Prevent Field Hockey Injuries With Proper Gear
Jul 30, 2014 2:48:00 PM
One of the oldest sports in existence, interest in field hockey has grown dramatically in North America. From young girls to collegiate women, this sport has become increasingly faster-paced and more physical over the years. As competition heats up and competitive natures kick in, the severity of on-the-field injuries has also increased.
Recently ranked as one of the top five dangerous sports for girls, children and teens nationwide are finding themselves in emergency rooms due to sports-related injuries and accidents encountered while playing field hockey. The most common diagnosis from ER trips is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which is caused by bumps, blows, or jolts to the head and can disrupt normal functioning of the brain.
While team sports can provide a multitude of emotional, social, and physical benefits for kids and young adults, it is crucial to provide these athletes with the proper protective gear to avoid brain trauma and other serious injury. If your child plans to participate in field hockey this season, do you know what gear is needed to adequately protect her from unnecessary injury? Here are some basic safety precautions and equipment you need to start off your season with the goal of protecting your child from injury.
Gear Needed to Protect Your Child From Field Hockey Injury
- Shin Guards
- Goggles
- Gloves
- Mouthguards
Goalie Equipment Needed to Protect From Field Hockey Injury
In addition to the list of protective gear above, goalies will need to suit up with some additional equipment, as they remain in the line of fire with multiple players and the ball the majority of the time. Here are some extra things you don't want to skip out on purchasing if your child is a goalie.
- Helmet with a cage to protect the face
- Extra padding
- Leg pads (not larger than 12 inches wide)
- Hand and arm pads (not larger than 14 inches long or 9 inches wide)
Studies have shown that female field hockey players have a 62% risk of sustaining three or more injuries. Those injuries range from chronic lower-back pain to stress fractures and head and face injuries (90%). These injuries happen more than 60% of the time in practice, yet only one out of three parents reports taking the same safety precautions at practice as they do on game-day. In order to more fully prepare your child for safety in sports and prevent injury, be sure your player is wearing the proper protective gear, especially during practice.
If your school is in need of a complete list of proper field hockey equipment for this upcoming season, click here and a member of our team will be glad to give you a quote and help supply all of your sporting needs.
Topics: sports equipment, field hockey injuries, field hockey equipment
How to Save Money on the Rising Cost of Organized Sports
Apr 11, 2014 3:50:00 PM
Organized sports is now a trillion dollar business in this country. This is not an exaggeration. Marketers have even begun targeting participants "from the womb to the tomb," peddling products like Athletic Baby and Baby Goes Pro. Gymnasiums have also popped up for newborns with an eye on getting them to the pros, making personal trainers available for babies as young as six months.
Working class families have long seen sports as a ticket to the future, but the push to excel is a little overwhelming. From the time children can pick up a ball, parents see their child as competing against a multitude of other children for a very few select spots of recognition at the top. Getting into the scholarship pipeline has a much higher cost today than it ever has. Simply playing sports for your school doesn't cut it anymore. Parents are signing up for traveling teams, plopping down hundreds for expensive equipment, paying for personal trainers, elite sports camps, lodging expenses of food and hotels while traveling and sacrificing most, if not all, of their leisure time to attend and transport to games.
Dedicate blogger and statistics keeper, Stats Dad, kept track of the rising costs of organized sports involvement and found that the average sports playing youth spent $9,076 in 2010 and that number jumped to $11,704 in 2011.
In his book The Most Expensive Game in Town, Mark Hyman also explores and exposes the countless areas of commercialism and expenditure that takes place surrounding organized sports. As a parent who made many of the same mistakes he describes in his book, Hyman believes as parents we are becoming blinded to the insanity of spending, pushing and promoting our children up the ladder of success.
"We are sitting ducks. In other contexts, we are careful shoppers, bringing a coupon-clippers sensibility to how we buy and from whom. When the subject shifts from sports and our children, that equilibrium is suddenly lost. We have a hard time distinguishing between supporting them and feeding our runaway ambitions for them. The difference isn't apparent until long after the credit card has been swiped," Hyman believes.
Because most families making these lofty sacrifices aren't wealthy, a powder keg of pressure is unleashed on our very young children. That relentless drive from parents may be the reason 75% of children drop out of organized youth sports by age 13.
Although 7.7 million children played on a high school sports team last year and more than three million children between the ages of five and 19 signed up to compete with U.S. Youth Soccer, the national organization that oversees competitive travel soccer, the chances of making it to the pro level are extremely slim. Statistic Brain listed recently that the odds of a high school football player making it to the NFL as 1 in 6,000 and a shot at the NBA, even more unlikely at 1 in 10,000.
"Parents have the best of intentions for their kids," Hyman said. "They want their kids to be successful and succeed, but sometimes we just show it in the wrong way and have our heads down."
Reuters believes that parents should become aware of this growing problem and begin to lower their expectations. Becoming the next Albert Pujols is probably not a reality, but there are some steps families can take to make sports participation less of a strain financially and emotionally by doing the following:
- Choose your sport carefully. Weigh the investment of different sports. Golf clubs can cost more than $1,000. A soccer ball, cleats and shorts may only run $150. If your child ends up losing interest, you haven't lost a fortune.
- Barter Creatively. Negotiate club fees, barter the costs, pay installments, ask for discounted bulk sports purchases and ask to find out if sports leagues are willing to waive their fees.
- Forget the Shine. When it comes to gear, buy used. Play It Again Sports has great prices for gear that will save you a bunch of money if your child continues to pursue this sport. When you finish with gear you're not using, do the same. Sell it. Don't let it collect dust in the garage.
Although involvement and investment trends in organized sports are climbing, with a little awareness and a strong resolve it is possible for parents to say, "the buck stops here."
Image courtesy of Naypong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Topics: Athletic Equipment, sports equipment, budgeting for high school sports
Follow up from KASA—a great event
Jul 22, 2011 11:25:00 AM
We just wanted to post a quick thank-you to everyone we met with at KASA (Kentucky Association of School Administrators) last week. It was a great event and worthwhile, too. We had some great talks with customers about wanting new outdoor facilities.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on any new projects we have coming up and any future trade shows we’ll be attending.
Here are a few pictures from the show. See you next time!
Topics: KASA trade show, Toadvine Enterprises, Kentucky athletics, sports equipment
Reminder: KASA is coming up
Jun 30, 2011 10:10:00 AM
About a month ago we posted our trade show schedule for 2011. Representatives from Toadvine attend several trade shows throughout the year in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. We wanted to send out a quick reminder that we’ll be attending KASA (Kentucky Association of School Administrators) in two weeks at The Galt House in Louisville. It starts on July 13 and lasts two days. Mike, Chris, and Ben will be there to talk sports equipment and answer any questions you have. We hope to see you there.
Here’s a little more information about the event:
- Kentucky Association of School Administrators’ (KASA) Annual Summer Institute
- When: July 13-15
- Where: The Galt House, Louisville, KY
- What’s happening: KASA is the state’s largest gathering of school district leaders, including superintendents; assistant superintendents; directors of special education, finance, pupil personnel, food service, communications, curriculum and assessment; principals; assistant principals; counselors; and other public education leaders.
Topics: Trade shows, KASA, Toadvine Enterprises, Athletic Equipment, stadium seating, sports equipment
Porter Athletic's 25 Year Backstop Warranty
Jun 9, 2011 11:24:00 AM
Porter is recognized as the leader in the gymnasium equipment market. Porter basketball backstops have been used with confidence in countless competition games worldwide including NBA championships, The NBA All-Star Game, The NCAA Final Four Tournament, The Pan-Am Games, The Goodwill Games, and The World Basketball Championship Games.
The 25 year warranty on Porter Backstops protects users against defects in material or factory workmanship on Porter “900” series ceiling suspended backstops. The warranty includes the following parts of the backstop: attachment superstructure, clamps, framework, hangers, and braces. The 25 year warranty on the Porter “900” series is a change from its previous one-year warranty. The Porter 25 Year warranty is one of the top warranties in its class with only few competitors to offer the same, none exceeding.
The 25 year warranty by Porter with the team work of Toadvine Enterprises offers the best quality and experience in the business. Dan Morgan, VP of Sales stated, “This new warranty emphasizes the Porter reputation for quality and workmanship, and rests on Porter’s long history of over 100 years as a supplier of the finest equipment available to the athletic facility industry.”
The Porter ceiling suspended basketball systems come in a variety of options including forward fold, side fold, or rear fold goal system.
Call Toadvine today at 502-241-6010 or contact us to find out more about Porter Athletic basketball goals and the different options used to fit your athletic facility and budget.
Topics: gym equipment, Porter 25 year warranty, Toadvine Enterprises, sports equipment, Porter Athletics
Toadvine is now the exclusive Porter and Gill provider for Indiana
Jun 3, 2011 1:03:00 PM
Toadvine Enterprises has had a lot going on lately. Aside from launching a new website, we’ve been busier than normal because we are now the sole provider of Porter and Gill athletic equipment in the state of Indiana.
We’ve been serving Kentucky, Tennessee, South Ohio, and parts of Indiana for 32 years, but now we’re able to bring our full line of Porter and Gill Sports Equipment to almost every Indiana County. This means that schools in Indiana—whether university or elementary—will have access to Toadvine’s professional sales team that can help give recommendations to best suit your facility.
With our knowledge and expertise in the sports equipment industry, we can assist you in any sports facility project, no matter the size. Toadvine Enterprises has helped both communities and schools create and maintain sporting equipment throughout their athletic facilities. The expertise and knowledge of our sales teams will deliver the best solutions to meet your needs.
We’re excited about being the exclusive provider of Porter and Gill in the state of Indiana! There are several ways you can learn more and stay connected with us:
- Call 1-877-211-6925
- Follow us on Twitter
- Like us on Facebook
- Subscribe to our blog
- Contact us online
We look forward to speaking with you!
Topics: gym equipment, sports equipment, Porter and Gill, Indiana athletics provider, Indiana athletics
Toadvine's Trade Show Schedule for 2011
May 31, 2011 1:52:00 PM
Representatives from Toadvine Enterprises will be attending several trade shows from now until the end of the year and we wanted to keep everyone in the loop so we can plan, meet up, and network with attendees. We hope to see you at these upcoming events:
Kentucky Association of School Administrators’ (KASA) Annual Summer Institute
When: July 13-15
Where: The Galt House, Louisville, KY
What’s happening: KASA is the state’s largest gathering of school district leaders, including superintendents; assistant superintendents; directors of special education, finance, pupil personnel, food service, communications, curriculum and assessment; principals; assistant principals; counselors; and other public education leaders.
Read more about the conference here
Kentucky School Plant Management Association (KSPMA) 22st Annual Conference
When: October 26 – 27
Where: Embassy Suites, Lexington, KY
What’s happening: The KSPMA annual convention is held each fall. See the newest equipment and materials, discuss common problems and others in your field from areas throughout the nation, receive the latest information on pertinent topics from professionals, enjoy a variety of social activities with friends, old and new.
Read more about the conference here
KY Recreation & Park Society Conference (KRPS)
When: November 15 – 18
Where: Holiday Inn University Plaza, Bowling Green, KY
What’s happening: Show your support for local parks departments as well as for the quality of life for the residents of ones community.
Read more here
Topics: outdoor stadium seating, Trade shows, Toadvine Enterprises, sports equipment, indoor bleachers
Seating and Equipment Safety Inspection After Recent Storms
May 9, 2011 2:00:00 PM
Storms have been rolling through the Kentucky and Southern 
Indiana areas lately. We’ve had tornado warnings (and some confirmed touch-downs), flash flooding, damaging winds, and severe thunderstorms. It’s been a rough ride so far, and we’re really just at the beginning of the storm season.
All of the things listed above could be bad news for outdoor sports equipment and grandstand seating. High winds could be damaging to equipment and sometimes make seating a safety threat for fans and spectators.
Along with providing and installing this type of equipment, we also service it. If you even have a question about the safety of your bleachers you should complete safety inspection for all of your outdoor equipment, please contact us for a complete safety inspection. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially after all the storms and high winds we’ve experienced.
There are a number of ways you can get in touch with us and set up an appointment:
- Use our contact form online. We have a 24-hour guaranteed response system in place so you can be sure someone will follow up with you promptly.
- Fill out our maintenance and safety interest form.
- Give us a call at 502.241.6010.
We look forward to making sure your seating and equipment is safe and in good working condition.
Topics: equipment maintenance, Toadvine Enterprises, stadium seating, seating maintenance, sports equipment
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