Table of Contents 1. Young athletes and energy drinks: A bad mix? 2. Making Goals Safe for Your Training 3. Coaching Education Testimonials 4. Concussion Procedure and Protocol 5. Ever Need An Explanation of The “Offside Rule”? 6. Feeling Really Bold? 7. Guidelines for Heading
Young athletes and energy drinks: A bad mix? The Gatorade cooler and the coffee pot in the locker room have competition. By Shane Bevel for USA TODAY
From youth playing fields to major league clubhouses, caffeinated energy drinks such as Red Bull and its scores of cousins have become a familiar presence in sports. "The bottom line is, it's a long season. You're going to do what you have to do, whether you feel like you have to jump into a cryogenic freezing tank or a hyperbaric chamber or drink a Red Bull," said Texas Rangers High school football player Dakota Sailor had what his doctor said was probably a seizure last year after consuming two 16-ounce energy drinks.
pitcher C.J. Wilson, a World Series starter who says he has never used alcohol or drugs but consumes energy drinks socially and to prepare himself to pitch. "I see nothing wrong with drinking Red Bull."
Some athletes and industry officials compare the beverages to a cup of coffee. But doctors and other experts increasingly warn of misunderstandings about energy drinks' contents, lax labeling requirements and the risks of high doses of caffeine — particularly to young athletes. MORE: Energy drink market not limited to big names MORE: Some leagues banning energy drinks MORE: Report finds soda bans don't keep kids from sugary drinks In June, a clinical report in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, warned that "stimulant-containing energy drinks have no place in the diets of children or adolescents." In October, the National Federation of State High School Associations cautioned that caffeinated energy drinks — often confused with such products as Gatorade, a fluid replacement drink — should not be consumed before, during or after physical activity because they could raise the risk of dehydration and increase the chance of potentially fatal heat illnesses. The organization also warned of possible interactions with prescription medications — including stimulants used to treat ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. In Orange County, Calif., at least four high school football players were taken to the emergency room last season with persistent tachycardia, or rapid heartbeats, said Michael F. Shepard, a team physician and member of the California Interscholastic Federation's state medical advisory board. "All four had had super caffeinated drinks," Shepard said. "If you add dehydration or flu or muscle-building supplements like creatine to that, there can be an increased risk of fatal cardiac arrhythmia. "These four kids all did fine. But the heart's a muscle, too." At issue is a dizzying array of products with widely varying levels of caffeine, sugars, carbohydrates and other additives, including herbal supplements. Red Bull, the first such drink on the U.S. market, in 1997, has been surpassed in national sales volume by Monster energy drinks in what is now a $7.7 billion industry, according to the trade publication Beverage Digest. Rockstar energy drinks rank third. Most best-selling energy drinks contain about 80 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounces, though they are often sold in containers as large as 20 to 24 ounces. Other more extreme products abound, some of them in mix-your-own powders or concentrates, in strengths researchers say range from about 50 to 500 milligrams per serving. At their maximum strength, energy drinks contain about 300 milligrams more than the 2-ounce shots of 5-hour Energy frequently seen near checkout counters.
Beverage industry officials contend their products are not dangerous when used in moderation by healthy people.
Approximate caffeine content in selected drinks Beverage
Serving size
Caffeine
Coca-Cola
12 oz.
34 mg
Diet Coke
12 oz.
46 mg
Pepsi
12 oz.
38 mg
Sprite
12 oz.
0
McDonald’s brewed
16 oz.
100 mg
Starbucks Caffe latte
16 oz.
150 mg
Starbucks Pike Place Roast
16 oz.
330 mg
Amp
16 oz.
160 mg
Full Throttle
16 oz.
197 mg
Monster
16 oz.
160 mg*
NOS
16 oz.
260 mg
Red Bull
16 oz.
154 mg
Rockstar
16 oz.
160 mg
Spike Shooter
8.4 oz.
300 mg
Wired X 344
16 oz.
344 mg
2 oz.
207 mg
Soft drinks
Coffees
Energy drinks
Energy shots 5-hour Energy
* - Monster energy drinks do not include caffeine content on the label, but company and independent reports put it at about 160 milligrams per 16-ounce serving. Sources: Product labels, MayoClinic.com, company reports
"Regulatory agencies around the globe agree that caffeine is a safe ingredient to use in food and beverages," said Tracey Halliday, a spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association. "When it comes to energy drinks, the amount of caffeine in most mainstream energy drinks is about half that in a cup of coffee in a coffee shop, if you compare ounce to ounce." A 16-ounce can of the top-selling energy drinks contains about 160 milligrams of caffeine. A 16-ounce cup of Starbucks' robust Pike Place Roast contains 330 milligrams, though critics say a hot drink is sipped more slowly than a cold beverage. Researchers complain that identifying caffeine content and other ingredients is difficult for consumers because U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations do not require products marketed as dietary supplements — as many energy drinks are — to adhere to the same labeling requirements as food and beverages.
Canada moved last month to limit the caffeine in energy drinks to no more than 180 milligrams in containers up to 20 ounces. In the USA, cola-type drinks are limited by the FDA to 71 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce serving. But no such limit applies to energy drinks marketed as dietary supplements, and manufacturers are not required to list the caffeine content or all ingredients on the label, sometimes opting for the term "energy blend" or "proprietary blend." "They regulate a can of cola," said John P. Higgins, a sports cardiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and co-author of a 2010 article on energy drinks published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. "These are like a free-for-all." Additives including the herbal supplements guarana, green tea and yerba mate can boost the effective level of caffeine. Less common additives such as yohimbine and bitter orange can increase heart rate, cause changes in blood pressure and interact with certain antidepressant medications, according to the National Institutes of Health. Monster, the U.S. leader in sales, does not list the amount of caffeine on its can, although independent sources place it at about 80 milligrams per 8-ounce container, or 240 in Monster's 24-ounce can. The drinks are manufactured and distributed by Southern California's Hansen Beverage Co., which declined to comment, saying it does not respond to news media inquiries. Causes, effects debated The FDA, which quashed the controversial practice of manufacturers including caffeine in alcoholic drinks such as Four Loko by issuing warning letters to four companies in 2010, has not acted on petitions by academics and other experts to limit caffeine or change labeling requirements for energy drinks. (Four Loko is now sold as an alcoholic beverage that does not include caffeine.) "Those petitions are still within the FDA and still under consideration, and the agency can't comment," said Susan Carlson of the FDA's office of food additive safety. Nationally, emergency room visits associated with energy drink use increased more than tenfold from 1,128 in 2005 to 13,114 in 2009, according to a report released last month by the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Forty-four percent involved combinations with other substances such as alcohol, pharmaceuticals or illicit drugs, which the American Beverage Association said made energy drink consumption "potentially irrelevant." However, more than half of the visits didn't involve another substance. Most adverse reactions involve people who consumed two to eight energy drinks or more than 200 milligrams of caffeine, said Higgins, co-author of the Mayo Clinic report. The exhaustive review of studies on energy beverages by Higgins and Houston exercise physiologist Troy D. Tuttle noted the risk of such effects as insomnia, nervousness, nausea, rapid heartbeat — and in more rare cases, seizures, cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrest, particularly in people with underlying medical conditions. The review also cited four documented cases of caffeine-associated deaths involving individuals who had consumed energy drinks. "For a healthy person, probably one is not going to kill you. But we don't know," Higgins said. "I think it's the combination of things in these energy beverages," he added, cautioning about interactions. "A lot of athletes drink coffee."
Marketing to the young Yet another issue raised by doctors and researchers is the marketing of energy drinks to young people, particularly through sponsorships of athletes and extreme sports. New York's Major League Soccer team is the Red Bulls, owned by the drink company. NASCAR driver Kyle Busch endorses the drink NOS, and Monster has a stable of lesser-known athletes, bands and celebrities. "Unfortunately, it starts at this level, where kids in college, high school and even younger see these athletes promoting it," said Cindy J. Chang, president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and chief medical officer for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. "It's like thinking, 'Wow, I need that shoe,' or whatever. It's a brand associated with a personality, and they think, 'He's cool. She's a superstar. They're drinking it.' " A parent of two teenagers, Chang was at her daughter's club soccer tournament in Palo Alto, Calif., last spring when she saw energy drink samples being distributed. "All the girls took one, and here I am embarrassing my daughter by telling them, 'You can achieve just as much if you drink a glass of milk,' " said Chang, previously head physician for athletes at the University of California-Berkeley. Tuttle, co-author of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings article, has seen the drinks at events for even younger children. "What shocked me was I've seen it at 8- to 10-year-olds' soccer games, seen parents providing it and kids drinking it at that level," he said. "When I grew up, I was eating oranges and drinking water." The American Beverage Association advises its members not to sell their products in K-12 schools, not to market to children younger than 12 and to voluntarily list the amount of caffeine from all sources and include a label advising that the drinks are not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women or people sensitive to caffeine. Red Bull said its policy is not to sample its products to children under 15. Older athletes, particularly in professional and college sports, typically have more access to information about energy drinks or supplements through trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and team doctors. In addition, the National Center for Drug Free Sport offers a subscription-based Internet service available to athletes affiliated with organizations including the NCAA, NFL, Major League Baseball and USA Track and Field that allows athletes to receive reports on products and their ingredients, including whether they contain banned substances. Another group, NSF International, an independent non-profit, conducts product testing for a "Certified for Sport" designation. John Travis, a research scientist in NSF's chemistry laboratory, said NSF checks for banned substances and accurate labeling, and it will not certify any product that contains more than 150 milligrams of caffeine per serving. (Red Bull was the first energy drink to earn the NSF certification, in 2006, which accounts in part for its common presence in professional locker rooms.) Part of the landscape At other levels of sports, young athletes and their parents are often on their own. In 2010, Dakota Sailor, a 17-year-old high school football player in Carl Junction, Mo., drank two 16ounce NOS energy drinks containing a total of 520 milligrams of caffeine during an offseason school day. He was later discovered on his family couch, blue after aspirating, and his stepfather, a nurse by training, performed CPR.
Sailor spent five days in the hospital recovering from what his neurologist, Taylor Bear, said evidence indicated was probably a seizure, though no one witnessed it. "We know stimulants can lower the seizure threshold in those with predispositions," Bear said. "We're always dealing with gray areas, but in his case, because he had had a few energy drinks in a relatively short time, and who knows, may have had sleep deprivation or other factors, we surmise maybe the drinks were a contributing factor to his event." Sailor said he hasn't had another similar event and no longer drinks energy drinks. "I'd drink several in a day, no problem. I drank them before the games or in the locker room," he said. "Maybe they gave you, like, more adrenaline, or it might have been a placebo effect. We saw older athletes sponsored by them, and a lot of events, like after graduation, were sponsored by them. We never heard of any risk." NOS, which like Full Throttle is owned by The Coca-Cola Co., issued a statement saying the company was aware of the incident: "None of our beverages, including energy drinks, contain any harmful substances. All of the ingredients in our energy drinks are safe and suitable for use in the product. Energy drinks, like all food and beverage products, should be consumed responsibly and not to excess." The drinks remain part of the everyday sports landscape. NFL defensive end Adam Carriker of the Washington Redskins said he drinks an energy "shot," similar to 5-hour Energy, before each game. "When I take it, what I feel is I'm a lot more mentally clear, I'm aware and don't get as tired as quickly," Carriker said. "I've made the mistake of taking too many in a game and having an out-of-body experience, and that's not good. "I've known guys that took a lot at games, and it was a scary situation in the locker room because they took too much stuff. The way I look at it, if you take the right amount and consult somebody who can tell you what to do, I think it's beneficial. Now, if you take too much, it can obviously hurt you." Teemu Selanne, a 41-year-old player for the Anaheim Ducks who is one of the top 15 goal-scorers in the history of NHL, said he has one energy drink before each game with teammate Ryan Getzlaf. "I think it's like coffee. You feel a little lift, but maybe it's a little more mental," Selanne said. "It's just a habit." He does not look on them so lightly for his children. When Selanne's youngest son, Leevi, was about 9, he drank energy drinks without permission at the family's annual summer party. "I think he had three or four," Selanne said. "He was so hyper, it was not even funny. He was up until 3 or 4 o'clock." His oldest son, Eemil, is a teenage hockey player, but Selanne doesn't advise him to follow the same pregame routine he does. "His friends and stuff, they're drinking more Monster and Rockstar. I tell my kids, 'You know what? You guys don't need that.' They have enough energy." Contributing: Jorge Ortiz from Arlington, Texas, and Gary Graves from Ashburn, Va.
The following is an article I took yesterday from Soccer America. I believe too many of you young players are leaving up to your coaches or parents to secure the goals prior to training and games. Climbing or hanging on the goals or nets, has the potential for the goals to tip and possible cause a life threatening injury. The video at the end will show you why!!
Making Goals Safe for Your Training By Randy Vogt
The goals are 8 yards in length by 8 feet high. The youngest age groups in youth soccer will often use smaller goals. The goalposts must be white. Should referees come to a field with goalposts that are not white, play the game and report the color of the goal posts to the league. Check to make certain that there are no holes in the net that the ball could squeeze through, such as an opening between the net and the crossbar, goalposts or the area between the net and the ground. I cannot tell you how many times that I have been to fields that have been played on that day in which there are several visible holes in the nets that the ref did not try and tape. Every once in a while, the official’s view of a shot resulting in a goal will not be ideal. Perhaps he or she was screened or was at a bad angle or the sun was in the referee’s eyes. Making certain that there are no holes before the game eliminates potential problems on the vitally important task of whether to count a goal during the match. Interestingly, according to the Laws of the Game, it is not necessary for the goals to have nets. Hopefully, every game that you will be officiating will have them. Only once in my career was I ever confronted with refereeing a match without nets. This is a time when having your cell phone in your referee case with important phone numbers of league officials, referees and assignors is useful so that you can find out what the local league’s opinion is of playing a game without nets. Many portable or temporary goals now have wheels near the front post to help move the goals. When you are checking the goals, make sure that the wheel is pushed back off the goal line. Most importantly, though, is the fact that the goals must be anchored to the ground. Should the goal not be anchored, the home team or host organization is responsible for placing weights, sand bags, etc. on the back and sides of the goal to make certain that it will not fall over.
Should they not do this upon your prompting, do not start the game. To illustrate how dangerous this could be, pick up one goal post off the ground to demonstrate to all concerned how easily the goal can be dislodged. But be sure that there are no players or others nearby when you do this! A decade ago, I was an assistant referee for a tournament game played near where I live on Long Island. Before the match, I checked the south goal and it was sufficiently anchored. During the first half, the north goal, which had been checked by the other assistant referee (AR), fell over. Obviously, the other AR did not check to see if the goal had been anchored. Thankfully, nobody was hit or killed. The goal was immediately anchored so that the game could continue. There is no bigger safety issue on a soccer field than falling goals. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, from 1979 to 2008, at least 34 fatalities and 51 major injuries in the United States occurred have been linked to unanchored or portable soccer goals. An estimated 120 people per year were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries stemming from soccer goalposts during the period from 1989 to 1993. The serious injuries and deaths have been the result of blunt force trauma to the head, neck, chest and limbs. Most of these serious injuries and fatalities occurred during practice sessions when nobody such as coaches or other adults checked the goals to see that they were anchored before training began. Another concern is goals not being used for training but that remain unanchored on soccer fields. Taking a couple of minutes to check that the goals are anchored upon arriving at the field could save a life and a lifetime of regret.
Please take the time to watch the following video with your family. Zach's Law PSA - Promoting Soccer Goal Safety
http://youtu.be/6i8KWPxb1j4
Coaching Education Testimonials “I really enjoyed the D course. After the first weekend, I found myself looking forward to the second weekend just because of how fun and interactive the instructors made it and because of the other coaches attending. One of the most beneficial things in this course is the amount of practice coaching we have to do. The experience and feedback from those sessions helped me more than anything else. I am continually building knowledge and these sessions gave me more confidence in my own abilities. It was pretty evident that every coach there improved from the first practice session to the last, which is a testament to the instructors. What I learned in the D course will help me with organization and planning of training sessions and in managing a team in different situations. Also, the opportunity to observe different coaches, other than the ones I am around all the time, is very valuable to me. I picked up a lot in how they phrase or demonstrate things and learned ways to tweak the same activities I already do. It is so beneficial to be interacting and getting ideas from other coaches. Overall, the class gives you new perspective and is a great way to make new contacts and extend your network of fellow youth coaches in the community.” Lisa Gebhard Assistant Coach IUPUI Women's Soccer Former Player for FSV Gütersloh 2009
“I found the entire class very interesting and informative. I walked away each day with new knowledge and information. I especially liked the Analyzing the Game segments.” “As for myself, as a coach, I learned that I can utilize many of the drills I already have in my coaching toolbox in new ways to develop different skills in my players. Even though I came into the class with a wide berth of experience, I left feeling like I learned a great deal to improve my coaching.”
Geoff Gordon President, NYSL
“When I attended the D coaching course the past two weekends, I really didn't know what I was getting into. I would have to say without a doubt it was an awesome experience. I learned how to make my lesson plans flow enough, so that when practicing them, breaks could be limited and I could jump from one activity to another extremely fast. I also learned a ton of new activities to bring to my teams practices. I learned new ways of how to incorporate a goalie into the whole practice and new activities for shooting and finishing. Being a first time coach, this course is what I am going to reference to when I am trying to think of what to do at practice next week. All that we learned in the last two weekends are great references and ideas for my future practices. It was a great learning
process for me, not only about the new activities and how to use them in practice, but also for myself and what kind of a coach I will be. I learned that being a player and a coach are two completely different categories. When I played, I demanded a lot from other players and I yelled quite a bit. Now being a coach I learned how to approach situations a little differently and instead of demanding something out of someone, I learned how to explain the problem and help the player understand the reasoning to why it should be done this way as opposed to the way they have previously done it. All in all, the course was a great experience for me and I really enjoyed it.�
IUPUI #12 Margaret Allgeier Position: Defender Class: Senior Height: 5-6 Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind. High School: Bishop Dwenger
Concussion Procedure and Protocol For US Youth Soccer Events Concussion: a traumatic brain injury that interferes with normal brain function. Medically, a concussion is a complex, pathophysiological event to the brain that is induced by trauma which may or may not involve a loss of consciousness (LOC). Concussion results in a constellation of physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related symptoms. Signs or symptoms may last from several minutes to days, weeks, months or even longer in some cases. CONCUSSION SIGNS, SYMPTOMS, AND MANAGEMENT AT TRAINING AND COMPETITIONS Step 1: Did a concussion occur? Evaluate the player and note if any of the following signs and/or symptoms are present: (1) (2) (3) (4)
Dazed look or confusion about what happened. Memory difficulties. Neck pain, headaches, nausea, vomiting, double vision, blurriness, ringing noise or sensitive to sounds. Short attention span. Can’t keep focused.
(5) (6) (7)
Slow reaction time, slurred speech, bodily movements are lagging, fatigue, and slowly answer questions or has difficulty answering questions. Abnormal physical and/or mental behavior. Coordination skills are behind, ex: balancing, dizziness, clumsiness, reaction time.
Step 2: Is emergency treatment needed? This would include the following scenarios: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)
Spine or neck injury or pain. Behavior patterns change, unable to recognize people/places, less responsive than usual. Loss of consciousness. Headaches that worsen Seizures Very drowsy, can't be awakened Repeated vomiting Increasing confusion or irritability Weakness, numbness in arms and legs
Step 3: If a possible concussion occurred, but no emergency treatment is needed, what should be done now? Focus on these areas every 5-10 min for the next 1 - 2 hours, without returning to any activities: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)
Balance, movement. Speech. Memory, instructions, and responses. Attention on topics, details, confusion, ability to concentrate. State of consciousness Mood, behavior, and personality Headache or “pressure� in head Nausea or vomiting Sensitivity to light and noise
Players shall not re-enter competition, training, or partake in any activities for at least 24 hours. Even if there are no signs or symptoms after 15-20 min, activity should not be taken by the player. Step 4: A player diagnosed with a possible concussion may return to US Youth Soccer play only after release from a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy specializing in concussion treatment and management.
Step 5: If there is a possibility of a concussion, do the following: (1) The attached Concussion Notification Form is to be filled out in duplicate and signed by a team official of the player’s team. (2) If the player is able to do so, have the player sign and date the Form. If the player is not able to sign, note on the player’s signature line “unavailable”. (3) If a parent/legal guardian of the player is present, have the parent/legal guardian sign and date the Form, and give the parent/legal guardian one of the copies of the completed Form. If the parent/legal guardian is not present, then the team official is responsible for notifying the parent/legal guardian ASAP by phone or email and then submitting the Form to the parent/legal guardian by email or mail. When the parent/legal guardian is not present, the team official must make a record of how and when the parent/legal guardian was notified. The notification will include a request for the parent/legal guardian to provide confirmation and completion of the Concussion Notification Form whether in writing or electronically. (4) The team official must also get the player’s pass from the referee, and attach it to the copy of the Form retained by the team.
Ever Need An Explanation of The “Offside Rule”? I have found that parents in the 11 v 11 games often become a bit frustrated attempting to understand the “Offside” rule (Law 11). Check out the following video to get a good explanation:
http://www.dynamic-thought.com/offside.swf
Feeling Really Bold?
Try taking this “Rules Quiz:
http://www.funtrivia.com/newflash/trivia.cfm?qid=323376
Guidelines for Heading
Happy Holidays from Indiana Soccer
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
US National player Lori Lindsey, a former Indiana Soccer and Pike HS player, leads a soccer clinic on the lawn of the White House. The clinic was part of Michelle Obama’s “Get Kids Moving” program.