How Does PC Prevent Football Injuries?
Panther Creek football has made a comeback this 2018-2019 season, putting up competition that other schools find
unbeatable and intimidating. But alongside these wins that the team is achieving comes a little bit of downfall. While they are all out on the field, working hard to get their win, it comes with a risk of injury.
According to players on the team the 2018-2019 season has had an “average”number of injuries, which is around 6-7 players. The 2017-2018 season was said to have around 20 players injured at one period, which is a huge disadvantage for the team. The injuries ranged from concussions to torn ACLs.
There are many different approaches that PC can and has taken in order to aid injury prevention. “Injury prevention is one of the biggest things going on in football today,” says one of the coaches, “we teach the players certain skills to allow them to sort of maneuver themselves through a situation where an injury may occur.” There are also rehab programs and sessions set out from the sports med team to help players with any pain or pre-injuries they have before a game. During the actual playing time the Sports Med team is on the sidelines, prepared for anything to happen at any moment, and rush to aid anyone injured. “You can try your best to prevent injuries, but they’re always there,” says one of the members on the Sports Med team, “the best we can do is do our job and correctly treat an injury when it occurs.”
After hearing from the coaches and sports med team about these certain injuries, we decided we wanted to know what students thought about these injuries. They are the ones in the stands, watching and observing every play, and being there to see the injuries occur firsthand. A survey was taken and 70% of the students surveyed agreed that the school has done almost all they could do regarding the safety of the players. “Football is a dangerous sport, no matter what school or state or level you play at. The players know the risks and as does the school. The school can only do so much to help these boys stay safe and they have done their absolute best to help the boys out,” a student says when asked their opinion on this topic. But, opinions do vary, as another student claimed that the school wasn’t doing enough, and that more could done for the players.
In conclusion, it can be agreed upon that universally football is a very dangerous sport. No matter where or how you play, the risk for injury is always present, like there is with all sports. According to statistics every high school player experiences around 2-3 injuries their entire high school career, and only 32% of them have been preventable. However, the players are aware of the risk and decide to keep on playing for their own sake, which is an admirable choice seen by the students and staff.
