Power of the Permit: Improving Youth Sports Safety One Municipality at a Time

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Fri, 07/24/2015 - 13:23. | comments

If you are involved in a private youth sports program which plays on publicly-owned fields, diamonds, rinks, or courts, or are in local government, you have probably been hearing a lot lately about what is being dubbed the "power of the permit": the authority municipalities and towns around the country are using to condition use of their athletic facilities by private programs on compliance with state concussion safety laws from which they would otherwise be exempt, or, in an increasing number of instances, to fill gaps in their state's law.

A growing number of municipalities are using the power of the permit to require private sports programs to comply with state-mandated concussion safety laws, or impose additional conditions beyond those required by state law, but, as MomsTEAM Institute Executive Director explains, it isn't an isolated or new phenomenon. It's been a growing trend for years.

Brooke de Lench

MomsTeam Awarded NCAA-DOD Mind Matters Challenge Educational Grant

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:46. | comments

On July 15, the NCAA and Department of Defense (DOD) announced the selection of MomsTeam Youth Sports Safety Institute as a recipient of a Mind Matters Challenge grant for our application, Creating a Safe Concussion Reporting Environment: A Multi-Media Approach.

The NCAA and Department of Defense (DOD) have selected MomsTeam Youth Sports Safety Institute as one of six winners of a Mind Matters Challenge grant for our application, Creating a Safe Concussion Reporting Environment: A Multi-Media Approach.

Brooke de Lench

In-Depth Discussion of Concussions In The Age Of Twitter: Is It Possible?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Tue, 06/16/2015 - 16:30. | comments

One of my biggest gripes about the media in the age of Twitter and ever-shorter attention spans is that it doesn't lend itself well to an examination of issues in the depth they deserve.

Recently, I was asked a series of questions by a newspaper journalist for a story on a concussed athlete who had decided to quit football despite being cleared by the team doctor to return to play.

Even though I knew that 95% of what I said in my emailed response would never make it into the story, I nevertheless spent the time formulating thoughtful responses, hoping that at least some of what I offered would avoid the cutting room floor.

One of the things that MomsTEAM Founder Brooke de Lench finds most frustrating about the media in the age of Twitter and ever-shorter attention spans is that it doesn't lend itself well to an examination of issues in the depth they deserve. Here's a case in point.

Brooke de Lench

Female Coaches At FIFA Women's World Cup: Do They Have Natural Advantages Over Men?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Mon, 06/15/2015 - 16:40. | comments

If you've been watching the FIFA Women's World Cup, you may have noticed that the head coaches of most of the 24 national teams competing in Canada are men. In fact, only seven teams (the USA, Ecuador, Germany, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Sweden, and Ivory Coast) are led by female head coaches.

While that number is five more than when I watched from the stands at Giants Stadium as the U.S. played Mexico in the 1999 Women's World Cup, it is still a distressingly low number.

If you've been watching the FIFA Women's World Cup, you may have noticed that the head coaches of most of the 24 national teams competing in Canada are men, a gender imbalance that persists despite what some believe to be natural advantages women enjoy over men as coaches.

Brooke de Lench

FIFA Scandal A Reminder That Lack Of Oversight And Transparency A Problem In Youth Sports, Too

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Wed, 05/27/2015 - 20:28. | comments

The story which broke this morning in The New York Times that nine present or former high-ranking members of FIFA, soccer's global governing body, had been arrested in Zurich, Switzerland after being indicted on corruption charges in the U.S., didn't surprise me in the least.

While the FIFA scandal has made national headlines, allegations of embezzlement and theft in sports organizations, large and small, are an almost every-day occurrence in cities and towns across America.

The new that nine present or former high-ranking members of FIFA, soccer's global governing body, had been arrested in Zurich, Switzerland after being indicted on corruption charges in the U.S., didn't surprise MomsTEAM's Executive Director in the least. While the FIFA scandal has made national headlines, allegations of embezzlement and theft in sports organizations, large and small, are an almost every-day occurrence in cities and towns across America.

Brooke de Lench

Let's Celebrate Mother's Day By Recognizing Critical Role of Sports Moms

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Mon, 05/04/2015 - 19:52. | comments

Ask the average person what special day is celebrated in May, and most will say Mother's Day. Ask sports fans who athletes most often thank when they are interviewed on television after a big win, and they are most are likely to say their moms. Now, ask someone in what month does the country celebrate National Sports Moms Month, and I bet you would be met with a lot of quizzical looks.

Fact is that there hasn't been such a month, at least one that I could find. So, in 2012, I decided to declare May to be Sports Moms Month.

Seven years ago, MomsTEAM's founder decided that sports moms should be celebrated, not just on Mother's Day, but for an entire month, so she declared May to be Sports Moms Month. Here's why.

Brooke de Lench

6 Ways Parents Can Help Make Youth Sports Safer

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Wed, 04/29/2015 - 18:40. | comments

Although April - which was both National Youth Sports Safety Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month - is now over, it doesn't mean that the work of parents in helping keep kids safer playing sports is over.

Brooke de Lench

Controversial Headgear Mandate for Girl's Lacrosse Ignored Science

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Wed, 04/29/2015 - 18:20. | comments

The debate over whether helmets should be mandated in girl's lacrosse, which has been raging for several years, reached a new level of ferocity recently with the publication of a blistering piece in the New York Times reporting on the backlash generated by the controversial decision by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) to mandate a soft form of headgear for everyone in a girls' lacrosse game beginning this spring season.

The debate over whether helmets should be mandated in girl's lacrosse reached a new level of ferocity recently with the publication of a blistering piece in the New York Times reporting on the backlash generated by the controversial decision by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) to mandate a soft form of headgear for everyone in a girls' lacrosse game beginning this spring season.

Brooke de Lench

Celebrating National Foot Health Awareness Month And A New MomsTEAM Sponsor

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Thu, 04/16/2015 - 15:44. | comments

People often ask me often what I think the most important piece of safety equipment is for a particular sport. I know I catch them off guard when, instead of saying a helmet, mouth guard, shin guard, or safety goggles (all of which are very important, of course), I say that it is best-made and best-fitting pair of shoes and socks which are the critical to a successful day of activities.

In honor of April as National Foot Health Awareness Month, Executive Director Brooke de Lench talks about the importance of socks and welcomes a new corporate underwriter and sponsor, Thorlo Socks.

Barbara Bleiweis

New Year's Revelations-- the Journey Continues

Submitted by Barbara Bleiweis on Tue, 04/14/2015 - 13:12. | comments

Happy New Year! Duke Won! UConn won! Basketball season is officially over, and in a few months, my new year begins. Thats right, at the end of June I'm headed for officiating summer camp. In preparation for the new season, my eleventh year of officiating I begin with New Years Revelations. Revelations, not resolutions are important to me for they are more than lessons learned. They are major stopping points during the season that force a confrontation with myself. This is the time of year that I reflect on those unforgettable moments of pain, elation and confusion that have the force of redefining my goals. There are four revelations from last year: