less kids will play football

[Townie72]

Fabulous!

One of our favorite activities was "Hooking Cars" on sleds in the neighborhood on snowy days.

As a car slowed down as it went around an icy corner, we would grab the bumper with one hand and throw the sled under our body with the other. And off we would go down the street at 30 mph. You had to watch out that your glove didn't get caught between the bumper and the car fender and that the car behind didn't run you over when you exited.

 

[Townie72]

Do they not play hockey there? Generally it's 1) hockey 2) football for head injuries

In a rink maybe ... but no snow and no ice most years.

 

[xc84]

Fabulous!

One of our favorite activities was "Hooking Cars" on sleds in the neighborhood on snowy days.

As a car slowed down as it went around an icy corner, we would grab the bumper with one hand and throw the sled under our body with the other. And off we would go down the street at 30 mph. You had to watch out that your glove didn't get caught between the bumper and the car fender and that the car behind didn't run you over when you exited.

Sleds? We just slid on our rubber boots. We called it "hopping cars".

 

[NovaOrange]

Do they not play hockey there? Generally it's 1) hockey 2) football for head injuries

To be honest there isn't any places around that area for hockey if you want to get into hockey you have to make a 45 minute trip up north which most parents aren't willing to do which I don't blame them. We have slowly become a Lacrosse county over the years I would say the youth leagues for boys rank as followed
1) Lacrosse 30 percent
2) Flag Football 25 percent
3) Tackle Football 20 percent
4) Basketball 15 percent
5) All others 10 percent

I think the lacrosse injuries are so big in our area because they have so many teams that are not coached correctly since the sport has over grown the amount of coaches in Fauquier. I let my boys play both so I am not to worried about it I tried to get them to play basketball but they just didn't get into it and I want them to pick there sport so I am not living through my child lol

 

[Scooch]

Fabulous!

One of our favorite activities was "Hooking Cars" on sleds in the neighborhood on snowy days.

As a car slowed down as it went around an icy corner, we would grab the bumper with one hand and throw the sled under our body with the other. And off we would go down the street at 30 mph. You had to watch out that your glove didn't get caught between the bumper and the car fender and that the car behind didn't run you over when you exited.

Woohoo, NOSTALGIA!

I knew a kid who tried to do something like that, only it was a bike and a car. It was the 80s. Know what happened? He slid under the car and died! WOOHOO, it was so cool!

Nothing gets me more nauseous than hearing older people wax nostalgic about how much better things were back in the day. And the feeling sory for people who live in fear bit? That is HYSTERICAL. Look at the world view/voting behavior of most anyone 60+, it is almost entirely driven by fear of the "other".

But whatever, let's take the helmets off and let these boys know what its like to be a real man!

 

[NovaOrange]

Woohoo, NOSTALGIA!

I knew a kid who tried to do something like that, only it was a bike and a car. It was the 80s. Know what happened? He slid under the car and died! WOOHOO, it was so cool!

Nothing gets me more nauseous than hearing older people wax nostalgic about how much better things were back in the day. And the feeling sory for people who live in fear bit? That is HYSTERICAL. Look at the world view/voting behavior of most anyone 60+, it is almost entirely driven by fear of the "other".

But whatever, let's take the helmets off and let these boys know what its like to be a real man!

Wow you took this whole thing up a notch on the dramatic meter

 

[Scooch]

Rant aside, obviously any GOOD parent tries to strike the right balance between safety and freedom.

If youth football gets their act together and can do as much as possible to promote safety, then that's good. If not then they should suffer for it. This isn't rocket science.

 

[Scooch]

Wow you took this whole thing up a notch on the dramatic meter

Sorry, but it makes me nuts.

Remember the old days, when we didn't let blacks play college football in half the country, and being gay was considered a disease?! And we didn't use seat belts so thousands died unnecessarily in car accidents?! Good times!!!

 

[NovaOrange]

Sorry, but it makes me nuts.

Remember the old days, when we didn't let blacks play college football in half the country, and being gay was considered a disease?! Good times!!!

I understand your point but when I read your post I almost spit my drink out lol it's easy to let some topics get underneath your skin so no worries

 

[Scooch]

I understand your point but when I read your post I almost spit my drink out lol it's easy to let some topics get underneath your skin so no worries

Yeah, remind me to not give my rant about how much I hate baby boomers here. Oops. ;-)

 

[tipphill]

That is the point.

The experience of our boys playing youth and high school football was such a joy to them that denying that to them --- in retrospect --- would seem to me to have been supremely selfish on my part. Allowing my fears to trump their spirit and fearlessness.

The world is full of risk and attempting to shield people from all of it leaves them with a dull existence.

selective shielding--risk to benefit

 

[NovaOrange]

Rant aside, obviously any GOOD parent tries to strike the right balance between safety and freedom.

If youth football gets their act together and can do as much as possible to promote safety, then that's good. If not then they should suffer for it. This isn't rocket science.

I don't think youth football is the problem you should be focusing on the higher impacts happen at the high school, college, and pro levels. Knock on wood I have only had one kid get a concussion in my 10 years of coaching in the fauquier leagues. That to me is not high risk

 

[Orangetradition44]

I agree with this post.

Concussions are possible in many sports. They happen. Injuries happen

But concussions and injuries are inevitable in football - they are part of the game.

Football is dangerous. I wonder whether I would allow my kid to play.

I would much rather have him play soccer.

Injury rates in soccer is about half of football, but still TOP 4 amongst competitive team sports. Both are less than half a percentage point.

 

[tipphill]

Fabulous!

One of our favorite activities was "Hooking Cars" on sleds in the neighborhood on snowy days.

As a car slowed down as it went around an icy corner, we would grab the bumper with one hand and throw the sled under our body with the other. And off we would go down the street at 30 mph. You had to watch out that your glove didn't get caught between the bumper and the car fender and that the car behind didn't run you over when you exited.

did the same w/o the sled,slid on our boots,(the green hunter type)prior to that the buckle type(ala the christmas story)lost many a mitten,later gloves,frozen to the bumper when you let go.the worst was when you hit the salted pavement --wow

 

[tipphill]

Sleds? We just slid on our rubber boots. We called it "hopping cars".

exactly--are you from tipphill?

 

[Scooch]

I don't think youth football is the problem you should be focusing on the higher impacts happen at the high school, college, and pro levels. Knock on wood I have only had one kid get a concussion in my 10 years of coaching in the fauquier leagues. That to me is not high risk

Honestly I don't really care about the football stuff, it was Townie's sanctimoniousness about "kids these days" that set me off.

 

[tipphill]

Bingo, XC84.

You weren't allowed to play in a supervised environment encased in protective equipment ... but you were not prohibited tieing a rope to a tree limb and swinging out from it with an adult in sight.

adult in sight is the key phrase

 

[tipphill]

Woohoo, NOSTALGIA!

I knew a kid who tried to do something like that, only it was a bike and a car. It was the 80s. Know what happened? He slid under the car and died! WOOHOO, it was so cool!

Nothing gets me more nauseous than hearing older people wax nostalgic about how much better things were back in the day. And the feeling sory for people who live in fear bit? That is HYSTERICAL. Look at the world view/voting behavior of most anyone 60+, it is almost entirely driven by fear of the "other".

But whatever, let's take the helmets off and let these boys know what its like to be a real man!

sarcasm alert re real man???

 

[Scooch]

sarcasm alert re real man???

No man, I've come around to Townie's way of thinking. We gotta stop coddling these kids. Send 'em out without helmets. Hell, give them a blunt object to use too. We're building character, dammit.

 

[Millhouse]

Injury rates in soccer is about half of football, but still TOP 4 amongst competitive team sports. Both are less than half a percentage point.

the only problem with youth football is that your kid might like it and keep playing it long enough for it to get dangerous when they're older.

short term, there might not be that much difference.

the problem of insanely fast and huge guys killing each other in the pros probably doesn't matter to some pop warner dad who knows that his kid's not going to make it that far. up to a certain age, it's

probably not much different than baseball or lacrosse. little guys can still throw and hit it pretty hard (heart attacks, freak brain injuries), much closer to adult velocity than they can throw their own bodies.

football will survive because the odds of making it to the most dangerous level are so slim that it won't factor into parents' decisions too much, and the tiny slice of players who make it to that high dangerous level will have gone too far down that road to do something different.

the only way it dies is if people stop wanting to watch it at high levels because it's distasteful. if parents turn off the tv on saturdays and sundays, then kids won't know enough to even start. it's not going to be a conscious probability formula.

 

[xc84]

exactly--are you from tipphill?

nope...other side (east).

 

[Townie72]

No man, I've come around to Townie's way of thinking. We gotta stop coddling these kids. Send 'em out without helmets. Hell, give them a blunt object to use too. We're building character, dammit.

Masterful.

I say kids ought to be allowed to play youth football if they want.

You somehow convert that into playing without a helmet and using blunt instruments.

I guess the tactic is to distort and extend your opponents words into something he never said or meant and then expose that to ridicule.

You just may not be as clever as you think you are ... if that's your best stuff.

 

[xc84]

No man, I've come around to Townie's way of thinking. We gotta stop coddling these kids. Send 'em out without helmets. Hell, give them a blunt object to use too. We're building character, dammit.

I agree. Can't wait for winter so I can teach my 6-year-old to hop some cars...not to mention "bomb" cars with snowballs. Hey, it builds character.

 

[xc84]

Masterful.

I say kids ought to be allowed to play youth football if they want.

You somehow convert that into playing without a helmet and using blunt instruments.

I guess the tactic is to distort and extend your opponents words into something he never said or meant and then expose that to ridicule.

You just may not be as clever as you think you are ... if that's your best stuff.

I think the point is that, as parents, we take the information we have and use it to make decisions as best we can. We know a lot more now about brain injury than ever before. There is nothing wrong with using that information to help us guide our kids. Deciding the risk of football injuries (especially the type) outweigh the benefits is not wrong. It's all subjective. Everyone draws the line somewhere (I hope).

 

[Scooch]

I say kids ought to be allowed to play youth football if they want.

Nope, I was responding to these gems:

"Those of us who grew up in the days of no bicycle helmets and almost no parental supervision shake our heads and wonder what kind of kids we are producing whose parents are afraid of so many things."

"But to us older guys it looks to us that your generation is being scared witless and then sold something to address that fear."

"I feel sorry for you guys. Living with all that fear is a hard thing"

"But I see what I see in the aggregate. And that's a whole generation of people who seem scared of everything. They are bombarded with fears that have infintesimal probabilities of occuring. And I posit that they are producing children who will be influenced by all this excessive concern for their safety ... all this fear that permeates the airways and the rest of the media. Fear sells."

"The world is full of risk and attempting to shield people from all of it leaves them with a dull existence."


Just pontification about kids these days.