MINORS ON CAMPUS
Athletics
Ball State University © 2013
Prior to Participation
• Parents should sign all necessary permissions, releases,
and medical forms
• Note any medical conditions such as asthma that may
require special attention
• If needed, participants should have emergency medical care on
hand (e.g., inhalers, Epi-pens)
• Minors should receive a Participation Physical Exam
(PPE) by a doctor before playing any organized sports
Hydration
• Hydration
• Mandatory water breaks
• Encourage minors to bring water bottles, or have fluids available
• Encourage drinking plenty of water at least 30 minutes before, during,
and after playing
• Warning Signs of Dehydration:
• Weakness, dizziness, or fainting
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dry mouth, no longer able to sweat
• Muscle cramps
• Heart palpitations
• If a player becomes dehydrated, have the child sit and rest,
drink fluids, and cool the body temperature
• Medical attention may be required for some cases. Seek
emergency help if symptoms do not improve, are especially
severe, or are accompanied by a fever.
Injuries
• Coaches or program directors should be certified in basic
first aid and CPR and learn the signs of common injuries
such as concussions and overuse injuries.
• Set aside time to stretch and warm up before practices
and games and a cool down period after.
• Avoid overuse of injuries by resting all players during
practice and games.
• Encourage players to communicate any pain, injury, or
illness during or after practices or games
Concussions
Signs may be obvious or subtle, and do no necessarily predict the
severity of the head injury. They may be delayed for several hours
after the injury
A player with a suspected concussion must be immediately
sidelined until evaluated and released by a medical professional
Symptoms
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Dazed feeling
• Visual symptoms
• Irritability
Physical Signs
• Slow to answer questions or
follow directions
• Poor concentration
• Emotional changes or instability
• Slurred speech
• Personality Changes
Player Safety
• Have participants wear the appropriate and properly-fitted
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gear during practice and games
This may include helmets, shin guards, mouth guards,
ankle braces, or cleats
For outdoor sports, recommend that players use
sunscreen
Establish safety guidelines for practice and games;
enforce the rules of the game and follow up on violations;
remove players if necessary
Communicate with parents
• Have emergency contact information
• Give parents a list of required and recommended equipment
Player Safety
• When possible, group children by weight, size, and skill
rather than chronological age, especially in contact sports
• Maintain sports equipment and playing fields in working
and safe condition
• Supervise players during practice and games
Locker Room Safety
• Slips and falls are the most common accidents in locker
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rooms
No running, pushing, shoving, disorderly conduct or
horseplay is permitted
Remind students to keep floors and aisles clear
No glass bottles or containers are permitted
Have a first aid kit available for injuries
Privacy Concerns
• A responsible adult should monitor locker rooms
• Ensure that only participants and approved personnel are permitted in
youth locker rooms
• Monitor behavior in adult or common spaces
• No one of the opposite gender should be in locker rooms or
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restrooms
When feasible, parents or guardians of the same gender are
encouraged to take their children to the locker room
Parents or guardians with opposite gender young children
should be advised that privacy cannot be guaranteed in
general locker room facilities
Cell phone use is not permitted in locker rooms
Taking, capturing, or recording of any and all photography,
audio, or video of any kind in the pool, locker rooms or
restrooms is strictly prohibited.
Hazing
• Hazing occurs in both boys’ and girls’ organizations, and is
especially prevalent among athletic teams
• Hazing is any action taken or situation created that intentionally
causes embarrassment or risks emotional and/or physical harm to
members of a group regardless of their willingness to participate.
• “Hazing” as a criminal offense means forcing or requiring another
person (with or without consent), as a condition of association with a
group or organization, to perform an act that creates a substantial risk
of bodily injury (IC 35-42-2-2.5)
• Ball State has a strict anti-hazing policy for its own student
organizations; this same standard applies for minors’ athletic
teams or groups
• Make it clear that hazing will not be tolerated
• Follow up on violations and implement consequences,
including dismissal from the team or reporting to the program
director and/or campus or local law enforcement as
appropriate.
Transportation
• Conduct routine headcounts before, during, and after transport
• “Sandwich” a group during transport so that one staff member
leads, and another trails to ensure that a group stays together
• Communicate with parents and guardians about arrival and
departure times; create a plan for notification in the event of
any changes
• Vehicles
• Buses and large vehicles should only be driven by appropriately
licensed (CDL) drivers
• All program vehicles should carry appropriate insurance
• Staff should not transport minors in their personal vehicles
• Staff or volunteers should not be alone in vehicles with minors; always
follow the 2+ adult policy
Resources
Center for Disease Control & Prevention
• “Injury Prevention & Control: Traumatic Brain Injury,”
http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/signs_symptoms.html
• “Sports Injuries: The Reality,”
http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/Sports_Injuries/
Mayo Clinic, Symptoms of Dehydration,
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dehydration/DS00561/DSECTION=symptoms
Hazing Prevention: www.hazingprevention.org
Ball State University Hazing Policy, Student Code—Appendix D, available
at
http://cms.bsu.edu/about/administrativeoffices/studentrights/policiesandprocedures/stude
ntcode/appendixd
Additional Resources
For sports-specific safety tips and resources, see “Sports Safety” from
Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the
National Institutes of Health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sportssafety.html
For sport-specific rules and helpful links, see the Indiana High School
Athletic Association, Inc.
www.ihsaa.org