On The Matter of Safety at Sunnyside Lone Star Little League
By Todd Hugger, SLSLL Safety Officer
The subject of the importance of safety has been brought to the attention of our league officials by some concerned parents. As the safety officer of Sunnyside Lone Star Little League, I feel it is my responsibility to address these concerns.
Little League Baseball International takes the safety of the millions of players under the Little League umbrella very seriously. All leagues are required to submit an annual safety plan addressing key safety issues ensuring that league safety procedures are established and made available to everyone in the league. Included in these procedures are how to report an accident, file a claim for insurance and mandating that certain training be given to coaches. In addition, background checks are required for all volunteers who have contact with the children.
Sunnyside Lone Star Little League, likewise, takes the safety of its players very seriously and has adequately established a working safety plan. All coaches in District 10 including our league coaches were required to attend a District wide coaches clinic which covered the fundamentals of coaching. Our local league also held a first aid training for all coaches which included a discussion by a medical doctor who specifically addressed the importance of recognizing the symptons of concussions and what to do when a player is suspected of experiencing a head injury during play.
It is through the collaborative effort of the league officials, managers/coaches, parents and umpires along with the playing rules established by Little League Baseball International that ensures the safety of the players as they participate in our program. Despite all the efforts put forth by league officials, managers/coaches and umpires, it is recognized that incidents do happen from time to time and no safety plan will totally prevent all accidents or injuries.
The importance of continuing safety education and safety awareness cannot be understated or ignored. We have recently been made aware that our awareness of concussion safety may not be at the level that it needs to be. To address these concerns, the following link provides information on how to identify and/or handle concussion situations with your players. I encourage all managers, coaches, parents and umpires to review this information.
www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/training/index.html
Or the training course here:
www.cdc.gov/concussion/HeadsUp/Training/index.html
The Little League website has additional information on the topic of player safety that you might find useful. I encourage everyone to check it out at www.littleleague.org.
Our Safety Plan
In closing, if you have a safety concern or questions regarding how to handle the situation when an injury does occur, do not hesitate to contact me. My cell phone number is 559-360-9290.
Todd Hugger