Drinking Water is Vital to Young Athletes
I have been a sports’ official for many years and during this time I have noticed that parents, guardians, coaches and athletes themselves don’t take the issue of drinking water seriously, I say this because during and after every game I see parents providing drinks to the young athletes and in the majority of the cases, the drink of choice is soda or some kind of beverage with sugar contained in it. The consumption of water must be taken serious by parents, guardians, coaches and athletes.
Within the article “Keeping Fluid Levels Up” written by: Robert J. Reber & Donald K. Layman —- Layman states; “Water is a basic necessity for all life. Without it, life can’t exist. Even when water is limited, living organisms suffer”. Your children areno exception. For young athletes, not enough water means they can’t do their best. It can even cause serious health problems.
Our blood circulates like an ocean within us. The water in blood helps carry nutrients and energy to our body cells. It also carries waste products away from our cells for excretion from our body. Water helps regulate our body temperature.
As the parent it is your responsibility to provide your young athletes water during and after games and practices. Participate in sports helps to burn a lot of food energy (called calories). Some of that unleashed energy powers muscles. But some of that energy is released as heat. Water keeps you from overheating. Sweating and evaporation from the skin cools you down. However, water is lost in the cooling process. It can be dangerous if the water is not replenished. If you run low on water, your body can overheat, like a car that is low on cooling fluid. Losing just two percent of the body’s water can hurt performance. A five percent loss can cause heat exhaustion. A seven percent to ten percent loss can result in heat stroke and death. Dehydration can kill.
Young athletes have a lot of growing to do. New muscle tissue must be made. Bones need to grow rapidly. And with all of the physical activity, some tissues need to be repaired. All of this metabolic activity requires an abundance of nutrients and energy carried to body tissues and waste products carried away. Water allows all of this to happen. Water is vital for your young athletes body’s growth, repair, and physical activity.
Parents should check out their children’s high school athletic programs to see how safe they really are.” The list below represents what the NATA considers to be of importance for Sport Safety:
- Emergency Action Plan
- Qualified Athletic Healthcare
- Team Physician Involvement
- Pre-participation Physicals
- Weather Guidelines & Protocols
- Qualified & Educated Coaches
- Post Injury - Return to Play Policy
- Field & Facility Maintenance
- Equipment Maintenance
- Proper Conditioning & Training
References
NATA Website - Press Release, http://www.nata.org, March 23, 2004