Intramurals: injuries an increasing concern
During flag football, the ambulance came to the field six times. There were four other incidents causing those injured to leave from the fields and head directly to the emergency room. Major injuries include dislocations, concussions and severe lacerations. Twisted ankles and bruises are dealt with on a nightly basis.
Bert Rosenberger is the coordinator of intramural and recreational sports at GCSU.
“We’ve had some really bad dislocations and compound fractures that just look really bad,” he said. “We’ve had bones sticking out of arms and that sort of thing.”
Rosenberger points to people not understanding the limitations of their own bodies and a lack of training that was present when participants played high school sports.
“Say you’re on a soccer team and you practice soccer for two hours every single day, your body is going to be a little better conditioned than if you play intramurals once a week and you come out at ten o’clock at night and it’s 45 degrees outside and you don’t warm up. You’re just going to be more susceptible to injury,” he said.
The fields are in poor condition due to a lack of funds for a grounds crew and most of the water allowed to be used in the area is taken by the athletic department for the baseball and soccer fields. However, there have been almost no injuries coming from the playing surface. Most are caused by players colliding or pulling muscles while running.
As a solution to the problem, Rosenberger is looking to add an athletic trainer to the staff to better treat injuries as they happen. This would cut down on the severity of injuries that are currently treated by intramural staff that are untrained for such undertakings.
“Right now we’re looking at getting some graduate students,” Rosenberger said. “That would be a win/win situation for us and them because they would get some experience dealing with injuries and then we would get the benefit of having them treat our injuries and assessing the severity of the injuries.”
The graduate assistants would be paid through the intramural program, which has already had its budget increased from $45,000 in 2007 to $60,000 this year. Paying a graduate assistant from the athletic department would likely add to a tight budget situation in intramurals.
“I feel like it’s an important service to offer the students,” Rosenberger said. “But these are not good economic times for the university system of Georgia, so who knows?”
Currently, Rosenberger is attempting to increase awareness of the situation to upper level administrators. He hopes after the need for a trainer has been clearly explained that money will be granted to add one to the program. He also says he understands that every department at GCSU is competing for more money and has needs they consider more important than an athletic trainer.
Rosenberger would like to encourage everyone to take more time to warm up and stretch before games, especially during cold weather. A student should also play within his or her physical abilities while on the field. Keeping everyone safe while creating an enjoyable environment is among the highest priorities of the GCSU intramural program.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Nov 14 2008. Filed under Sports.
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