Players Health or Championships

[Postman]

Coach Bud Brandon and his staff put together a great game plan during the State Tournament and I would like to congratulate them on winning the AAA State Tournament.

 

I've been informed now that the AAA MVP of the Tournament Tierney Jenkins is back in a cast for three weeks. Tierney is a special player and she stepped up during the tournament when the team needed her too.

 

This is the question I would like for us to think about.

 

Do parents, players and coaches put more importance or emphasis on winning State Tournaments or winning in general over the health of their players?

[hedgehog]

Coach Bud Brandon and his staff put together a great game plan during the State Tournament and I would like to congratulate them on winning the AAA State Tournament.

 

I've been informed now that the AAA MVP of the Tournament Tierney Jenkins is back in a cast for three weeks. Tierney is a special player and she stepped up during the tournament when the team needed her too.

 

This is the question I would like for us to think about.

 

Do parents, players and coaches put more importance or emphasis on winning State Tournaments or winning in general over the health of their players?

 

The fact of the matter is that while coaches are not doctors, some may "insist" that a player plays through what aches and pains they may have. I have known good coaches who tell kids, "I don't believe there is any real damage, so you will be able to play." Any parent who allows a coach to make the decision about playing their child when injured should understand that doctors and parents, not coaches, need to make that decision. The child is going to want to play, for the love of the game, and for the same reason that kids make all kinds of bad decisions about risky behavior: they feel invincible and that they will heal no matter what.

I don't know anything about Tierney Jenkins' situation but if she played hurt, it may have come with a doctor's warning about what risks were involved, and how playing would affect the treatment she would need afterwards. Expecially for kids who have a future at the next level, like she obviously has, risking that future by playing hurt should always be a consideration in the decision. If a kid knows they don't plan or expect to play at the next level, even though their health is just as important, it would be awfully hard to convince them not to play hurt no matter what.

[8AAALUM]

Dr. Petty, WC's team doc, was at all the State Tournament games and I would think that he would have spoken up if he thought there was a problem with her playing.

 

No doubt Tierny was was needed on the court and a big reason for Wilson Central's winning the gold ball, but I know Bud or her mother would not put winning before her health. Anyone who thinks otherwise, don't know either very well.

 

Kids play hurt all the time and yes coaches sometimes encourage them to play through the pain, but this was not one of those situations.

[wardawg2038]

I will agree and disagree on parts of this subject. If a player is injured they should be checked out by a trainer or a doctor who is specialized in sports related injuries. I see too many times today, I see these things first hand as a coach, where overreacting parents will take a child to an emergency room or family physician for an injury. If this happens you can bet that the player will be out at least a week or more. Where if they had went to a sports orthepedic or had been seen by a trainer they would have been told how to treat the injury and help the healing process ( physical therapy or a routine of treatment). The player in question may have seen a doctor and been allowed to play. In my experience I have witnessed players that have been in air casts or walking boots all week, then they are able to play on game night. Doctors may require players to wear these things to help the healing process or to protect against reinjury when they are not practicing or playing. I know coachs like to win but there is not one coach I have been associated with that would put a player in a position to be injured permanently. Most coaches I have had dealings with usually are overly cautious because of the nature of today's society. (Lawsuits and the like.) Just my observations.

[Postman]

In this case Tierney was in a cast for some time because of a broken or fractured wrist and then the cast was removed for tournament time only to have it put back on this week for some reason.

[8AAALUM]

It wasn't a broken wrist, it was a broken bone in her hand. She was in a hard cast for several weeks and then moved on to a soft cast. After each game in the region and sub state, she put the soft cast back on, but she was not allowed to play with it on, thus the taped hand.

 

She may very well have the soft cast back on again, but no one went against doctor's orders for her to play in the state tournament.

[flngrvy]

Postman-The horse is dead. Stop beating it.

[PHargis]

Postman-The horse is dead. Stop beating it.

I saw this thread and while I don't have a dog in this hunt, as most of you know I promoted Sports Injuries-Females thread on Coacht and a Thread on Ankle Injuries. From observations of pregame warmups and paying some attention to what kind of protection for ankles teams or players were using, there was a better warmup routine and I personally saw more braces. The last part of the season I heard of fewer injuries. Whether those two threads had anything to do with that, I am not sure but at least the routines were better. have a safe off season.

[Postman]

flngrvy Your remark about The horse is dead. Stop beating it is off the mark.

 

This year I know of players whose coaches have told them not to wear ankle braces but after an injury the doctor steps in and will tell the player that they should have been wearing the braces all along. I know of players who have had stress fractures in a foot, would wear a boot for three weeks and get out and play the next day because it was an important tournament game and be placed back in the boot after the tournament because the foot was not healed properly.

 

The question that I proposed on this thread was Do parents, players and coaches put more importance or emphasis on winning State Tournaments or winning in general over the health of their players?

 

I used Tierney as an example because the girl's state tournament just finished. We all have examples we can use as I am sure you can as well.

[westtnbballer]

I know is this case with Tierney that she was schedule to not play for three weeks after the injury. She was as ready to be back playing as her coach would be ready for her. She was eased back into playing to be precautious that no additional damage was done. I do not think she regrets any of her playing time, and I do not know for any certainity, but I imagine if she is wearing a cast it is for protection and make sure things continue to heal properly. I would think she is going into her spring/summer program of ball soon with AAU.

 

With a state championship on the line a player, coach, or parent would endure most anything to win, it is a special opportunity, that may not come along again. But I do not believe any of them would (IN MOST CASES) jepordize a player's health to do so (i.e. going against doctor's orders). Plus a coach knows that if a player is in bad enough shape, he or she might be more of a liability playing than an asset.

[Dawg05]

As a former player, if I could walk, I was playing. I tried to play on one leg for a year and looking back it probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. However, if I had it to do over, there is no way I would sit on the sideline. Players want to compete and most will do whatever they have to do to get on the court, whether it is good for them or not.

Edited March 15, 2006 by Dawg05

[flngrvy]

Postman-Here's the problem with your post stating my reply about beating a dead horse was/is off the mark. If you wanted to start a thread about injuries in general, fine-no problem. However, you started the thread with talking about a specific injury to a specific player on specific team by name. The subsequent posts answered you query regarding the players health and the circumstances surrounding the injury and the decision(s) made relative to her playing. The player, parent, coaches and doctor were all apparently involved in the decision to allow the player to participate. Consequently, I would think that any further questioning of the decision is pure speculation on your part and has no basis in fact; but the continuing of your posts seems to have the inference that there were bad intentions on the part of those involved. Thus the "dead horse" comment by me.