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Emergency Care

September 7, 2012

As stated in our last posting, preparticipation physical examinations are imperative; but their practical limitations will not permit every heart defect to be discovered prior to participation.

So if sudden cardiac arrest is not 100 percent preventable within the modest means of school sports, the following measures represent the standard that parents would expect – reasonable or not – for the children they put in the care of those administering school sports:

    1. There should always be a staff person nearby who holds current certification in CPR.

    2. There should always be an AED nearby and in working order, and a staff person nearby who has demonstrated proficiency in its use.

    3. There should always be an emergency plan in place with which coaches and trainers are familiar because they not only were presented it, they also practiced it.

Time is of the essence when sudden cardiac arrest occurs; and these three measures combine to deliver competent care quickly.

Reunion Reflections

July 23, 2015

Summer is a popular time for high school reunions, and those reunions are a popular time for reliving the accomplishments of high school sports teams of many years ago. Because I played on a winless football team during my junior year of high school, I don’t always take pleasure in such conversations.

However, I have the greatest discomfort when I sense that those reveling in past glory may have peaked in high school. There can be nothing worse, for them or for society.

While on-the-field or court exploits may become exaggerated over time, we may underestimate the intangible benefits that high school sports participation has provided.

Last month the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies published new research that links varsity high school athletic participation to future leadership. It suggests that such participation may (it’s not certain) nurture adults who have more self-confidence and self-respect, which are (certainly) linked to leadership.

The research also suggests a link to improved work habits as an employee and to greater philanthropy.

The researcher is Kevin Kniffin of Cornell University who continues to contribute plain talk and practical ideas to the role of extracurricular activities in secondary school education.

This type of research, and the tsunami of F-1 and J-1 visa students from Asian countries for the well-rounded “western” style education, should add to the dissuasion of those who suggest we jettison these “distractions” from junior high/middle schools and high schools.

While some “high school heroes” never were as great as they now think they were, the programs they engaged in may be even greater.