Parents with kids in sports.

[otch1]

Checking to see if there are other parents out there that have issues with kids sports. My son's been programed to be a "jock" of sorts, from day one. (Grandpa's a pro-football coach) He was on the football team in 6th and 7th grade, took an interest in wrestling in 8th grade. He was #1 in districts in his weight division and things have snowballed from there. Now, at high school level, he's a monster on the matts, doesn't let up. Had 2 fractured vertibrae several months ago and after a month off was back at it, regardless of my protests. Dad , coach and Dr. said he was good to go. This year he also took up Judo. They had state finals today. He didn't cut weight the last few days (6 lbs) so they bumped him up into the next weight class. He was competing against guys 20 lbs heavier than he is. He placed 3rd in state finals today with the US Judo Federation. He is psyched now! But I saw something during this competiton that made me want to force him to play the clarinet thru the remainder of high school. Two competitiors really going at it... one took the other around the neck by the collar and picked him up, getting a lot of height on a throw. He almost had the kid straight up and down, in an upside down postion. Instead of slamming him over onto his back, he came straight down on his head/neck. The kid was laid out in a very strange position, conscious but couldn't move. Everyone thought he'd get up in a few moments. The dr. for the event was pinching his hands, running a pencil up the sole of both of his feet and there was no movement, not even a flinch, he felt nothing. He was laid out in this position for over 15 minutes until the ambulance came. It then took another 15 minutes before they got him secured to a board to put him on a stretcher. There were people in tears, paramedics were shaking their heads and their looks to each other said alot. When he was taken out, the match resumed. My son finished up. He's happy and I am having a hard time feeling good about him doing this now. (He wants to fight/compete nationally someday.) He told me I'm being too sensitive. Anyone else here with their kid?t

 

[Julie]

My husband wrestled in high school. He still to this day complains of neck problems and knee problems, he is 36 years old. He has had cortisone shots. His knee cap has popped out of place a few times, just like it did in high school. A few times a year his neck hurts so badly he can't move it from side to side. He has had xrays of his back and has several "healed" fractures on certain vertabrae.

He blames all this on injuries from high school wrestling. Sure he had a great time with the sport in high school, but now he sometimes wishes he wouldn't have.
My boys are still a little young, although there is a wrestling team for my seven year old. Thank goodness he isn't showing interest in that. He is more of an "outdoor sportsman". Although he does want to take karate, which doesn't seem near as dangerous.

You must be very proud underneath that worry! He sounds very talented.

 

[mjb]

I don't know anything about Judo. My husband also wrestled in high school and a little into college. He loved it and would love for our boys to take it up. He also played football, and he does NOT want them to play football. He would let them (one's already in college, so not an issue) if they really want to, but he thinks there's alot of injuries in that and alot of aches and pains that you have as you get older. Other than that, we had a girl who played volleyball and soccer, and my youngest son plays baseball and basketball. They don't start wrestling here until high school, so it still remains to be seen if he's interested.

 

[otch1]

Hi Julie!! You just proved my point. Lol. I'm proud of him being very motivated to do something well (wish it were his homework) and he seems to have a real talent for it. But yesterdays injury with that boy has been on my mind all night. My son already has back problems and is only in high school. I saw kids at this tournament with an arm in a sling, several on crutches from ankle injuries, one with his head bandaged from a cauliflower ear that had to be drained. (My sons buddy that is equally as aggressive about sports.) They do things to "cut weight", in both wrestling and Judo, that I find very unusual but the coach has taught them this. I'm biting on a drink straw just wanting it to be over with, while other parents are screaming for their kids, including mine. He's said if I don't like it don't come to his matches, but he's not quitting so I need to get over it! Judo is no less hazardous than wrestling from what I saw yesterday. How to be supportive.. time to start putting something in my latte for these tournaments. Ha! Happy Mothers Day all.

 

[sparks19]

Well to be honest.... if this is something he really wants to do I wouldn't put too much pressure on him to stop doing it..... that could lead to a whole bigger set of troubles. There are a whole lot worse things he could be into that would cause far worse injuries.

I wrestled in highschool and did Judo. I LOVED it. it kept me in good shape (which I am no longer in lol) and gave me something to be really proud of myself for because I know how hard I worked for what I achieved in those sports. I now have a knee injury.... but I also have arthritis in my other knee after breaking it while riding a tire swing when I was 8..... and I have a lot of neck issues from falling down the stairs and landing on my head.

My point is..... while sports always carry a risk of injury.... so does everything else in life. The best thing he can do is take his training seriously. As for the weight cutting.... for the most part it is nothing but water weight to drop a few pounds before a match. I know I had to do that a couple of times.

I was never good at sports like basketball or soccer so I never wanted to join a team to play..... but being good and putting all that work into wrestling in Judo gave me so much confidence in myself and my abilities.... If my dad had made me stop after I bonked my head and knocked myself out I would have been devastated and really angry.... after all I got a far worse concussion and a nasty scar from falling down the stairs in 3rd grade and no one wanted to stop me from taking the stairs hehe.

for the most part..... pain fades, injuries heal, chicks dig scars (of course that doesn't apply to me since I am the chick lol) but glory lasts forever There are always going to be extreme cases where someone gets hurt REALLY badly.... but again.... those kinds of injuries can happen from falling off your bike too.

You just have to grin and bear it and pray that his training comes through for him.

 

[whatszmatter]

Those types of accidents are not that common. I wrestled from the time I was 5 into college. Yes I saw some accidents but over the probably thousands of matches I wrestled, plus hundreds of thousands of matches I saw, there were probably only a handful of "serious" injuries where an ambulance was used,and that would be counting football as well.

Worse thing I did was seperate my shoulder, which I can still feel some effects to this day, but I would not trade the friends I had made, the rivalries we had, the work I put in, all the winning and losing, the trips to matches and tournaments and camps, for any of it. He's got motivation and drive, make sure he's being careful, not doing things to hurt himself (steroids, amphetamines, etc to get an edge) and enjoy the show. If he doesn't have that for an outlet, he'll find something else and you might not like what he finds very much.

One thing I do regret though is that I never did learn to play an instrument. I wish I would have played a trombone or trumpet or something, anything. I'd really like to play piano or guitar, but I guess not more than I like to work with dogs or I'd take the time and learn to play.

Good luck, its normal to worry, but he sounds talented and like he's having fun. injuries happen, they are a part of it, but most are easily recovered from. I feel the benefits far outweigh the risks, but that's just me.