BALTIMORE, June 17, 2015 — USA Today high school sports writer Jim Halley reported Tuesday on the findings of the study “Epidemiology of sports-related concussion in seven US high school and collegiate sports,” conducted by Stephen W. Marshall, Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Viswanathan Shankar, Michael McCrea and Robert C. Cantu.
The purpose of the study was to determine if suffering a single concussion increased the likelihood of suffering a second concussion. While the study itself was new, the data used in the report was not. Research data for the study was collected more than a decade ago, from 1999 to 2001. At the time, women’s lacrosse ranked second among all sports for concussions in that particular data set, but much has changed over the last 14 years.
Since 2001, US Lacrosse has led and continues to direct numerous initiatives that reduce the risk of head and other injuries for women’s lacrosse players. Those efforts include:
• Development of sport-specific protective eyewear and rules to mandate player use.
• Enrollment of 30,000 coaches in lacrosse-specific educational programs that include appropriate curricula for teaching safe play.
• Enrollment of 10,000 officials in lacrosse-specific educational programs that include rules and mechanics training.
• Investment of nearly $750,000 in research studies that result in recommendations to reduce risk of player injury.
• Rule changes to greater penalize stick checks near the head and other unsafe play.
• Development of a game-specific protective headgear standard through ASTM International, which was approved last month.
These efforts have all contributed greatly in reducing the injury rates in women’s lacrosse over the past decade, as evidenced by the findings in recent injury surveillance studies.
As reported in the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study for the 2013-14 school year, women’s lacrosse ranked sixth in overall injury rates among female high school athletes, behind soccer, basketball, field hockey, volleyball and softball. Additionally, women’s lacrosse ranked ninth among high school sports in concussion rates.
“Changes to the rules, equipment and coaching and officials’ education have made women’s lacrosse much safer today and greatly reduced the concussion risk compared to other sports,” said Dr. Bruce Griffin, director of health and sport safety at US Lacrosse.
For more on US Lacrosse’s work to maximize player safety in lacrosse, visit uslacrosse.org/safety.
About US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse and the home of the nation’s fastest-growing sport. US Lacrosse has more than 450,000 members in 67 regional chapters across the country. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse provides programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the sport. Bookmark, like and follow US Lacrosse at uslacrosse.org, fb.com/uslacrosse and @uslacrosse, respectively.
In 2009, Adam O’Neill, Harry Alford and Thomas Alford launched Lacrosse Playground as the preeminent site for lacrosse gearheads. For years Lacrosse Playground provided lacrosse fans with tutorials and tips on how to string a lacrosse head, up-close looks at the gear the top players used and sneak peeks at equipment and uniforms before they were released. More than 10 years and millions of visits later, Lacrosse Playground has relaunched with a focus on storytelling. Our mission is to provide comprehensive coverage of the latest lacrosse news, share insights into the sports betting and fantasy lacrosse world and showcase the lifestyles and personalities of the sport of lacrosse through articles, videos and podcasts.
Oliver Marti: Starting an NLL Team in Albany and Investing in the PLL and Epoch Lacrosse (Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast #130)
byPro Lacrosse Talk
On this episode of the Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast, Hutton Jackson and Adam Moore are joined by three-time All-American at Brown University, investor in the PLL, and the newest NLL owner Oliver Marti. He discusses moving the New England Black Wolves franchise to Albany, New York, why the city of Albany was chosen and share his thoughts on the team’s potential new identity. He also discusses his time playing for Dom Starsia at Brown University, playing for the New York Saints in the MILL, starting the Connecticut Box Lacrosse League, investing in the Premier Lacrosse League and equipment manufacturer Epoch Lacrosse, and his opinion on the current state of pro lacrosse.
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Pro Lacrosse Talk is the flagship lacrosse podcast of the Lacrosse Playground network covering all three professional lacrosse leagues (NLL, PLL, Athletes Unlimited). Each week throughout the season we’ll recap the games, provide analysis on the teams and feature exclusive postgame and off-the-field interviews with professional lacrosse players, coaches and executives. If you’re a fan of lacrosse podcasts like the Unbuckled Chinstrap, The Inside Feed, Lacrosse Classified or The Crease Dive, then give us a listen.