A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that U-11 ice hockey players who played in an Alberta, Canada, league that allowed body checking were more than three times as likely to suffer concussions and other serious injuries compared with kids who played in an Ontario league that banned body checking. Now, the mechanisms of injury in lacrosse are a bit different than those in ice hockey, since players skate on a rock hard sheet of ice surrounded by solid dasher boards. But the possibility that body contact may expose young lacrosse players to increased risk of serious injury is certainly worth careful reflection. We already know that adults – whether they are coaches, league administrators or parents – too often project adult values and priorities on young athletes. We also know that those same adults determine the experience our young athletes will have based on those same adult values and priorities. Decisions on what rules a particular youth lacrosse league or tournament follows, for example, are driven more often by tradition (“We’ve always done it that way"…Our kids can handle it"…The parents of my players want it...”) rather than an understanding and appreciation of the stages of physical and cognitive development young bodies undergo. US Lacrosse-recommended youth rules for boys’ lacrosse prohibit body checking until the U-13 age level for precisely these reasons, but more than a few youth leagues and tournaments choose not to follow them. Allowing “take-out” checks in boys’ lacrosse at an early age does nothing to expedite a child’s development as a lacrosse player; it actually distracts young players from focusing on skill development and interferes with opportunities for confidence building. Just as concerning, many kids (and their parents) may be turning off to the game because they are neither emotionally nor physically prepared for body contact. What do you think? http://www.uslacrosse.org/Blog/tabi...gues-Allowing-Younger-Boys-to-Body-Check.aspx
