22 Weepies Pee-Wee's Cubs and midget ten-year-old halfbacks in oversized jerseys faking nobody was trying to imitate the death moves of a slick professional 120 lb of raw, linebacker Poise head-to-head with the lanky offensive. And without runny nose kid football in Minneapolis is called the Park and Recreation board football program about 700 voice between the age of 9 and 14 signed up at local playgrounds in late. August several hundred participate in st. Paul. They play games on the hour after school and on Saturdays March Frederick's and directs the Minneapolis Park Board program. If a boy comes to a park is closest to the recreation center. He registers there to play football and there he is placed in a division according to his age and his weight and it goes the Pee-Wee's 10 years old and under that would be the 9 and 10 years old because if you see down here that they have to be Years old to compete in this program for the 9 and 10 year old plays a RP ways and they are a hundred pounds or under? How they can be 95-96 or whatever but there are a hundred and five they have to move up to the next division, which is the 11 year olds that will hundred and 10 to 12 year olds. Go to 120 13 year olds go to 103rd and the 14 year olds go to 140 courses soon. As you stablished this age limit our weight limit you run into a team that has a boy. That's 5 pounds to pounds 3 pounds 5 lb overweight and that coach tries to get us to change the Weights just for that one player. However, we kept the same pattern off or maybe 5 or 6 years. What's the name of your team? Football? We don't have the devil's Autumn anymore though. How old are these kids 4th and 5th graders? 9-10 year-olds. 966. Were you pleased with the performance? Oh, yeah. We're not practicing. Yeah, we did. All right pretty serious about football at this level. Ferries from kid to get some of them are some of them are dying, you know, but you got to realize your kids do you practice with him a lot 2 days a week hour and a half hour. What are the practices Geared for? Are they hard work or is it mostly for the enjoyment of getting out and running around well? Practices I think should be hard work. The game should be fun. So, how about you? What's your name? What do you play Pat? You're a fact that you carry the ball today. Pick up yards. You enjoy playing football. What's the most important aspect of the game for you? What do you like to do most? How about you? What do you play? What's your name? Did you have a good game today Jeff? What was the best play that you made all day? second quarterback sack the quarterback was he going back to pass? And you got them before the handoff is think that's pretty good. Most young athletes Aspire for greatness, but how serious should football be for a 9 or 11 year old in large part that's determined by the expectations that parents and coaches hold for the player both of Minneapolis. And st. Paul programs are Geared for exercise and fun respective director say however, well-intentioned but over-enthusiastic coaches can intimidate or even physically harm a boy. They may wear a pad but under the equipment, they're just kids tender bodies and personalities Saint Paul teams are fielded by the local recreation centers Harold home ground direct the program and says overzealous coaches are discouraged are there isn't one that doesn't come out of a rec center of some sort. Joe Smith them you got a guy ham in your pee wees are you Weepies are midgets or whatever is you up. There really hasn't got this figured out and then we'll just Tell this young man is hey, this is fun program and don't scream and holler because don't forget me up in the screen how to send out a crack pipe kid to handle my Huey's. You just said hey, you know, this is what this is all about. This isn't good that it and if you get the Dynamic Self said most of the coaches are there you're in you're out. surprisingly devoted to a cuz no glory. No nothing program recommend how much they should be practicing with the kids can do that is that he's just setting up something you can wear. All of these teams are located what we think they should start no earlier than the 15th of August 5th practice, and I don't go out earlier. Curve that for instance. We we have what we call a mandatory participation rule. Everybody present has to play and the that has along with limiting the number of players that can carry on a team that is done some things for helping cut the enthusiasm of the coaches that again that's a difficult thing to try to do, you know, as far as the coaches are concerned if their there they're volunteering their time and all we can try to do is to instill in them the spirit that every kid should play and that they should have an opportunity to learn and this is basically what they're doing and teaching them the fundamentals and they learn the fundamentals and then you start to feel goes all the way through up to Bud Grant even refers back to the fundamentals once in awhile. What's the time what's the time they're recruited by they're coming to consoles. And so I suppose that's basically what they are as former players Minneapolis program director Marge Frederickson preceded by Harold Holmgren supervisor of Municipal Athletics in st. Paul shooting into that line. You're not a Florida. I got three guys back there now for passes. You're in there to go in after that guy and get them. Okay, are you guys are much better team in this? We're not executing our plays when I even get a chance to get the ball lately. I saw you on the other end of the day and you're playing half-back. How can you be over here? The play was Ronnie other at how did you go out with a quarterback keeps in all three have a halfback fullback halfback a good coaching techniques are essential at any level of competition, but even more so for young people. Dr. James Lapointe is the University of Minnesota psychologist, he and fellow psychologist March critique study the psychological implications of sport Lapointe son plays Park Board football in a Minneapolis suburb both. He and Mark Grote fear that coaching at the youth level is too intense first gym Lapointe. The first thing that I would do is I would as a prerequisite for anyone interested in being a coach I would have those individuals be meeting on a Twice or three times a week in service program getting an idea about first of all what the youths are like whether it's boys or whether it's girls giving him some ideas as to what can those kids handle from a developmental standpoint that I think would be the most crucial thing. Secondly. I guess they would look at some of the preventive sort of things that the physiology physiological people deal with bone ossification bone growth muscle structure that sort of thing but I think the coaches have to have a good notion as to what their role is before they can begin to go out and in organized like that to me would be the number one item on the agenda would be in servicing the coaches to the needs of the program. So not necessarily abolishing these programs but possibly alerting to the other coaches to the people that they're working with right? I think the reason that it was designed to do and that's to get a lot of activity to a lot of different people but I think the problem has been is that the coaching and most of those instances where they've had some difficulty is the problem that they shouldn't do a load to fur. trying to resolve that problem and giving the people some ideas about sources that are available to them alternate ways of dealing with kids that perhaps we could help out with from our perspective here at the University and just some general Notions about how to deal with kids in a coaching setting both Jim and myself certainly Are behind the park boards and all the the administrative people that are attempting to draw the youth into active and getting them and active participation? The problems that that that are that arise are no more than a supply-and-demand. There's millions of children that want to participate and very few people that are willing to give the time. So the people that do give the time has to be, you know applauded. From the same token. The people should have sound objectives in mind and and it seems that if you went down to a park board football game, you would think you were visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room. Okay are the Oakland Raiders and we could take all the park board graduates and and probably a .00 one will ever make it to a top-flight college team. Let alone professional working ranks. And I think if and yet the objectives would seem that this is what we're we're building for when coaching. So I think if these were rearranged and put in their proper function and and say that the reasons were we were having these programs are there for a participation for health reasons for General overall Fitness reasons, and then I think you would follow through with the program and maybe adjust yourself all the way down to the actual contact with e Children psychologist March Grote preceded by dr. Lapointe Mark Dean heart was a two-time All-American guard at the College of Saint Thomas. You'd only because of peer pressure. Did he try out for high school football dienhart have soured on football at age 11 because of a driven coach who single goal was to win games the first year. I didn't enjoy the enjoy the program a great deal the coach I had was a nice fellow in and the kids today. I was I played with I enjoyed and I went back with the idea of being with the same group of people same coaching. They decided that I was good enough to play with a bunch of older kids and to play with a coach with little bit more and tan tan on winning some football games. and sorts of practices we went through worse. We're very unenjoyable right then just decided that I'd had nothing was there for one practice and I left and I really had a difficult decision then when I decide I want to try it again in high school because I had such a bad experience originally was was football. I thought it would be the same way and it wasn't it was a great deal with peer pressure on the game. I wouldn't have chosen to do so on my own because the experience had been that bad. Could you comment generally on the quality of coaching that you've observed at the playground level? I think it's getting better. And I think that it has been getting better simply because of all the attention has been directed to the abuses that the have been evident in the past and Park Board programs. Not only football but all other types, I think in my era all coaches suffered from the the Vince Lombardi image every coach thought they had to pattern themselves after Lombardy style. And it's it's understandable kids look up the great athletes coaches look up the great coaches, but most coaches didn't realize that when you're looking at Lombardy you're looking at a professional coach was concerned with nothing more than than winning and justifiably so at that level and that's what the his job depends on but they start doing still this the same sort of attitude in the kids. And I think that I saw a great similarity in the in the psychological approach of coaches at the board level to the the Hardline abusive sorts of tactics that coaches at a higher level were using it that time. I think that's past and I think it's a very good thing that has because I think it was the most detrimental sort of approach to younger children. They don't need to be turned off to Athletics at that level by having the coach screaming at them for mistakes. They make because of their inexperience. and though I think now I can see you in approvement at that stage of the game. But I think it's also extremely impressionable Age and and one in which your coach plays a major role and whatever he does whether it's a good approach or a bad approach will last say was a kid and have a lasting effect. Link Wray on 126 fake Real Madrid How can football be a good experience for a young boy? How do you keep the kids from lamenting a loss or rejecting Sports if things go poorly psychologist Jim Lapointe recommends that alternative goals to winning be established the program that I see my son in ICU as a being a very outstanding program where each athlete 10 years of age has to play a certain percentage of the game. So what it reduces that reduces the friction between parents and coaches, but the kind of thing that I am saying are putting the kid's on the spot either you you make the goal in hockey and we lose or you make that touchdown and we lose and it's it becomes a win-lose situation and if the kid doesn't produce he loses and I think we should try to do is set up Alternatives where the kid doesn't have to be put in a win-lose confrontation and he has other Alternatives. I've done the best I can coach and I just didn't make a first down there to make a touchdown and I think the coaches have to understand that for a 10 year old. Perhaps the fullest potential add that developmental level and that's the problem the coaches might not understand what's the expectation of a ten-year-old because of dealing their whole background is Ben Athletics and I forget what it was what it means to be a 10 year old. So they're trying to fulfill their fantasies perhaps through the years of a 10 year old kid and I think what we like to allude to there as well that winning and some forms can take the shape of personal goals. For example are hockey team may have lost 10 to 3, but it's the first time we scored three goals and in track and field and in gymnastics, for example, very good examples of where people who actually are classified as a loser by total score may have indeed been a very good winter the runner who is a reduced her time or his time by 2 minutes is is it significant accomplishment that individual but again because of the way our society Has reference to scores it's not whether or not we made any personal accomplishments as whether or not you know, the score at the end of the game shows. We won or shows we've lost. What's your son's name? Yes. How old is he? Does he enjoy playing? They shipped with some ferocity out there. Are you ever concerned that that he's going to come home lane or aching? That's why I do like to come to the game. So if anything would happen we need to hear or see but you can't do you ever try to talk him out of playing now. What position does he play? several different ones, but he's one of the youngest ones on the team. So it doesn't play as often as you know, some of the others guard. He's usually on the defense is pretty hard. It's every night for an hour or two every night after school. Maybe one night. If you had your preference, would you rather see him playing a soccer or doing something that didn't involve so much contact. No, maybe it's because I'm not real familiar with soccer me and I've watched it and I do enjoy it. I know football a little bit better. I kind of like these little games. I always walk up and down the field and get behind work so I can see where the ball is and what they're doing is comprised the vast majority of spectators at Park board games some love to watch their boy play others cringe and just hope he doesn't lose a tooth or turn an ankle what they see is a variety of playing style a hodgepodge of plays and Miss plays and a lot of whistleblowing sometimes when the younger kids play the scene resembles just that unorganized activity with the official tied up. Just trying to position them properly on the other side of the scrimmage line apparent logically might ask if Park Board football will actually help prepare a child for high school ball former player Mark dienhart. Now a college coach does not oppose some form of organized games for 11 and 12 year olds. However, he does that they can retain proper skills at that level. Teach kids that AJ the football skills that they'll be using at say the high school in the Collegiate level. It's simply a matter of of development physical development. The kids aren't able to execute the sorts of things that you'll have to have them do a little later stages of Life the best part of football at that age is that you can get a group of kids together and provide them with the opportunities to play. Whereas if there was no organized football program, they may not be able to get that number of kids together to be able to have a football game and actual football game Mark Dean St. Thomas College staff. He found that off in the park board players were in properly instructed. It seems sometimes have to start over even with the kids who have had extensive experience and my experience iPhone is often times better to get a kid who has not been taught anything improperly and then we can teach him right from the start you find it that's often the case that what they have learned really aren't the skills that they're going to need and that they've picked up bad habits shirt and there is very very little emphasis on skill development you watch him practice and they don't they don't teach for example blocking techniques are tackling techniques or Mechanics that one would have to to learn are they give the ball to the fastest kid, let him scootaround in with it. And that's about it. Is it even possible for 8 9 10 11 year olds to pick up those proper techniques, even if somebody was there who could teach him are they able to grasp it? Probably not. I think that perhaps by the time they're in 8th grade 9th grade Venice about their Readiness level McCormick says that overexposure to football for a Park Board star make his desire to play later on, you know, they've they've been the big hero and they've experienced the adulation of the of their peers and adults in the community and they find out that you know, by the time they get to high school. The other kids have caught up with them and in development of strength and size and so forth and you know, it's hard work for them. They don't want to put in that kind of effort. You know what to stay ahead. Take the easy way out a lot of them Shakopee coach Jim McCormick ads that the best high school football player is often the boy who developed later than a little league star that player often must work harder to develop his athletic prowess. He was not subjected to all the admiration consequently. He will not need it later as a reward for playing sports and staying in shape. Once again Mark dienhart as I went along. I was thankful that I hadn't played at an earlier age because I saw many of the kids who had we're becoming disillusioned and becoming tired of the sport their parents had been encouraged them into the sport of the younger age and they had to push them all along and by the time and it reach the high school level when they were reaching a certain amount of Independence, they found themselves rejecting that because it was a throwback to their past where there they were had been pressured in by their parents and had been subjected to some experiences that weren't the sorts. They would have chosen for themselves. I wear as an in my case in it and high-school level. It was completely a matter of my choosing to go back into the game. And I felt no compulsion to say it with it. I wasn't being pushed by my parents and I didn't have a long history of having played the sport and I think if anything was probably an advantage to me former player, Mark dienhart many parents encourage their son to participate in football, but I spoke recently with one dad who said his son is free to pick his own sport. I'm just I just moved in the area are bought last year. So this is the first year of second-year my sons play football. That's about all what's your boys named Jimmy Haber. What position does he play? I play as guard on offense and defense replace a middle linebacker? There's a pretty there's quite a difference in the size of these kids. How big is how big is your boy out there? He's probably small compared to the rest of the kids. But he's pretty solid. Pretty well-built. Does he enjoy playing football or does he do it? Because the rest of the boys do it now? He enjoys it because I never have to get him up in the morning to go to practice. I never have to help them ready to go. So he likes to play football in the most of the kids. He plays with her all in his class and they all in play the same Sports together. So that's probably why place a lot here in st. Paul is fairly well supervised and that the coaching is pretty good. So that the kids do I get permit are attended to pretty well. Oh, yeah, the program that they have a nice day of his real good. They always have a good turnout of kids and they always have plenty of poaching but not as far as the other player on the go. I noticed that some of them are little shorthanded on kids but I Northdale always has plenty of kids always have enough for two teams and every sport they play a real good program their does it trouble you at all that your boy is involved in football this early age. Do you have any fears or doubts about injuries or mental beatings that he might take playing with bigger boys know cuz if he does any comes and tells me you know what I played him all my life. So that's why I want him to play and it's better than having him just standing around doing nothing. So that's why I get him up and get him up here play Fox Sports soccer or track or something like that. He don't he don't like it. I don't know if you'd enjoy it or not, but she likes football. So that's what I got them playing if you want to play something else you can. Is welcome to you don't put any pressure on him to do anything on the way now, it's because any might not enjoy it. So I just let him play the sports he wants and try to help him out in the ones that I know best if you want to spoil something else. He's welcome to it earlier March Frederickson discussed age and weight limitations for the Minneapolis program Harold home runs. Does the categories are roughly the same and Saint Paul. There are also position by weight rules within a division to ensure the large do a minimal amount of stomping on the small and I are 6 + 7 they form a team. Okay. There's a maximum weight limit of a 125 islands for the ball carriers. Okay, the coaches after the first week and we put a preview Alton. We have an opening-round game trying to match apples with apples. And they will I'll coach one thing you coach another. Okay after the first week, you know who your fallback is going to be in Santa Rosa and I know who you are going to be. You know my dad. So we met before the game. This is theoretically hopefully this will work out and you said what I think your kid is over a hundred twenty pounds. I want to weigh him and I want to wear this hat back and that end looks too big. Okay, so I weigh three of your prayers you pick whatever you want a way of mine who are potential broadcast. If the way this game is available at the site, so if they can take their shoes no helmet off and if they make it hundred twenty pounds that can be walkers for that particular week. If they can't they can still play but they have to be interior linemen cancer is a ball if they exceed that way Dr. Okay what happens if my quarterback gets hit throwing a ball on your defensive lineman picks it up and weighs 140 lb. You can't do anything with Harold homegrown of the st. Paul Minnesota poll athletic department sports psychologist, Mark Grote finds that weight categories can be psychologically limiting. You know, you have a an 11 year old that weighs 180 lb and automatically he becomes a tackle or alignment now certain he might weigh a hundred and 80 lb, but psychologically, he might be a lot less mature than his weights. And as well as Bones by be a lot less mature than his weight, but these are the kids that are always put on Bottom of the pyramid or tackle or its Center and psychologically they might want to be someplace else. They might not even want to be there at all, you know and yet I'm certainly of the three men participants we have in Little League that goes through a little league registration very few children. I would I would say would rush out there and sign up as the parents that sign them up and placing them in a a a situation of of competition. I think competition by two people who understand the ramifications of it, which I think 10 year olds can understand that, you know, if if instructed properly can put competition in its proper context in and they are there by having both people benefit from competition. However, if we Eavesdrop in a a t-ball game or a little league baseball game every sell them to you find where two teams can come out of winter. You find a mutually exclusive go only one team can be a winner. The other people are are shut out and this is what I think is is is harmful violent sport. I was play it that way. Let's get a little little Chopper out there. This is where you get all your aggression out there all week and school you can be as mellow as can be out here. You guys get it all out, then you can go home and you'll be at home, but let's get tough and let's play a good game Richard Cheese out there a little bit. Football is a rough game at any level. However, there is a markedly lower incidence of serious injury at the Little League level injury that is resulting from ferocious contact the hitting at age 10 11 and 12 is probably not as intense as in the high schools. Dr. Larry Rusk is a top college trainer in the Twin Cities area of the same potential for injury as any other athlete that the more mature level. It's just that because of the lesson nature of physical contact that the incidents would be marketed last. Oh, yeah, they don't have their need knee sprains ankle sprains and concussions of varying degrees. Just as any other football player if an injury is incurred at a younger level can it be assessed whether it's does more damage because of the body is still in a developing stage or is a young man able to shake off an injury quicker than his Collegiate counterpart might be able to not necessarily when you have these young people in varying degrees of development and maturity. They have growth centers bony growth centers that are still soft very vulnerable to blows and also recall the overuse syndrome or as if you have a coach who was a great one for this. preseason conditioning an in-season conditioning where the kids are instructed to do a lot of running and where they feet and so forth are hitting the ground hard and repetitious fashion. Then the Negro centers in around the knee joint the hip joint car. Expose that kind of overuse and they can break down and if the kid is constitutionally and not too well put together. He's so I would write down in some of these areas so that that's an overuse kind of injury not even related to a blow and then if he's sustains blows and heart activity on the in the contest that area is going to break down all the more and then they're at their bones. Of course, the long bones are in the process of lengthening vertical growth and so forth and such areas as the the thigh bone the femur of the tibia fibula of the of the lower leg in around the pelvis the upper extremities. Forearm and so forth these these bony areas are vulnerable to the damage such as fracture with if the kids should happen to sustain a hard law catch a helmet to the armor to the leg. Clavicular, that's the collar bone fractures. Are I rather frequent in the green stick fashion. They just popped like a greenstick football just as the older player does however the emphasis should be on stretching and pulling instead of strenuous weight training. So in in in place of weights for the little Leaguer, it should be strength calisthenics. That's what it should be a lot of sit-ups lot of push-ups and chin-ups and that type of thing very easy to manage and put up a little bit of equipment in the backyard and you can have this young boy doing these kinds of repetitious calisthenics. It would seem you're the boy toward an enhanced physical development overall and not necessarily straight toward football something that would be to his benefit regardless of what sport he tried. That's right. Cuz when you when you look at Does strength calisthenics mean you're just merely using your own body weight as the resistance, you know such as in push-ups pull-ups, you can only do so many you can't you can't pull your body weight are push-ups. Lifted it has implications in the area of enhancing and sustaining a normal posture of the College of Saint Thomas March frederiksen of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Department says injuries. Do not flag that program our staff due to I'm in the part-time staff and we are probably in the city Minneapolis three or four minutes from any kind of emergency help and so if there is an injury, that is serious, they lay the playwright for years and the car park Squad will can be there within just a few minutes and then trying to get the ambulance or so. It's we have no rain. If you remember last year from middle of August to October which made the turf pretty solid and many of the injuries. We got last year. We thought were from that hard surface the pleats catching and twisting that kind of her that kind of injury not serious, but Twisted knees and ankles that wouldn't have happened if there's even a little give to that Turf now. Yes, we asked for their parents approval and and most cases of parents come with them when they register. So that's why there's an original registration card that has a parent signature on good health before you play also. I don't think we should we don't check that as a as a rule figure that if you have the Frederickson of Minneapolis trainer, Larry Russell St. Thomas is critical of the quality of equipment used at the Little League level. I don't think the equipment for the little leaders is as good as it ought to be some of those helmets look like cardboard how much at a distance there plastic of course. I'm just but these the suspension and so forth has as good as we see if High School Collegiate level if if I were to have a son playing at the Little League level I I peed on her hand picking that helmet for 5th and everything else. Some of these kids don't they take it they take a hit in the game and they're their helmets pens are on there looking out through the airhole NFL fitting pads and some times that size are not properly protected. do bruises and sometimes shoes ill-fitting and I think there is an area that we should look into more seriously and area of equipment for the youngsters were always looking at that at the Collegiate level high school level frederiksen and Harold Holmgren quality of football equipment is good neighborhood and Community groups keep the team Stockton uniforms and pads. But Larry R Us advised as parents to inspect their boys equipment. If you don't know how to properly equip him consult a high school or college equipment manager says, he'll gladly discuss proper training techniques and protective equipment Ruskin sees that the ratio of injuries to players as slight but he cautions that the possibility of serious injury is always present. He described an injury incurred by a college player earlier this season the players sustained a terrific Blow To The Head and was spared Serious injury only because he had on a good helmet. This kid didn't know where he was at but getting back to the helmet. This is a superior. Probably the best kind of suspension you can have if he had had a helmet say the old style helmet feel leather helmet you probably would have had a fractured skull may be a 3rd degree concussion. Probably a death or front of disability. our backed out of the Little League level there could be a situation where two kids could come on head-to-head a running back and defensive back and smack hats and if one of those kids has had a poor suspension He is racist and not a serious injury that only had but right now I'm through the neck cuz everything that that kind of a blow doesn't just stop there. This kid that I just mentioned who had the scalp laceration concussion He also had a very stiff neck for about 3 days afterwards, which wasn't surprising you can get such a blow that you can remove you can alter the curve on the spine. St. Paul Minnesota Police Athletic Director Harold Holmgren. Thanks for the good Lord when we get to it so far but a kids individual insurance then take the course of little differently. So you can't waive your rights if we would have a negligent. Sutmm canvas conditioner we permitted to exist we get sued on it and it doesn't show up more often in softball. May God bless it hasn't been any serious injuries. That equipment is good really can't do that. Now, you're a good heavy for a big midgets will have equipment that is comparable or better than High School some of our association to boil as in Bingo and Raffles and fund-raisers softball tournaments at their background. I can't speak now cuz I'm not that close to it. But the last for there are the coaches what for their kids were superior to the things that they were wearing in high school program, but the good things and it again once you're into it, they replace stuff and that they are know very well equipped when we started there were a lot of kids and then we're Ellis. They were feral shoulder pads in a sweatshirt. And so now I'm even leaving a little weepy will be somewhat equip let the parents still go to Kmart and buy a plastic helmet with The Sandbar and I'm because they can buy for $5 or $4 at that level that it's been adequate. I think you can't dress that 4th and 5th grader is 6 greater like you like you'd like, I guess I will though. Yeah, they're skills aren't anywhere close to the skills of the NSA. But you still have the talented amateur little kid banging banging and we haven't taken when ice is a long time and we haven't had a serious head injury or spinal column injury to be responsible for first aid. He says that a person skilled and Emergency Care should be available at all games that way to have him out there in a coaching situation where he is involved in the game. He's trying to figure out defenses and make offensive decisions and changes and what have you and he's emotionally excited in the game. And then we see a situation where the kid comes off the feeling he's hurt. You may have to take a nap. For example, I shot today to the side in the Des Moines area of the small of the back which which case you've got to think of the kidneys that are not as protected as other parts of the body is the spleen and so forth possible rib fractures and If that coaches not well-versed and greatly concerned for the injury aspect he may just to tell the kids to sit down and take it easy for a little while and catches wind or whatever that without making any kind of a check up on the kid to find out. Is there a bone sticking out through the skin that is he is he in fact severely hurt make some kind of on the field estimate as to whether or not he is in fact injured or if they do I put this get back in the game and I think it's unfair to expect that much of a codeshare cuz I know our coaches here at same time as they didn't want to be involved with the injuries at all. They want to leave that decision to me or to the school physician Heather relieved that we are there to to make those decisions. So in that regard, I I I don't think there's enough coverage. Let's put it this way in the in the management of Little League football. The coaching situation usually is is well taken care of and these coaches are are well-versed in the fundamentals of the game. I believe most that I've seen that anyway, but when it comes to first aid and even emergency situations, I think some of them are not where they ought to be in the way of knowledge and you know proficiency to take care of these little kids I give you one example, I I saw a game a couple of years ago as a little kid came off. He took a real hard shot today that softer in the small of the back and he was in tears. And the game was it was a heated contest right clothes and the kids were standing alongside the coach expecting the coach to do something for him. Whatever. You don't give him some comfort on the couch while he was watching the game. He didn't even look at the kid. He he put his hand under his jersey and start rubbing around his back and just kind of rubbing up the kind of soothing him like it's going to be alright and it's going to be all right, and he didn't even so much as look at the at the kid. He didn't land on the ground to check for tender spots check for possible rib damage or whatever and that's this one instance. I'm not saying that's a frequent occurrence, but I didn't like what I saw in that particular example that particular instance be so worked up over the game that he could come off on his of his own volition walk off the field. And because he's walking it's assumed he snapped up dangerously hurt and could be sent back. Would you advise them that there be someone who I knows his way around a human body to always be in attendance. Yes, that would be the ideal and that isn't always possible or are practical. It should be that that should be the way it is. I think we'll see the time as long as as we have football with us and that will remain with us. We will see the time when That kind of attention would be available at any and all kinds of football games. Some of the people interviewed during this broadcast have been critical of youth football but all agree to an extent that competition and football can be a good experience for the young player provided. Of course, he is properly trained equipped and actually wants to play all agree emphatically about one aspect of youth football practice and games at least at early levels should be geared to individual goals exercise and enjoyment. The player will have adequate time to hone later the skills that will make him a star the technical director for this program was Paul Kelly. I'm Neal st. Anthony Remember the Time