9781422288375

Sports

Bully on Campus & Online Drugs & Alcohol Gunman on Campus Natural Disasters Navigating Cyberspace

Peer Pressure & Relationships Protecting Your Body: Germs, Superbugs, Poison, & Deadly Diseases Road Safety Sports Stranger Danger Terrorism & Perceived Terrorism Threats

Sports

Christie Marlowe

Mason Crest

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D

Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3044-2 ISBN: 978-1-4222-3053-4 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8837-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Marlowe, Christie. Sports / Christie Marlowe. pages cm. -- (Safety first) Includes index. Audience: Ages 10+ Audience: Grade 4 to 6.

ISBN 978-1-4222-3053-4 (hardback)—ISBN 978-1-4222-3044-2 (series)—ISBN 978-1- 4222-8837-5 (ebook) 1. Sports--Safety measures--Juvenile literature. 2. Sports injuries--Juvenile literature. I. Title. GV344.M35 2015 796.028’9--dc23 2014003854

Contents

Introduction

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1. Real-Life Stories 9 2. What Makes Playing Sports Dangerous? 19 3. Staying Safe and Being Prepared 27 4. What Can You Do to Stay Safe? 37 Find Out More 46 Index 47 About the Author & Consultant and Picture Credits 48

Introduction N o task is more important than creating safe schools for all children. It should not re- quire an act of courage for parents to send their children to school nor for children to come to school. As adults, we must do everything reasonable to provide a school climate that is safe, secure, and welcoming—an environment where learning can f lourish. The educational effectiveness and the strength of any nation is dependent upon a strong and effective educational system that empowers and prepares young people for meaningful and purposeful lives that will promote economic competitiveness, national defense, and quality of life. Clearly adults are charged with the vital responsibility of creating a positive educational cli- mate. However, the success of young people is also affected by their own participation. The pur- pose of this series of books is to articulate what young adults can do to ensure their own safety, while at the same time educating them as to the steps that educators, parents, and communities are taking to create and maintain safe schools. Each book in the series gives young people tools that will empower them as participants in this process. The result is a model where students have the information they need to work alongside parents, educators, and community leaders to tackle the safety challenges that face young people every day. Perhaps one of the most enduring and yet underrated challenges facing young adults is bully- ing. Ask parents if they can remember the schoolyard bully from when they were in school, and the answers are quite revealing. Unfortunately, the situation is no better today—and new venues for bullying exist in the twenty-first-century world that never existed before. A single bully can intimidate not only a single student but an entire classroom, an entire school, and even an entire community. The problem is underscored by research from the National School Safety Center and the United States Secret Service that indicates that bullying was involved in 80 percent of school shootings over the past two decades. The title in this series that addresses this problem is a valu- able and essential tool for promoting safety and stopping bullying. Another problem that has been highlighted by the media is the threat of violence on our school campuses. In reality, research tells us that schools are the safest place for young people to be. After an incident like Columbine or Sandy Hook, however, it is difficult for the public, including students, to understand that a youngster is a hundred times more likely to be assaulted or killed

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at home or in the community than at school. Students cannot help but absorb the fears that are so prevalent in our society. Therefore, a frank, realistic, discussion of this topic, one that avoids hysteria and exaggeration, is essential for our young people. This series offers a title on this topic that does exactly that. It addresses questions such as: How do you deal with a gunman on the cam- pus? Should you run, hide, or confront? We do not want to scare our children; instead, we want to empower them and reassure them as we prepare them for such a crisis. The book also covers the changing laws and school policies that are being put in place to ensure that students are even safer from the threat of violence in the school. “Stranger danger” is another safety threat that receives a great deal of attention in the modern world. Again, the goal should be to empower rather than terrify our children. The book in this series focusing on this topic provides young readers with the essential information that will help them be “safety smart,” not only at school but also between home and school, at play, and even when they are home alone. Alcohol and drug abuse is another danger that looms over our young people. As many as 10 per- cent of American high school students are alcoholics. Meanwhile, when one student was asked, “Is there a drug problem in your school?” her reply was, “No, I can get all the drugs I want.” A book in this series focuses on this topic, giving young readers the information they need to truly compre- hend that drugs and alcohol are major threats to their safety and well-being. From peer pressure to natural disasters, from road dangers to sports safety, the Safety First series covers a wide range of other modern concerns. Keeping children and our schools safe is not an isolated challenge. It will require all of us working together to create a climate where young people can have safe access to the educational opportunities that will promote the success of all children as they transition into becoming responsible citizens. This series is an essential tool for classrooms, libraries, guidance counselors, and community centers as they face this challenge.

Dr. Ronald Stephens Executive Director National School Safety Center www.schoolsafety.us

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Words to Know confidence: Good feelings you have about yourself. community: The people around you, in your family, school, town, neighborhood, or city. professional sports: The level of sports in which athletes are paid to play. injuries: Any damage done to the body.

Chapter One

Real-Life Stories

S ince he was nearly old enough to walk, sports were a big part of Justin’s life. He seemed to be gifted at whatever sport he tried. But baseball quickly became his favorite. As much as he liked playing sports, what he really loved were the friends he made and the look of pride on his parents’ faces when he and his team won a game. Sports can be very good for you. They can build up your confidence , be a way to meet new people, give you a sense of community , and get your body moving. But as Justin would learn, if you don’t put your safety first, sports can be incredibly dangerous! JUSTIN TRIES TO “SUCK IT UP” When Justin first started playing sports, it was all fun and games. When he was young, his father invited his friends and their children for games of softball in their backyard. A barbecue followed the games. They talked about professional sports , laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company. No one was worried about winning the game. The games, then, were really about a group of friends having a reason to get together and have some fun. Of course, the adults kept score, and everyone tried to help their team win the game. But doing your best was all a part of the fun. Having fun was still the most important thing. And if someone

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Although a sports injury might seem minor, it’s important to treat it as soon as possible so you don’t hurt yourself further. Wearing an elastic brace is one way to treat a sprain.

Sports

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put winning before having fun, Justin’s father would pull them aside. “It’s hard for everyone to have fun when all you care about is winning,” Justin’s father would say, and he was right. When Justin got a little older, this started to change. A few of Justin’s friends signed up for Little League baseball, so Justin asked if he could join, too. Justin’s father was happy to see his son was interested in sports, so the next day, he signed Justin up and even offered to coach one of the teams. Justin’s father was a good Little League coach. He treated all kids equally and cared a lot more about having fun than winning. The first few years of Little League were a lot of fun for Justin. He grew closer to his friends on the team and learned a lot about the game. His favorite positions were pitcher and third base. Justin had a strong arm, which is important for third basemen. There is a lot of distance between first and third base. Being able to quickly throw the ball from third to first meant he could get a lot of kids out when they hit the ball his way. After a few years, Justin’s father stopped coaching. His work schedule changed, which made it hard for him to make it to practices. But he never missed one of Justin’s games. He loved to see Justin having fun with his friends. Justin’s friend Tony’s father took on coaching duties. He was a lot more competitive than Justin’s father. When someone is competitive, he cares about being better than others at something. Being competitive when playing sports can be good—if you still care about having fun. Being competi- tive can also make a player put his team before himself. For example, when an important game was coming up and it was Justin’s turn to pitch, Justin’s coach asked him if he wouldn’t mind let- ting Malik pitch instead. Malik was a better pitcher than Justin, who was the best third baseman on the team. Justin liked pitching and was sad to give up the position to another player. But he knew that his team would have a better chance of winning if Malik was pitching and he was on third. He told his coach he didn’t mind and only wanted what was best for the team. This was a good decision. Justin’s team won the game by only a run, and he knew they might have lost had he pitched. Being too competitive and caring too much about whether your team wins or loses can be very dangerous. Not only can it take the fun out of the game, it can lead someone to put winning before her own health and safety. You move a lot when you play sports, and small bumps and bruises are bound to happen. When someone is too competitive, she may think she should just “suck it up,” or continue playing despite the pain. Some very competitive people think sucking it up is an important part of playing sports. For example, Justin was fielding a ground ball at third base when a small bump in the field caused the ball to pop off the ground and hit him in the face. Justin quickly scrambled for the ball and threw it to first. The player who hit the ball was called safe. Justin’s coach ran onto the field and asked if he was okay. Justin said yes, despite the large bruise that was beginning to form on his cheek, where the ball had hit him. Justin’s coach told him to take a breather and ice the bruise, but Justin refused. He wanted to stay in the game to help his team win. Justin’s coach said, “OK,” and returned to the side of the field. The next ball was hit down the third base line. This time, Jus- tin fielded the ball well and threw it quickly to second base. The second baseman threw it to first,

Real-Life Stories

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Head injuries are especially worrying for athletes. Once you have had one concussion, you are more likely to get concussions in the future.

Sports

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If you continue to use a part of your body that you have injured, you have a good chance of hurting it even more—and if you hurt it badly enough, it might never heal all the way.

and both players were called out. The two outs ended the game, and Justin was congratulated for being so tough. Justin was proud of himself for putting his team first. But injuries during sports, especially head injuries, should be treated very seriously. Each year, many young athletes are injured perma- nently as a result of trying to suck it up. As Justin got older and the games he played became more and more competitive, this is what happened to him. JUSTIN GETS KNOCKED OUT OF THE GAME FOR GOOD By the time Justin was in the eighth grade, he was one of the best players on his junior high school baseball team. That year, his batting average was .328, and he led his team with thirty-six runs batted in (RBIs). Justin’s father still never missed a game and felt a lot of pride in Justin’s hard work and passion.

Real-Life Stories

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The shoulder is what is called a ball-and-socket joint. When the ball is pulled out of the socket, it is dislo- cated—and once this happens once, it can happen more easily in the future.

Sports

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