 3 team mates had to go to the hospital. One of the boys did not have a parent there. He did not tell the coaches he hurt his hand, it wound up being broken in 2 places. He "played thru the pain".

I hope your daughter gets better soon.

 

[dislaney]

I wouldn't expect to be contacted by the coaches for a non serious injury. It sounds like your daughter could have called you and I would probably be stressing to her that next time something like this happens to please call and let me know. Mine know that if I don't respond to a text, they are to call me. It took a few times for that to get through to mine but they now know it.

 

[minniebeth]

That is the reason I or DH is at every game. Practice is directly after school but many days I have sat in my car watching the end of a practice. In the first football game for DS11, 3 team mates had to go to the hospital. One of the boys did not have a parent there. He did not tell the coaches he hurt his hand, it wound up being broken in 2 places. He "played thru the pain".

I hope your daughter gets better soon.

This would be ideal, I know. When my DS played football, we made it a priority to be at most of his practices and all of his games for this very reason! It was easier though, he was our oldest and my other two were younger then. Now that they're older and my DH travels, it's impossible for me to be at each of my kids' activities all the time.

Thanks for the well wishes

I wouldn't expect to be contacted by the coaches for a non serious injury. It sounds like your daughter could have called you and I would probably be stressing to her that next time something like this happens to please call and let me know. Mine know that if I don't respond to a text, they are to call me. It took a few times for that to get through to mine but they now know it.

Yes, my DD definately has that down now after I so got on her about it last night!

 

[jrmasm]

At that age, unless my child was so severely injured that they were unable to place a call themselves, I would not expect a call from the coach.

 

[golfgal]

Most coaches, at least in the schools, have some training in basic injury care. For something like a sprained ankle no, I wouldn't expect a call, nor as a coach would I have called. If she was given ice and sat out, there really is no reason for a parent to come up early and get her. There is nothing you could have done that the coach did not do that would have made a difference in her treatment. Now for something more serious, yes, a parent would have been called to come take their child to the dr or to meet the ambulance at the hospital-which I have had to do too.

 

[luvmy3]

it depends on the severity of the injury and age of the child, really. If it were something minor and the child is old enough and well enough to text or call, then i wouldn't expect the coach or school to do it.

If it was a serious injury or a young child, someone should make sure the phone call happens.

mte.

 

[Acklander]

I wouldn't expect a call unless it was serious and DS was unable to call me himself. When DS played I usually only went to the home games, and never to the practices. Once he called me letting me know to meet the bus back from an away game so I could bring him to the hospital for stitches.

 

[FireDancer]

Two of my friends are athletic trainers at the high school level. They also cover some sports for the Junior High kids (7th and 8th grade here). The only time they talk to the parents about an injury is if a visit to the doctor is needed or if it was a head injury. Something like a sprained ankle or pulled muscle would be treated there and the student is told what to do. If they have any questions after the fact or the parents need clarification they have an email they can send questions to or see them after the next practice.

 

[Momvic5]

Two weeks ago, my ds14 was taken to the hospital by ambulance during his first out of town freshman football game. He received a hit (helmet to his right lower arm) that broke both of the bones in his lower arm. He took the hit but wasn't knocked down. He continued running, and then his body just collapsed. I guess it went into shock. By the grace of God, both my dh and I were there so we were able to witness it all and be with him. The coaches were fabulous though. Once they realized the severity of his injury, they held him down (until they realized he wasn't going to panic), kept him engaged in a conversation, and immediately called us onto the field. We have received multiple phone calls from them and were quickly provided with a secondary insurance to cover what our primary insurance will not.

Just out of curiosity, I asked what would have happened had my dh and I not been there. They said that normally, a coach and trainer go with the child to the hospital, and then from the hospital, they call the parents. If an injury does not require a hospital visit, and they (the trainers) can attend to the injury, parents are not contacted unless of course, it is a head injury.

 

[minniebeth]

Two weeks ago, my ds14 was taken to the hospital by ambulance during his first out of town freshman football game. He received a hit (helmet to his right lower arm) that broke both of the bones in his lower arm. He took the hit but wasn't knocked down. He continued running, and then his body just collapsed. I guess it went into shock. By the grace of God, both my dh and I were there so we were able to witness it all and be with him. The coaches were fabulous though. Once they realized the severity of his injury, they held him down (until they realized he wasn't going to panic), kept him engaged in a conversation, and immediately called us onto the field. We have received multiple phone calls from them and were quickly provided with a secondary insurance to cover what our primary insurance will not.

Just out of curiosity, I asked what would have happened had my dh and I not been there. They said that normally, a coach and trainer go with the child to the hospital, and then from the hospital, they call the parents. If an injury does not require a hospital visit, and they (the trainers) can attend to the injury, parents are not contacted unless of course, it is a head injury.

How scary~ so glad you were at the game with your DS! Hope he is feeling better and is healing well.

 

[Momvic5]

How scary~ so glad you were at the game with your DS! Hope he is feeling better and is healing well.

Thank you...he is healing. Because of his age and the fact that he is still growing, they think his arm will heal properly without surgery. He has to go for weekly x-rays, and if the bones begin to show any signs of shifting, he will need surgery. He is so disappointed. He didn't shed one tear until they said he was out for the rest of the football season. On the bright side, everyone has been so good to him....the school, the coaches, his teammates, and (more to his happiness than mine) the girls!