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15
US study catalogues
diving risk for kids
A recent study published in the medical
journal
Pediatrics
estimates 6,549 young
people go to US emergency departments
each year with diving injuries.
The study by a research team at
Nationwide Children’s Hospital in
Columbus, Ohio is the first US study to
look at competitive and recreational
injuries among children and adolescents.
The researchers hope their findings will
guide injury-prevention efforts.
Recreational swimming and diving are
the third-most common physical activities
in the US and the most common among
children. Competitive diving continues
to increase in popularity with more than
20,000 people younger than 18 registered
with USA Diving.
Head, neck and face injuries are most
common, according to the National
Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
About five per cent of the young people
were hospitalised.
The research did not include deaths.
• 44% of those injured hit a diving
board;
• 18% hit the bottom of the pool;
• 15% were injured by contact
with the water;
• 13% hit the side of the pool;
• the remainder hit another object.
Most were 10 to 14 years old and dived
head-first from a height of 1 meter or
less.
Across the US over the past several years
city pools have removed high diving boards
as a result of injuries and an increase in
the insurance premiums.
Proper education of divers is important,
especially when they attempt new dives.
Children should be kept from jumping
into shallow water, and pools should
post visible depth indicators and provide
lifeguards.
Olympic Security
I was fortunate enough to go to the
Olympics in Beijing in August. In the article
on the games in the September edition
of Touchline you mentioned the risk of
Terrorism. I must confess to being slightly
concerned before I went to Beijing, partly
because of all of the publicity and bad
feeling that had surrounded the Olympic
torch journey, and partly because I
thought that, like you mentioned in the
article, there was a real possibility that
some idiot would use the games as a way
to publicise their cause.
However, I feel that the Chinese handled
the security very professionally. I didn’t
feel at all threatened and I have to say
that everyone was extremely friendly. The
volunteers (and there were thousands of
them!) were so very helpful and really
tried to use their English. They were really
lovely people.
I am so glad I went. It was a trip of a
lifetime and has given me some great
memories.
Tom, Kent, UK
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Congratulations
Just a quick note of Congratulations for
getting your first issue of Touchline off
the ground.
Annie, Melbourne, AUS
Why not
Aluminium Bats?
I read with interest the
story in your last edition
concerning the new hazard
of maple bats in Major League Baseball.
I was wondering if they had considered
using aluminium bats, as was used,
albeit for a very short time before it was
banned, by Dennis Lillie the Australian
cricket player in the early 80’s?
Frank, Brisbane, AUS
Spectator Deaths
It was sad to hear in your recent story
about the nine spectators who died at the
football match between Gambia and
Liberia. With the massive amounts of
money in football today, there is no
excuse for these types of tragedies
to happen. It seems that only after a
major disaster, like the 1985 Bradford
City fire when 56 people died when
the stand at caught fire, or the 1989
Hillsborough Disaster where 96
football supportors where crushed
to death, did any major changes
happen.
Do we need to wait for another major
incident before things change?
Orsen, Bradford, UK
touchline