My latest dilemma is when to let injured players return to practice/games.
First thing's first: I'm not pressuring anybody to return. In fact, it's the other way around. I'm getting pressure from the players to return, and I want to be sure I'm doing the right thing.
Obviously the type of injury matters. One girl twisted her ankle, and with something like that, as soon as she can go she can come back. I'm not overly concerned (she tried to jog in practice yesterday and couldn't, so she didn't participate in any running). One of our girls was out with a concussion, and she couldn't play until she was cleared by a doctor. In Illinois, any player with a concussion needs to be cleared by a doctor before returning, so that one was totally out of my hands.
But what about this one?
Three weeks ago, one of my players broke her finger. The doctor initially told her six weeks, and she's been bugging me to play. I haven't let her, but I just got a message from her that this weekend she's going to try playing catch with her dad. So what happens if that goes fine and her dad says she can return? Do I let her? Does that parental permission make it OK? For what it's worth, this player is not a superstar. I want her back so she can play because she misses it, but I'm not rushing her back so we can win games.
Any thoughts on this? As a parent, how would you feel in this situation if you decided your child was ready but the coach wasn't sure? Should I stick to that initial six-week diagnosis (should add that originally they said she'd need surgery, then decided she didn't, so maybe that six weeks isn't really six weeks?)?
I want her to get a chance to get in a few games before the season is over, but I'm just not sure about this one.
First thing's first: I'm not pressuring anybody to return. In fact, it's the other way around. I'm getting pressure from the players to return, and I want to be sure I'm doing the right thing.
Obviously the type of injury matters. One girl twisted her ankle, and with something like that, as soon as she can go she can come back. I'm not overly concerned (she tried to jog in practice yesterday and couldn't, so she didn't participate in any running). One of our girls was out with a concussion, and she couldn't play until she was cleared by a doctor. In Illinois, any player with a concussion needs to be cleared by a doctor before returning, so that one was totally out of my hands.
But what about this one?
Three weeks ago, one of my players broke her finger. The doctor initially told her six weeks, and she's been bugging me to play. I haven't let her, but I just got a message from her that this weekend she's going to try playing catch with her dad. So what happens if that goes fine and her dad says she can return? Do I let her? Does that parental permission make it OK? For what it's worth, this player is not a superstar. I want her back so she can play because she misses it, but I'm not rushing her back so we can win games.
Any thoughts on this? As a parent, how would you feel in this situation if you decided your child was ready but the coach wasn't sure? Should I stick to that initial six-week diagnosis (should add that originally they said she'd need surgery, then decided she didn't, so maybe that six weeks isn't really six weeks?)?
I want her to get a chance to get in a few games before the season is over, but I'm just not sure about this one.