Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/3/11
From Press Release
The US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee, a diverse group of professionals that specialize in a variety of disciplines within the sports medicine field, today released the position paper “Boys’ and Girls’ Youth Lacrosse Participation Recommendations.”
The paper codifies US Lacrosse’s effort to combine existing medical literature with common-sense solutions during a year-long project to turn the focus of the youth game to player development, team play, sportsmanship and safety. The project reached a milestone in September, when, after nine months of research and development, age-appropriate playing rules for youth lacrosse were passed by the US Lacrosse Board of Directors.
“Boys’ and Girls’ Youth Lacrosse Participation Recommendations” primarily was prepared by US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee members Dr. Paige Perriello and Dr. Richard Ginsburg.
“US Lacrosse has been very forward thinking in understanding the importance of [developing youth lacrosse rules] from a medical point of view,” said Dr. Perriello, who became a pediatrician in Charlottesville, Va., after playing and coaching NCAA Division I lacrosse. She also is a former umpire.
“My late father (Vito) was the chair of the Sports Science and Safety Committee and a pediatrician,” Dr. Perriello said. “He held the medical point of view of why it’s so important for youth in sports be treated as a separated entity from athletes at the high school or college level. It was fun to take a project he started and work with this committee. Dr. Ginsburg took it and ran with it.”
Dr. Ginsburg is the co-director of the Paces Institute for Sport Psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and has been a member of the US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee since 2008.
The position paper addresses topics such as overuse injuries, burnout, nutrition, hydration and concussions before delving into specific guidelines for youth boys’ lacrosse and youth girls’ lacrosse. It can accessed in PDF format by visiting http://tinyurl.com/76axe56.
To learn more about the US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee and its leadership in the research, education and prevention of injuries in lacrosse, visit www.uslacrosse.org/safety.
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