Warren Area Youth Lacrosse Email [email protected] Warren Area Youth Lacrosse Coaching Guide Warren Area Youth Lacrosse TABLE OF CONTENTS SAFETY Lightning Policy/Cancellations Heat Injuries Mouthguards First Aid Injury Reporting Equipment Safety IMPORTANT INFO Philosophy NWCYLF Code of Conduct Dealing with Problem Parents Coaches Equipment Uniforms Communication Coaches Corner on the Website PRACTICES AND GAMES Practice Plans Drills Notes and Diagrams Game Preparation * -Goalie Warm-up Game Rules * Game Management Warren Area Youth Lacrosse Cancellation Procedures It is our policy to only cancel when weather does not permit play or damage to the fields would occur. What to do if bad weather strikes during a practice or game. 1. Seek shelter and follow the 30-minute rule or use THOR(see below) if available. 2. If you cannot continue, please use cell phones to call for rides. 3. Never leave a player behind. Wait at the location until everyone has been picked up. Thirty-minute rule – Once lightning has been recognized, it is recommended to wait at least 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning is witnessed or thunder is heard. Given the average rate of thunderstorm travel, the storm should move 10-12 miles away from the area in that time frame. This significantly reduces the risk of local lightning flashes. Any subsequent lightning or thunder after the beginning of the 30-minute count should reset the clock and another count should begin. Lightning Detectors The Thorguardian is the first, totally integrated advance warning system for lightning. THOR GUARD has combined its state of the art lightning prediction technology with automatically activated air-horns and strobe lights, for single location applications. The sensor monitors energy as far away as 15 miles and evaluates the potential for lightning within an area of approximately two miles in radius. When the Thorguardian senses a hazardous condition, the system automatically provides both audible and visual alerts. Under normal conditions the air-horns have a range of approximately 700 yards, in a 360° pattern. Poor Field Conditions The fields are crucial to providing a good experience. It is important to maintain the level of playability by following tips provided below. Please do not allow players to trash the fields. Tips: 1. If the ground is soft, please move your practice frequently to prevent muddy fields. 2. Be creative in your drills and what they require of the ground. Low impact drills are: stick work, casual distance run, wall ball if available, shooting. 3. Avoid drills where cutting and large numbers of players will be in a confined area. 4. End practice early and talk strategy with players off the field when the conditions are muddy. 5. Do not warm up goalies in the goal crease! This will destroy the goal area. Warren Area Youth Lacrosse THOR GUARD LIGHTNING PREDICTION SYSTEM The THOR GUARD Lightning Prediction System predicts when conditions indicate the potential for a lightning strike; it will give a warning 8 to 20 minutes in advance of a potential strike, so that participants and staff can take shelter. In a developing storm, the unique prediction technology of THOR GUARD evaluates the dynamics of the electrical energy within the atmosphere. When it senses the potential for a lightning strike, THOR GUARD will sound a 15 second warning siren and the strobe light on top of the unit will go off. The strobe light stays on as long as there is danger of a potential strike. Staff and patrons must seek shelter immediately (in a building or covered automobile). When the potential for lightning has passed, THOR GUARD sounds three (3) blasts of the siren and the strobe light turns off. This may be as soon as 10 minutes after the system has gone off. THOR GUARD PROCEDURE When the THOR GUARD sounds the alarm: 1. All activities stop. 2. Staff and patrons should find shelter immediately in a covered automobile or building, even if the weather appears not to be threatening. 3. Picnic shelters, without walls, are not suitable lightning shelters, as lightning can strike at an angle. 4. If adult participants refuse to seek shelter, staff should seek shelter themselves. 5. At no time should staff put themselves at risk. When the THOR GUARD sounds the all-clear and the strobe light goes off, all activities may resume. Supervisors and employees who work outside should listen to current weather forecasts the morning of any planned outdoor activities so that employees can be alert to changing weather conditions. If the sky looks threatening, staff should still monitor the weather via the radio, weather radio and any information supplied by Park Police. If thunder is heard, or lightning is spotted, and THOR GUARD does not go off, patrons and staff should still seek shelter immediately. Patrons and staff should not go out again until 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder is heard or lightning has been spotted. Warren Area Youth Lacrosse Prevention and Treatment of Heat Related Injuries By Lori Windolf Crispo, CPCU, is the Executive Vice President of Bollinger’s Amateur Sports Division. One of the biggest concerns for lacrosse players is preventing heat injuries. Heat-related injuries, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke, are emergency conditions that need immediate treatment and medical care. However, such incidents can be prevented with a few simple steps. What are Heat-Related Injuries? Normally, our bodies produce a tremendous amount of internal heat, which is cooled by sweating and expelling heat through the skin. In extreme heat, high humidity or vigorous activity in the hot sun, this cooling system may begin to fail, allowing heat to build to dangerous levels. Heat injuries manifest themselves from mild symptoms to life threatening conditions. Heat Cramps: Heat cramps are forceful, painful muscle contractions, usually occurring in the calf or hamstring. They are typically related to heat, dehydration, and poor conditioning. Treatment for cramps is simple: rest, drink water and get to a cool environment. Heat Exhaustion: Heat exhaustion stems from excessive heat and dehydration. Its symptoms can be detected in the appearance and activities of your players. The range of symptoms includes nausea, dizziness, weakness, headache, heavy perspiration, normal or low body temperature, weak pulse, dilated pupils, disorientation, and fainting spells. Treat heat exhaustion by getting the person to a cool or shady environment, drinking liquids and applying cool water or ice to the body. Most people respond to these treatments, but prompt attention is necessary in order to prevent it from progressing to heat stroke. More severely heat-exhausted patients may need IV fluids, especially if vomiting keeps them from drinking enough. Heat Stroke: Heat stroke, the most serious form of all heat-related conditions, is a life-threatening medical emergency. A person with heat stroke usually has a very high temperature (over 104 degrees) and along with the other symptoms above, may be delirious, unconscious or having seizures. These patients need to reduce their temperature quickly and must also be given IV fluids for rehydration. Take them to a hospital as quickly as possible – although cooling treatments need to be started immediately and continue until emergency medical personnel can take over. In addition to applying ice, another effective form of cooling in this case is “evaporative cooling” where the person is sponged or misted with cool water, and fans are used to circulate the air around the person to encourage rapid evaporation. Lacrosse Players are Vulnerable Because lacrosse is usually a warm-weather running sport, lacrosse participants are at risk for heat illnesses. Coaches can take a number of steps to prevent heat-related injuries among their players: 1. Recognize the dangers of playing in the heat. 2. Schedule regular fluid breaks during practice and games. Players should be hydrated prior to their start and continue to drink eight ounces of fluid every 20 minutes during the activity with water or sports drinks. 3. Players should avoid soda, caffeine drinks and alcohol before or during games, as these can promote dehydration. 4. Make player substitutions more frequently in the heat. 5. Have players wear light-colored, “breathable clothing. 6. Take “helmet breaks” every 30 minutes to ensure that heat in the helmets gets released. Just as you wear a hat in winter so heat will not be lost through the top of your head, the converse is true in summer – wearing a helmet keeps in a great deal of heat that the body is trying to expel. Warren Area Youth Lacrosse Mouthguards - Why do I have to wear this? The mouthguard is one of the most misunderstood pieces of lacrosse equipment. However, it is also one of the most essential to keeping a player on the field- not just because the officials will make you wear one in order to play. Here are 3 reasons to wear that mouth guard: 1. Mouthguards help prevent dental injury. Teeth protected with a properly fit mouthguard are less likely to be chipped, broken, or knocked out. Dental injuries are painful, and are the end of the game for that athlete. An athlete that sustains a dental injury needs to see his or her dentist as soon as possible to protect the health and appearance of the tooth or teeth. This means leaving the game. Not fun. 2. Mouthguards help prevent soft tissue injury. It is significantly more difficult to bite your lip or tongue if you are wearing a properly fit mouthguard. When a player sustains a hit to the body the head is jostled- occasionally the head (or helmet) hits the ground. In this situation, if the teeth contact their surrounding soft tissue (which they usually do) that tissue will be cut and bleed.