CMHS situation sign of things to come, local experts say
A youth sports trainer and a chiropractor said they expect to see more schools shortening their football seasons because of injuries or lack of players.
Both factors forced Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs to forfeit its final two games of this season. It’s the second straight year that the school had a decrease in students trying out for the varsity team.
The situation led Ben Burlinson to contact KRDO NewsChannel 13 on Thursday. He owns Performance Pediatrics, a youth sports management firm.
Burlinson said he has 30 clients, and his business is growing because parents and athletes want to prevent injuries.
“We provide things that coaches don’t have time or resources to do,” he said. “Like how to stretch, how to warm up. A lot of injuries can be avoided with the proper education.”
Burlinson said one of his clients is on the Cheyenne Mountain football team.
“He’s had a few minor injuries,” Burlinson said. “But with aggressive treatment and attention, they didn’t become major injuries. Most of the injuries we see are poorly-managed and were previous injuries. And athletes often ignore minor injuries that become worse.”
Burlinson said keeping an athlete injury-free is challenging, even with the proper education.
“At a given moment, kids grow so quickly that you’re always getting a different athlete,” he said. “We watch mobility and make sure it doesn’t become stunted, or that the athlete overcompensates. That’s when you end up having joint issues and things like that.”
Working with Burlinson is Dr. Grove Higgins, a chiropractor who runs Zvolve Performance Care. Higgins helps athletes rehabilitate spinal injuries and related injuries.
“Stress can contribute to injuries, too,” he said. “Kids are busy these days, balancing longer and more intense practices with high academic requirements. And we don’t have kids that are well-conditioned any longer, so it predisposes them to injury.”
Higgins said we shouldn’t be surprised if we see more schools in the same situation as Cheyenne Mountain.
“Other schools are close to that point,” he said. “They’ll have to consider how they’re going to continue their seasons.”
Burlinson said a key point to remember is that football and other high school sports should be fun.
“That’s probably why the numbers of kids going out for football are down,” he said. “It’s a tough sport and many families see lacrosse or soccer as better options. If we give families the information they need to help kids avoid injuries and keep school stress to a minimum, more kids will go back to football.”
