Doctors Weigh in on Safety in Youth Football

According to two medical professionals, who are also members of USA Football's Football and Wellness Committee, parents can feel comfortable signing up their kids for youth football. * Audio * Video * Image According to two medical professionals, who are also members of USA Football's Football and Wellness Committee, parents can feel comfortable signing up their kids for youth football. According to two medical professionals, who are also members of USA Football's Football and Wellness Committee, parents can feel comfortable signing up their kids for youth football. America's favorite sport - football - is a contact game. It's also one of the few youth sports that employ protective equipment from head to toe to keep players safe. More than 3 million American youngsters aged 6-14 play organized tackle football, making it one of the country's most widely played sports by kids. USA Football recently spoke with leading physicians about playing youth football. According to a 25-year study by the University of North Carolina, the number of injuries sustained playing high school football is smaller than other sports, including gymnastics and ice hockey. Dr. David Joyner, M.D., chairman of USA Football's Football and Wellness Committee, and Dr. John Lehtinen, a sports medicine physician who also serves on the committee, recently shared insight about questions parents frequently ask regarding football. USAF:

What would you tell parents who are uncertain if their child should play tackle football? Dr. Joyner: Anything you do in life has risks. There are risks in after-school activities with lots of kids playing on the playground and kids get hurt just by playing. There aren't great statistics that support one way or the other, but there are several activities and sports that seem to be more hazardous. Football seems to be no more hazardous than these other types of activities. Anything you do in life has risks, and football certainly does, but it's not an outlier for kids at that age. Dr. Lehtinen: I guess it really depends on the child's development and if they have been part of any other sports previously. Try to get a background on what they've been doing and that way you can assess their ability based on their skill level, maturity level and level of interest. It can also depend on if it's the mom and dad that want the child to play or if it's the child who wants to take on this additional activity. I would ask these questions to parents - what's the goal here? I'm more concerned that kids are involved in some type of physical activity, and whether it's organized or not is debatable, but as long as they're physically active, I'm happy having them do whatever physical activity they choose.

USAF:What are the greatest health benefits that youngsters gain by playing football? Dr. Joyner: I think being active to start with is very important for our youth because our society is an under-exercised, over-eating population, so promoting physical activity is very positive. Secondly, kids learn teamwork, working together, collaboration skills, things that begin to hold up well later in life. A lot of successful people in the world, not that you have to be a CEO of a company to be successful, but many if not most played football and other sports. You learn many things from coaches - proper technique and position - and hopefully they also learn about hydration and proper ways to take care of themselves. If they incorporate the values that USA Football is teaching, they'll do a good job. I think it's just getting them started. P.E. class in schools is really going down in most school districts and is a problem in other places in the world, so promoting athletic development and other physical skills is important.

USAF: How is football safer than other youth sports? Dr. Joyner: If you look at statistics, football is not the highest injury sport, it's kind of in the middle of the pack. So football is not alone with injuries, but it's not at the top. Football is a collision sport, but if you look at overall injury rates for various sports, they're not that different. Dr. Lehtinen: It's probably pretty hard to answer if you're talking about any contact-collision sport. Football is a contact-collision sport, but it's relatively safe. When kids are small, they bounce back quickly. So football would probably be in that same category. It's as safe as any other sport, I don't think I see any more injuries in youth football than I do from any other youth sport or activity - organized or unorganized.

USAF: Is football safe for kids? Dr. Lehtinen: When you start getting into the specifics, then you get into what level of football it is, appropriate coaching and good techniques with tackling. Technique is so important because it can certainly prevent injuries. So that in my mind is always a big question mark. Parents have limited ability to teach the sport and the techniques and concepts safely. For the most part, it's a relatively safe sport. Injuries can occur in any sport, depending on the age of the child, and if they're age-matched and ability-matched, you don't see a whole lot of injuries occurring by participating in football. I certainly would not discourage playing football because of a fear of injury occurring. As long as there's quality coaching there and equipment is properly fitted, that will help minimize injuries as well. So, 'Go for it,' is my bottom line. I tend to not be one of those that is going to discourage participating in sports if they have an interest in doing so.

USAF: If you have children, did you permit them to play football? Why or why not? Dr. Joyner: Both of my boys played flag football when they were younger, and then they both played in high school and college. Both of them played at Penn State as well, and I played at Penn State from 1968-1972. I made that decision, and my wife did, too. I wrestled and played football at Penn State, and I got injured more and worse in wrestling, actually. But even after all those things, I knew that it was worth the risk and as parents, you look back on all the things that you learn playing the game. I certainly look back at each individual decision, and I'm still very active despite injuries, so I wouldn't change anything because of the things I got out of playing football. It's all about the life lessons I learned that I thought were very, very valuable. Maybe other people don't feel that way, but for me, I would rather have had the injuries that I had, and I only missed two quarters in high school and two quarters in college, so I didn't have any injuries that kept me from playing. But I look back and I wouldn't have had all the other benefits that came along with it, and you take risks every day. Athletes that get hurt are de-conditioned and fatigued. You minimize risk by preparing properly and training properly. If you have sound techniques that are taught to you, most injuries are just pure accidents. But if you look at patterns, most head and neck injuries are from improper technique and most of the catastrophic injuries can be traced back to a breakdown in technique. Many of the other ones are fatigued athletes at the end of the game because that's when your risk goes up. Proper attention to your skill set and how you prepare and practice is critical - not just in football but any sport because that's how you minimize your risk.

USAF: In what ways can being active and playing football help youth in other aspects of their lives? Dr. Joyner: You get the sense of accomplishment - whether you start or don't start - if you look at your progress, and you judge your success on your own improvement. You learn techniques, and it's a mastery of yourself. Through self-discipline, a mastery of yourself and playing for a team, you learn to put the team ahead of your individual person. [Penn State head coach] Joe Paterno said we need to be "we-and-us people and not I-and-me people." Football is a great team sport, and that's something I'll always remember. Dr. Lehtinen: You learn to work in the capacity of a team, which is applicable when you go to work whatever you're doing for a living. You're learning to interact with people and you learn a lot of life lessons that football can bring and it teaches kids how to take direction and how to work hard. That's the problem - a lot of kids talk the talk, but you have to walk the walk to get better.

SUNDAY, 11/01/09

"C"(7-8)  11:00 AM    Susquehanna Valley  18   Apalachin  6

"B" (9-10)  1:00 PM   Tioga 13    Spencer-VE   12  OT

"A" (11-12)  3:00 PM    Susquehanna Valley  20   Owego  18

"C" (7-8): Owego  19   Newark Valley   18

 "B" (9-10): Spencer over Windsor I

"A" (11-12) Playoff Bracket A:

#1 Susquehanna Valley  25   #8 Apalachin   7   #1 Susquehanna Valley 14 #4 ME White 0

#4 ME White   47   #5 Whitney Pt.  19                                 

                                                                                                #1 Susquehanna Valley

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    Vs.

"A" (11-12) Playoff Bracket B:                                                       #3 Owego              

#7 Tioga   20       #2 Spencer   14         #3 Owego 13  #7 Tioga  0

#3 Owego   25      #6   ME Blue  14  

________________________________________

 "B" (9-10) Playoff Bracket A:                                                                  

#8 Spencer 18    #1 Owego    0              #8  Spencer 19  #5 Newark Valley   6

#5 Newark Valley  12    #4 Chenango Forks I     6                                #8 Spencer

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     Vs.

                                                                                                          #2 Tioga

"B" (9-10)                                                                                                                  

#2 Tioga  32   #7 Whitney Point    12            #2 Tioga 14   #3 Susquehanna Valley 6

#3  Susquehanna Valley   38     #6 Montrose  8                      ____________________________________________________________________________

"C" (7-8) Playoff Bracket A:

#1 Susquehanna Valley  52  #8 Owego  6     #1Susquehanna Valley 26 #5 Whitney Pt. 6

#5 Whitney Point 13   #4 ME White   6                                          #1 Susquehanna Valley    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vs.

 "C" (7-8) Playoff Bracket B:                                                          #2 Apalachin   

#2 Apalachin 22     #7 ME Gold  19        #2 Apalachin 33 #6 Tioga 6 

#6 Tioga  13    #3 ME Blue    12              

_________________________________________________________________________

"A" (11-12) 3:30 PM:

Newark Valley  12   Chenango Forks   6

Susquehanna, Pa @ Windsor I

Windsor II @ Chenango Forks II

ME Gold  27    Montrose   14

_______________________________

"B" (9-10) 1:30 PM:

Apalachin  40      ME White   20

Windsor II @ Chenango Forks II

ME Blue @ Windsor I

"C" (7-8) 11:30 AM:

Windsor I @ Chenango Forks I

Windsor II @ Chenango Forks II

Newark Valley  @  Spencer  

"A" (11-12):

ME White   26     Tioga  7

Susquehanna Valley  13  Owego   6

Apalachin  28  Windsor I    0

"B" (9-10):

Tioga  34    ME White   13

 Owego  13   Susquehanna Valley  6  OT

Windsor !  24    Apalachin   20

"C" (7-8):

ME White  19   Tioga  12

Susquehanna Valley  27   Owego  14

Apalachin  26   Windsor I  8

"A" (11-12):

Suaquehanna Valley  27   Spencer   0

ME Blue  19     Tioga   12

Montrose   7    Windsor II   0

ME White   54   Chenango Forks II  12

Newark Valley   28   ME Gold   8

Apalachin   41   Susquehanna, Pa   0

Owego   32   Whitney Pt.  14

Chenango Forks I   25   Windsor  I    7

"B" (9-10):

Susquehanna   Valley   6    Spencer   o

Tioga  24   ME Blue   0

Montrose   35    Windsor II    7

Chenango Forks II   34    ME White   0

Newark Valley   33   ME Gold   0

Apalachin   43   Susquehanna, Pa   6

Owego   20   Whitney Pt.  6

Chenango Forks I   27       Windsor   I   18

"C" (7-8):

Susquehanna Valley  28    Spencer   0

ME Blue   21    Tioga  0

Windsor II    1      Montrose   0 (Forfeit)

ME White   27   Chenango Forks II   0

ME Gold   28   Newark Valley   0

Apalachin   26    Susquehanna, Pa  8

Whitney Pt.   46     Owego   13

Chenango Forks I    22     Windsor I    6

"A" (11-12):

Spencer 30   Chenango Forks II   13

Tioga 12   Apalachin   6

Owego  26    ME Blue   13 

ME White  25   Windsor I   0

Susquehanna Valley   44   Newark Valley  0

ME Gold  32     Montrose  24

Whitney Pt.  30  Chenango Forks I    o

Windsor II   21   Susquehanna, PA   7

"B" (9-10):

Spencer  14  Chenango Forks II  0

Tioga   35      Apalachin   13

Owego   20  ME Blue   6

Windsor I  26    ME White   0

Susquehanna Valley   0  Newark Valley  0 - To be decided by Overtime session

Montrose    41   ME Gold   0

Chenango Forks  36   Whitney Pt.  6

Windsor II   30   Susquehanna, PA  0

"C" (7-8):

Chenango Forks II   26    Spencer   0

Apalachin    26       Tioga   6

ME Blue    18    Owego    6

ME White   20     Windsor I   o

Susquehanna Valley   25   Newark Valley   0

ME Gold   3 8     Montrose   24

Whitney Pt.   46   Chenango Forks I   13

Windsor II   21   Susquehanna, PA   12

"A" (11-12):

Tioga  19    Newark Valley   0

ME Blue 6   Spencer  6   To be decided by Overtime session

Chenango Forks II     39    Windsor I  26

Whitney Pt.  40   Apalachin  13

Susquehanna Valley  65   Susquehanna, Pa   0

 Owego  26    Windsor II   6

 ME White  21   Montrose  0  

ME Gold  23   Chenango Forks I  20

"B" (9-10)

Tioga 22   Newark Valley  0

Spencer  18  ME Blue  14

Windsor I   21   Chenango Forks II  o

Whitney Pt.   26    Apalachin  13

Susquehanna Valley  38   Susquehanna, Pa   6

Owego  46   Windsor II    6

 Montrose  34    ME White  0

Chenango Forks I   56   ME Gold  6

"C" (7-8):

Tioga  20    Newark Valley   12

ME Blue  36   Spencer   0

Chenango Forks II  25   Windsor I   6

Apalachin   33   Whitney Pt.  19

Owego  12   Windsor II   7

Susquehanna Valley  34    Susquehanna, Pa   20

ME White   33     Montrose   0

ME Gold  38   Chenango Forks I    0

 "A" 11-12:

Whitney Pt.  34    ME Gold  6

Tioga  41    Windsor II   12

ME Blue  40  Chenango Forks II  18

Owego  13    Apalachin  0

Susquehanna Valley  33    Montrose  0

Spencer  22    Newark Valley  14 

 ME White    38    Chenango Forks I  26

Windsor I    13    Susquehanna, PA   7

"B" 9-10:

Whitney Pt.  36    ME Gold  0

Tioga   44      Windsor II   16

ME Blue  19    Chenango Forks II    12

Owego  39     Apalachin  6

Susquehanna Valley  18    Montrose  6

Newark Valley  40   Spencer   8

Chenango Forks I  32     ME White   26

Windsor I   32     Susquehanna, Pa   0

"C" 7-8:

Whitney Pt.  40     ME Gold  6

Tioga  24    Windsor II 14

Chenango Forks II 13     ME Blue   12

Apalachin   24   Owego   0

Susquehanna Valley  48    Montrose  6

 Newark Valley 21   Spencer    12 

ME White   33    Chenango Forks I   6

Susquehanna, Pa   7    Windsor I    0

"A" (11-12)

Spencer  23    Tioga  22

Whitney Pt.  46    Montrose  0

Apalachin  27    ME Gold  6

ME Blue    Windsor  II     Reschedule

Susquehanna Valley  34    Windsor I   0

Owego  26    Chenango Forks I  6

Newark Valley  24       Chenango Forks II 0

ME White  28    Susquehanna, PA    7    

"B" (9-10)

Tioga  18    Spencer  0

Whitney Pt.  32    Montrose  26

Apalachin  13    ME Gold  6

ME Blue  35    Windsor II  0

Susquehanna Valley  24     Windsor I   6

Owego  14    Chenango Forks I   12

Newark Valley  31    Chenango Forks II    6

ME White forfeit win over Susquehanna, PA   

"C" (7-8)

Tioga  24    Spencer  6

Whitney Pt.  51    Montrose  0

Apalachin  39    ME Gold  26

ME Blue  39    Windsor II   6

Susquehanna Valley  31    Windsor I   0

Owego  18    Chenango Forks I  12

Newark Valley   19    Chenango Forks II   6

ME White  43    Susquehanna, PA   31

"A"  11-12

Tioga 52    Chenango Forks II  18

Susquehanna Valley   13     M-E White  0

 M-E Blue  20  Newark Valley  6

Windsor I   12     Montrose  6

 Spencer 25   Susquehanna, Pa  13

Owego  32    M-E Gold 13

Whitney Pt.  35   Windsor II    0

Apalachin  31  Chenango Forks I    6

"B"  9-10

Tioga 36    Chenango Forks II  18

 Susquehanna Valley  28  M-E White  0

 Newark Valley  14    M-E Blue  6

 Montrose  26  Windsor I  20

Spencer  33      Susquehanna, Pa    0

 Owego  47    M-E Gold  8

Whitney Pt.  43   Windsor II    14

Chenango Forks I  32    Apalachin   6

"C"  7-8

Tioga  14    Chenango Forks II  6

 Susquehanna Valley  24   M-E White  14

 M-E Blue  18    Newark Valley 7

 Windsor I  40    Montrose  0

Spencer  7    Susquehanna   6

Owego  25   M-E Gold  24

Whitney Pt.  38   Windsor II   0

Apalachin   22    Chenango Forks I   12

September 6^th

Susquehanna, PA @ Whitney Point

Windsor 1 @ Susquehanna Valley, NY

Chenango Forks II @ Windsor II 

Owego @ Chenango Forks I 

Tioga @ Apalachin II

Apalachin I – BYE 

September 13^th

Windsor I @ Susquehanna, PA

Windsor II @ Tioga

Whitney Point  @  Susquehanna Valley, NY

Apalachin I @ Chenango Forks II

Owego @ Apalachin II

Chenango Forks I – BYE 

September 20^th

Susquehanna, PA @ SusquehannaValley, NY

Chenango Forks II @ Windsor I

Windsor II @ Owego

Apalachin II @ Chenango Forks I

Apalachin I @ Whitney Point

Tioga – BYE 

September 27^th

Windsor II @ Susquehanna, PA

Tioga @ Windsor I

Whitney Point @ Chenango Forks I

Apalachin I @ Apalachin II

Chenango Forks II @ Owego

Susquehanna Valley, NY – BYE 

October 4^th

Apalachin I @ Susquehanna, PA

Chenango Forks I @ Windsor II

Susquehanna Valley, NY @ Tioga

Owego @ Whitney Point

Apalachin II @ Chenango Forks II

Windsor I – BYE 

October 11^th

Apalachin II @ Windsor I

Whitney Point @ Windsor II

Susquehanna Valley, NY @ Owego

Chenango Forks I @ Chenango Forks II

Apalachin I @ Tioga

Susquehanna, PA - BYE

 WINDSOR II SCHEDULE FOR "A", "B" and "C" levels:

8/30: Whitney Point @ Windsor II - 11:45, 1:30, 3:30 PM
9/06: M-E Blue  @ Windsor II  - 1:30, 3:30 PM - No "A" Game
9/13: Tioga  @ Windsor II  - 11:45, 1:30, 3:30 PM
9/20: Windsor II @ Owego   - 11:45, 1:30, 3:30 PM
9/27: Windsor II @ Susquehanna, PA  - 12:00, 1:30,  3:30 PM
10/4: Windsor II @ Montrose  - 11:45, 1:30, 3:30 PM
10/11: Windsor II @ Newark Valley    - 11:45, 1:30, 3:30 PM

10/17-10/18:      Playoffs or Consolation Game 

2006 TIOGA

2007 SPENCER

2008 MONTROSE

2009 CHENANGO FORKS

2010 SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY

2011 WINDSOR

 2012 OWEGO

2013 WHITNEY POINT

2014 SPENCER

2015 MONTROSE

2016 APALACHIN

2017 NEWARK VALLEY 

2018 SUSQUEHANNA, PA

2019 ENDWELL

2020 TIOGA

Susquehanna, PA Chip Burdick 570-727-3722  burdick@nep.net
Owego Bob Knox 223-4379  bknox72@yahoo.com
Spencer-Van Etten Jim Bergmark 589-7967 jbbuck69@aol.com
Tioga Don Dunbar 857-4296 twind44@hotmail.com
Newark Valley Mark Hofmier 642-8193  hoffmier42@yahoo.com
Maine-Endwell Blue Damon Beers  dbeers24@yahoo.com

Maine Endwell Gold Damon Beers  dbeers24@yahoo.com 
Apalachin Steve Bundy 687-0060 Ebundy1@stny.rr.com

Chenango Forks 1 Jamie Allen 648-5122 mamba244@aol.com
Whitney Point Jim Hundley 723-5153 stealth2828@yahoo.com
Windsor Mark Morgan 467-1892   dillonjames0521@hotmail.com

Maine-Endwell White Damon Beers  dbeers24@yahoo.com

Susquehanna Valley Paul Novobilski 723-2068 novo4173@aol.com
Chenango Forks 2 Jamie Allen 648-5122 mamba244@aol.com
Montrose Frank Benequisto 607-727-9448 giants1905@epix.net