The Sports Medicine Advisory Committee: Working With You and For You Every Day
By Craig Perry
Associate Director
The League’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee is recognized as one of the top state high school
association medical advisory groups in the nation, with members who are acknowledged nationally and
internationally. The committee members represent a wide variety of medical fields, including: family practice,
exercise physiology, chiropractic, sports medicine, physical therapy, orthopedic, and dentistry. As well,
membership on the committee includes representatives from partnering organizations: the boys’ coaches
association, the girls’ coaches association, and the state school nurses organization.
Included in this issue of the Bulletin you will find an article written by Dr. Bill Roberts. Dr. Roberts is a long
time member of the League Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and currently is in his fifth year as the chair
of the committee. His article in this issue — Taking concussions seriously — is a follow-up to the concussion
information in the Fall 2010 Bulletin and addresses the protocols to be followed when an athlete shows signs
or symptoms of a concussion during a game or contest. As all of us who are involved in athletics know, the
topic of concussions and head injuries is not just a hot button issue in Minnesota. It is a global issue across
almost all sports.
Dr. Roberts’ article also highlights the key discussion items from the recent Concussion in Ice Hockey
Summit held at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester this past October. One of the organizers of the summit was Dr.
Mark Stuart, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Mayo, the chief medical officer for USA Hockey, and also a
member of the League Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. As a member of the committee, the insight and
knowledge provided by Dr. Stuart has helped the League provide valuable information and tools for use in
programs at our member schools.
Like Dr. Stuart, the members of the committee have a long-standing reputation of excellence in the medical
and sports medicine fields. For example, Dr. Roberts is recognized as an international expert in preparticipation physical examinations and health history questionnaires. He is a one of a six-member
international group that researches and revises the medical screening documents to ensure the health and
safety needs of students are properly addressed.
Dr. B.J. Anderson is a nationally recognized expert in skin related issues and the wrestling weight
certification process. His medical research and studies have helped the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee
craft health and safety protocols that best meet the needs of student athletes.
Committee member Jim Olson is a physical therapist who serves as the lead therapist for the USA Sled
Hockey team and has recently been placed on the International Paralympic Committee, one of three people in
the world serving in the capacity of reviewing athletes’ medical conditions.
I bring the credentials, knowledge and experience of the League Sports Medicine Advisory Committee to
your attention to demonstrate the value of their commitment to the health and safety of students who
participate at our member schools. The role of the committee is to review existing medical documents and
policies to ensure they best meet the need of our participants, and to create new information and safety
protocols to benefit the students, the schools, and the school communities.
In addition to programs already addressed, the Committee has recently established new protocols for cold
weather participation for Nordic and Alpine skiing, created a statewide network of regional skin specialists for
wrestling, and reviewed and revised participation restrictions for track distance events, just to name a few. All
of the medical documents and information can be accessed on the League Web site either on the home page
or by selecting: Resources>Publications>Medical/Physical.
The work of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee is evident every day at our member schools, but
perhaps not as visible as other League programs and services. This latest article by Dr. Roberts continues to
demonstrate the valuable services provided by this committee to member schools.
Sports Medicine Advisory Committee
Dr. B.J. Anderson, Family Practice
Doug Nelson, Athletic Trainer
Dr. David Bacharach, Exercise Physiology
Jim Olson, Physical Therapy
Dr. Craig Coulliard, Chiropractic
Dr. Bill Roberts (chair), Family Practice
Sheila Davis, School Nurse
Dr. Michael Stuart, Orthopedic
Doug Davis, Boys’ Coaches Association Representative
Randy Glasmann, Girls’ Coaches Association Representative