Softball Accident Leads to $2.78 Million Award

Chelise Navarro sustained facial injuries in a softball accident. Navarro, a 16-year-old student at Walton High School in Bronx, NY, “was struck in the face by a bat swung by another student” during a drill in a gym class. She sustained severe facial injuries. Navarro sued the Department of Education alleging that her teacher was not supervising the softball drills that led to her serious injury. The defense claimed that the student who swung the bat caused the injury because she disregarded the teacher’s warning to “execute full swings of the bat.” The defense also argued that Navarro assumed the inherent risk of the activity. The jury found that the Department of

Education was liable for the injury and ordered it to pay Navarro $2.75 million for the injuries she suffered.

Colon v. City of New York, NY,

So. Dist. Court (2008)

Another Death when Soccer Goalpost Strikes Innocent Children

Two 10-year-old boys in the fourth grade at Rio Colorado Elementary School in San Luiz, Az were struck by an unanchored soccer goalpost that fell on them. One of the boys died and the other was treated at a local hospital for a non-life-threatening injury. Both boys were playing during an early morning recess in the area of the goalpost when the goalpost struck them. The San Luis Fire Department responded to the accident. Fire Chief Hank Green said that the members of the Fire Department treated a teacher who witnessed the accident for shock. An investigation has been conducted to find the reason for the

collapse of the soccer goalposts. NOTE: This incident was reported to From The Gym To The Jury by Paul Steinbach, Associate Editor of Athletic Business, February 25, 2009.

IN MY OPINION

MEDICAL EXAMINER FINDS FOOTBALL PLAYER DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES

According to the state medical examiner, “a North Carolina high school football player who died after

a scrimmage last summer apparently died of natural causes.” The Raleigh News & Observer

reported that an autopsy determined that 17-year-old Atlas Shaquille Fraley “may have been dehydrated which caused cramping and a heart attack or acute asthma attack.” Fraley, a Chapel Hill High School football player complained of feeling dehydrated. He called 911 when he got home from practice. A paramedic thought he was stable and told him about dehydration after he gave him fluids. Fraley’s parents later found him dead. News & Record, Greensboro, NC, March 19, 2009

NOTE: In Vol. 19 No. 5, we reported that the state of North Carolina is considering requiring certified athletic trainers for every high school. This came after five student-athletes, three in football and two in basketball, died during the 2008-2009 seasons.

Nine-Year-Old Little League Pitcher Banned

Jericho Scott, a nine-year-old pitcher, throws a baseball at up to 40 mph, and for this reason, the Youth Baseball League in New Haven told his coach that he could no longer pitch in the league. Jericho took the mound to pitch the following week anyway and the opposing coach took his team off the field and forfeited

the game. The league has been in existence for three years and has eight teams with approximately 100 players. Officials of the league agreed to redistribute the players on Jericho’s team to other teams in the league. They offered to refund the $50.00 signup fee to those who wanted their money back. Jericho’s team refused the league’s offer and staged a protest urging the league to let Jericho pitch. The attorney for the league said the “only factor in banning Jericho from the mound is his pitches are just too fast.” News & Record, Greensboro, NC, August 2, 2008

IN MY OPINION

Court Upholds Player’s Ejection

Afederal court upheld a basketball official’s decision rendering a girl’s basketball player’s ejection for

being involved in an on-court fight. A one-game suspension accompanied the ejection. Sharon High School (PA) officials appealed the one-game suspension arguing that the girl, Brittany Benedetto, was defending herself and should not have been ejected. They further argue that Benedetto should have been able to play in the next game which was the opening game of the playoffs. Brad Cashman, executive director of

the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), said he would have been disappointed if the court had not upheld the Association’s rules. PIAA officials pointed out that the decision of the referee to eject the girls, who were fighting, was not reviewable. The only reason a court could review an official’s

decision was for alleged fraud. The request for an injunction allowing Benedetto to play in the playoff game was denied by U.S. District judge, Donetta Ambrose.

Referee, May, 2009

Florida High School

Athletic Association Cuts Number of Games

In an effort to meet a revenue shortfall for education for the third consecutive year, the Florida High School Athletic Association’s board voted to cut the number of varsity games for the next two years. The board also voted to cut the number of varsity sports by 20% and non-varsity sports by 40%. Exceptions were allowed for football and competitive cheerleading. FHSAA executive director, Roger Dearing believes that while not every district was facing a budget shortfall, cutting events only at the discretion of local school boards would have created scheduling problems for all schools. The regular seasons will be reduced up to 20 games in baseball, basketball, softball, soccer and volleyball. Tennis and wrestling go from 18 to 17 regular seasons games. Golf will be reduced from 14 to 12 matches. Cross country, swimming, track and weightlifting will go from 13 to 11 matches. Flag football games will be reduced from 12 to 10.

USA Today, April 28, 2009 NOTE: As of April 28, 2009, some colleges have played as many as 34 baseball

games. Teams with favorable weather due to their location have played even more games, not counting conference championships and playoffs.

IN MY OPINION

Other state organizations will follow the FHSAA’s lead and put restrictions on the number of games schools can schedule. We may find colleges adapting similar restrictions on the number of games

teams can schedule. While I was a college athletic director, baseball was the sport that scheduled the most regular season games. As a group, the conference set a limit on the total games scheduled, with a policy of not rescheduling rained out-non-conference games. A major consideration was the number of classes to be missed by the baseball players. As a conference, we made sure that playoffs and post-season games did not conflict with final exams and graduation. Through being creative, a huge problem was corrected to everyone’s satisfaction. We believe that athletics directors, along with their coaches, can come up with solutions to scheduling to save money and eliminate excessive absences on the part of student-athletes.

The Importance of Drinking Water

I recently attended a youth lacrosse game during an unusually hot spring day and observed the 12-year-olds

playing the game. The teams wore helmets, shoulder pads, long sleeved shirts and gloves. Missing that day was water on the field and sidelines for the athletes and officials. Dehydration, particularly in sports where there is vigorous exercise and heavy equipment, can lead to heat-related problems such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Dr. Frederick O. Mueller, a noted expert on catastrophic injuries in sport, says “the main problem associated with exercising in hot weather is water loss through sweating. Water loss is best replaced by allowing the athlete unrestricted access to water. Water breaks, two or three times an hour are better than one break an hour. Probably the best method is to have water available at all times and to

allow athletes to drink water whenever they need it. Never restrict the amount of water an athlete drinks and be sure the athletes are drinking the water.”

Safety Tips for Summer Activities

Millions of children will head to camp this summer, eager to try new experiences such as horseback riding, canoeing, or rock climbing. But, will they be safe while they are away from home learning new skills? Parents concerned with a safe summer camp experience for their children can determine

if the camp is accredited by the American Camping Association (ACA) by visiting www.ACAcamps.org/camp. It’s one way to know if the camp has complied with regulations regarding housing, supervision, staff training, waterfront safety and other standards. A visit to the camp can reveal a lot about the operator’s attention to safety. Facilities should be safe and in good order. The water depth and warnings regarding the hazards of diving into shallow water should be posted around pools and swimming areas in lakes. Safety training should also address more than physical injuries and adequate supervision. Camp staff should have some behavior management training. I’m concerned about harassment as much as many safety issues. A recent court case in New Mexico addressed assault at a summer camp. One of the campers led a sexual assault on another camper and as a result has been sentenced to nine months in juvenile jail. When a child goes to camp, he or she should come back better for the experience, not

worse. There are always some situations where campers harass other kids for whatever reason. Camp officials should enforce a zero tolerance policy to protect each participant.

SportsKidsPlay, May-June 2008