By By Dr. Richard P. Borkowski
Richard P. Borkowski, EdD, CMAA, is a sport safety consultant based in Narberth, Pa., who served as the Director of Physical Education and Athletics at the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pa., for 33 years. His most recent book is titled Coaching for Safety, A Risk Management Handbook for Coaches, published by ESD112 in Vancouver, Wash.
Coaching Management, 12.1, January 2004, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/cm/cm1201/riskfactor.htm
This article is about the most boring subject there is in sports: safety. It’s boring, that is, until an athlete gets hurt.
Coaches must know and appreciate their risk management duties. The implementation of solid safety rules will not guarantee your athletes freedom from injury, but it will lower the chances of both common and serious, catastrophic injuries. Lowering the chance of injury lowers the chance of expensive, time-consuming, program-shattering lawsuits.
The following are your legal responsibilities as a coach. They are based on a consensus of opinions by those in athletics, an ongoing review of court cases, and my years of experience as an athletic risk manager. They are also what a good coach does—offer a worthwhile athletic experience that manages the risks of participation.
However, when in doubt about your duties, seek the advice of your school’s legal counsel. Do it before an accident.
The Right Attitude
The key to lowering the risk of injury is to make safety important by making it a regular topic of conversation. Explain to your athletes the danger of attempting throws or jumps they haven’t been adequately trained in. Correct safety problems immediately. Say, “No, we won’t practice,” if a situation is hazardous.
In addition, talk to your athletes about their responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others. Explain to your throwers what could happen if they leave their shot or discus where someone could trip over them. Show your javelin throwers how to scan the area before starting their practice throws.
When athletes hear you preach safety, they will be less apt to attempt risky behavior. When parents see you take safety seriously, they will trust you and your judgement, even after an injury happens. When you put a priority on safety in your planning, you will be able to spot hazards more easily.
Knowledgeable Coaches
Unlike most sports, track and field is a combination of several events, each of which carries its own level of risk. Therefore, the most significant part of any risk management plan is the hiring of certified and qualified coaches who are intimately familiar with the risks of each event they coach.
Running a track and field event when you do not have a coach who is thoroughly familiar with the risks involved creates a major risk. If you don’t have a qualified coach for a high-risk event, don’t do the event, or send your athletes to specific event centers or to a school with a qualified high-risk-event coach.
Track and field requires at least two, and preferably three, coaches. This is critical because of the numerous and varied events and because of the large area that needs to be supervised. Coaches are required to know the rules of their specific sport and fulfill the requirements of national and state associations. Read the rulebook every season. Attend state and local meetings. Never ignore any regulation that pertains to a safety issue. There is no excuse for not staying current with all rules and regulations. Just as important, follow your athletic department rules and regulations. Talk with your athletic director at least once a year about safety-related issues.
In addition to playing rules, competent coaches know the basic rules of health safety. You are not expected to know all that an athletic trainer knows, but do stay current on the major guidelines. For example, it would be considered a breach of your duty as a coach if you prevented your players from taking water breaks during practice. If you recommend any type of nutritional supplements to your players, be sure there are absolutely no risks involved with taking them. Know about proper warmup and cooldown.
Warn of Risks
Some coaches feel that if you inform student-athletes of potential injuries, they will stop participating. This has proven to be untrue. In fact, warning and obtaining an informed-consent form from players and parents is an established duty, and informing people about the potential risks of participating in any activity actually reduces injuries.
It may seem obvious that an athlete can get hurt in track and field, but informed-consent forms help spell out just what the potential risks are. The form should include pertinent words in large print, such as “Warning,” “Attention,” and “Please Read.” The heading on the form should also be in large print. The form should cover all phases, sites, and timeframes. Your legal counsel should review the informed-consent form. After it has been signed, give a copy to each student-athlete’s parents, and keep the original.
It is important that the recipient understands the seriousness of the consent form. Have a parent-information meeting to discuss the risks and benefits of participation. Ask parents and athletes if they have any questions and if they understand what they are signing. They should know that signing the form is voluntary, and that by doing so, they are agreeing to accept the risks that come with participation.
Even after the form has been signed, warnings and reminders should be issued. They should be frequent and given within the context of normal instruction.
Super Supervision
Lack of supervision is the most-cited complaint against coaches. The coaches’ presence during an activity is the first line of defense against potential problems. Permitting players to remain on the track or field for extra practice without supervision is not an option.
Being there, however, is only the first step. Supervision means controlling the situation through your knowledge and planning. First, you must be completely familiar with the activity you are supervising. You must plan appropriate activities for the group you are working with, taking the time to foresee potential problems.
You must also watch all athletes at all times, and that means you cannot be stationary for long. A track coach must get into the habit of circulating throughout the entire area where athletes are practicing or competing. The ability to scan a large area for potential danger spots is critical in track and field because of the wide separation of events. Avoid distractions. Supervising the pole vault is not the time to talk with others.
Don’t forget that it’s also your job to supervise students who are helping out with events. In Pennsylvania, a track coach instructed two non-javelin throwers to mark throws. It was their first javelin experience. Both markers got distracted from their task and spent more time watching the running events. The coach, tired of reminding them to pay attention, permitted the thrower to toss the javelin without telling the markers. The javelin hit one of the markers, close to his eye. The coach admitted it was his own fault for not providing adequate supervision.
Appropriate Equipment
You must offer your track and field athletes appropriate and well-fitting equipment. The days of passing down the old hurdles, cross bars and landing pits to the middle school team are over. Equipment lasts for only a certain length of time. Replace it before it is no longer functional and becomes dangerous. Do not use outdated equipment or padding that no longer meets current guidelines.
Avoid modifying equipment or using it for any activity other than its intended purpose. For example, a coach invented a rubber harness system. The harness was then attached to a bleacher set or some other stationary object by rubber straps. The idea was to give the harnessed runner an isometric workout. Unfortunately, when a stronger runner stopped moving forward, the expanded rubber straps snapped him back with such force that he was knocked off his feet.
Lastly, remember to store or secure all equipment after practice. In particular, throwing implements must be controlled.
Check Facilities
It is the coach’s duty to inspect the site he or she is going to use. If there is a problem, correct it. If it cannot be corrected immediately, adjust the activity and report the problem. Stay current with facility recommendations made by local, state, and national governing bodies.
Make sure that there are sufficient “buffer zones” outside the boundary lines of throwing events. Whenever possible, avoid having cement surfaces around the landing areas for jumps. If they must be used, always cover them with protective matting.
Assign someone to check the area of activity on a daily basis. Look for holes and debris, and check the bleachers. Carefully examine running surfaces and runways on a regular basis, looking for areas that have become cracked or uneven, and stay in communication with the maintenance department.
Progressive Planning
A key part of risk management—and one which is the subject of some recent well-publicized court cases—is the coach’s role in instructing his or her athletes in a progressive, safe manner. You have a responsibility to develop a sequence of progressive practice sessions and offer competition preparation and strategies that result in a worthwhile and safe experience for students.
This begins with your strength and conditioning program. Progression is the key to proper conditioning, and rest is a key component. Trying to do too much too soon, and cutting back on the conditioning and stretching phase to get in more skill practice are two errors coaches often make that increase the risk of injury.
Before they participate, your track and field athletes’ fitness levels must be evaluated. Your conditioning program should reflect the physical demands of the sport. Remember that water and nutritional information are part of physical conditioning.
Follow your association’s conditioning guidelines, and always check with your team physician and athletic trainer before implementing a new idea. Extensive information concerning proper physical conditioning—both what’s appropriate and what is not—is available. Taking advantage of it is one important way to make the sport safer for your athletes.
Good Instruction
Alongside proper progression must be appropriate instruction. You not only have a duty to instruct your athletes to run, jump, and throw well, but you must teach the proper techniques to lower the chance of injury.
The repetition of fundamental skills is one of the major, and often neglected, techniques used to lower risk. Have the skill demonstrated and let the athletes practice it in various ways before attempting it in a competitive setting. Never, ever place an athlete into a situation he or she is not prepared for.
Ask yourself if you are running an activity in an acceptable manner. Is the way you teach your athletes to pass the baton the best and safest way to do it?
Safer Meets
With multiple events taking place at once, and both spectators and competitors to consider, track and field meets can present significant risks and require careful planning. One common safety hazard comes from holding throwing events inside the track while running and jumping events are taking place on the track. This practice can be successful, but to be safe, it requires flawless organization and tight control by officials. If at all possible, it’s better to keep the throwing events—especially the javelin, discus, and hammer—out of the track infield.
If there is no other field available for the throwing events during a meet, consider scheduling them before or after the running events or holding them on another day. Another creative solution that has worked well for some schools is to hold a tri- or quad-meet that is exclusively for throwers: Three or four schools send their throwers to one school, and those are the only events that take place. The runners and jumpers can compete at the same time at one of the other three or four schools.
You are also responsible for the safety of the fans who attend the meet. Permitting spectators on the track and around throwing events creates a needless hazard. Under ideal conditions, all meets would be held inside a stadium where spectators have access only to the grandstand, and only participants in uniform and coaches with I.D. tags would be permitted onto the field.
However, if your track doesn’t have a separate grandstand, ensure spectator safety by roping off the competition area and using marshal ushers to keep spectators on the other side. A police officer patrolling the area is also a good reminder for fans to remain in the designated area. Make frequent announcements over the public address system, informing spectators that only coaches, officials, and participants are allowed onto the track.
After the Injury
Regardless of the excellence of a risk management program, injuries will still occur. A coach is expected to have basic knowledge as to what he or she should and should not do when an athlete is injured.
Most importantly, you must know how to implement your emergency plan. Do you know what to do at an away meet when there is a serious injury? Whom do you call? Do you have a cell phone? Actually practice your emergency game plan before an emergency happens.
Coaches should have training in basic first aid and CPR. Obtain an AED and make sure someone present knows how to use it. Maintain a first aid kit that includes individual emergency medical forms. Obtain a higher level of medical care as quickly as possible after an injury happens.
Protect the injured athlete from further harm, and offer comfort and reassurance. Do not attempt to provide medical assistance beyond your ability. Remember the golden rule of injury assessment and first aid care: Always assume and treat for the worst possible injury.
Report and document the incident as soon as possible. Accident reports should be factual and to the point. Do not editorialize. Avoid post-injury discussions with anyone but your supervisor or medical personnel. An athlete should not resume practicing or competing after an injury or illness without a completed “return-to-play” form.
Along with being knowledgeable in first aid care, the single most important thing you can do after an athlete suffers an injury is to show both the athlete and his or her parents that you care. Although it sounds simple, parents are less apt to take a coach to court if he or she seems to have been genuinely concerned about the welfare of the student-athlete.
Maintain Records
As often as possible, put things in writing and keep records. This includes checklists, practice plans, training plans, medical examination forms, the athletic handbook, informed-consent forms, and return-to-play agreements. Following a written plan lowers the chance of forgetting an issue and demonstrates your professionalism. It will save you a great deal of time in the future. Check with your athletic administrator as to the number of years you should retain all these records. My sources suggest four to seven years.
One more note here: The records you keep on file must reflect what you actually did in a situation. If your written rules state athletes cannot practice without passing a physical and then you permit a student to play who hasn’t, you may be found negligent.
On A Daily Basis
Whether it’s a practice, strength workout, or meet, as you walk into every situation, ask yourself, have I done all that is reasonable to lower the chance of injury to my athletes? Have I checked for hazards? Have I reviewed the safety of the drills? Have I taught my athletes how to be safe?
The best defense against injuries and lawsuits is to understand, appreciate, and meet your legal duties as a coach. You may have noticed that they are the same as the basic duties of any good coach.
It’s a matter of staying vigilant and caring about the student-athletes on your team. Let’s keep risk management boring.
For more articles on risk management by Dr. Borkowski, please visit our Web site at www.AthleticSearch.com and type “Borkowski” into the search window.
Sidebar: A Short List
Every track and field coach needs to:
• recognize that risks exist
• identify those risks
• evaluate the risks
• have a plan to reduce the risks
• closely supervise the program
• remind participants of their role in controlling risks
• always remain vigilant
• review and revise the program frequently
• ask for assistance from supervisors
• care about the welfare of all athletes