Football and wrestling top list of school sports injuries

As the kids head back to school they'll also head back to team sports. So brace yourselves, moms and dads, for the injuries that can come with that.

A new study sheds some light on which sports are more likely to produce severe injuries, derailing athletic participation for weeks.

Injury data on nine sports were collected during the academic year from 2005 through 2007 in 100 high schools nationwide by researchers from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and the Center for Injury Research and Policy in the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, both in Columbus. A severe injury was defined as one that resulted in losing three weeks or more of sports participation. During that time, 1,378 severe injuries were noted, comprising 14.9% of all high school sports-related injuries. Severe injury rates were higher in competitions than during practices.

Football was No. 1, with the highest injury rate -- 0.69 per 1,000 athletic events (with an "event" defined as one practice or competition). Second was wrestling, then girls' basketball and girls' soccer.

While the injury rate was higher in all boys' sports versus all girls' sports, when injuries in certain sports (soccer, basketball, baseball/softball) were directly compared, the results were different: Girls had a higher severe injury rate overall than boys, and girls' basketball ranked higher in injuries than boys' basketball.

The study also described which parts of the body took the most hits. Knees were on top, followed by the ankle and shoulder.

The most common diagnoses were fractures, complete ligament sprains and incomplete ligament sprains. Among all the severe injuries, 28.3% needed surgery.

The study appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Being Bad (at Sports) Can Be Good

So you can pay $149 to be told whether your child has a gene that may or may not be linked with athletic ability. That is the news on yesterday’s front page, where Juliet Macur wrote about a newly released product from Atlas Sports Genetics, which allows parents learn whether their child carries the version of a gene, called ACTN3, that makes for physical power or the version that makes for endurance.

I will leave it to others to debate what this means for the future of sports. And let’s ignore for the purposes of this conversation the fact that the test really doesn’t predict anything with real certainty.

But let’s say that you really could gauge, with a swab inside the mouth, your child’s chances of dominating at track and being just mediocre at football. And let’s focus on what the possibility of such a test means for parenting.

What I fear it would become is one more way for parents to insure that their children never learn to fail. In her latest book, “Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking: Powerful, Practical Strategies to Build a Lifetime of Resilience, Flexibility and Happiness,” the psychologist Tamar Chansky argues that this is one of the most fundamental jobs of a parent, and one we don’t tend to do very well. (Her book even includes scripts for how to walk a child through failure for those of us who need the guidance.)

If you never fail, she writes, you never learn that you can pick yourself back up again. And that’s a lesson best learned young, while your center of gravity is low and it doesn’t hurt as much to fall down.

Yesterday’s article opens with a quote from the mother of a 2 year old, who is watching her toddler struggle through a soccer lesson and who thinks a genetic test for sports aptitude would be a grand idea.

“I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but I still think it’s good to match them with the right activity,” the mother said. “I think it would prevent a lot of parental frustration.”

But isn’t that very frustration, particularly for the child, the point of sports — the point of growing up — in the first place?

I was an ice skater as a kid. Years of 5 a.m. patch sessions taught me I wasn’t a very good ice skater. It also taught me that ice skating could be fun and that I could move on.

My boys, in turn, have cycled through soccer, karate, wrestling, baseball, swimming, football, fencing, snowboarding and a few others I have probably forgotten. Along the way they found they love tennis and golf.

If a test had clued me into that fact at birth, they might have gotten an earlier start and been more competitive for it. But they might also have been cheated of half the journey, the part where they learn what they aren’t great at, what they have to worker harder at than others — and where they also learn that that’s just fine.

Rashad Evans knocks Chuck Liddell cold at UFC 88

Light heavyweights: Rashad Evans (17-0-1) def. Chuck Liddell (21-6)
How: TKO, 1:51 Round 2
Key moment: Evans, after not having landed many strikes, suddenly connected with a punishing overhand right that knocked Liddell out.
Analysis: Liddell made the same mistake he made when he lost his light heavyweight belt last year to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. He went to throw an uppercut and Evans caught him with a booming overhand right. The win will zoom Evans to the top of the division and places him squarely among the UFC’s elite at 205 pounds. Liddell has lost three of his last four and there at least has to be thought if he’s come to the end of the line of a spectacular career. – Kevin Iole

Light heavyweights: Rich Franklin (26-3) def. Matt Hamill (6-2)
How: Ref stoppage at 0:39 of Round 3
Key moment: Franklin’s ability to continually land kicks to the leg and body and keep Hamill from taking him down most of the way spelled the difference. The low kicks slowed Hamill’s movement and left him open for body kicks. In the third round, Hamill went down from a hard body kick and Franklin finished him with punches on the ground. Franklin has a nasty cut on the side of his right eye but Hamill wasn’t able to connect on it after early in the second round.
Analysis: Former middleweight champ Franklin, in his first light heavyweight fight in more than three years at light heavyweight, executed a good game plan on one of the stronger man in the division. But in moving up in weight, the question becomes how he can fare with the high-caliber strikers at the top of this division. What he showed is strong takedown defense and a good battle plan against someone is primarily a wrestler, something that was his strength as a middleweight. – Dave Meltzer

Georgia's second gold, Tajikistan's best run yet

Tajikistan's Yusup Abdusalomov made Olympic history for his country in the Men's Freestyle Wrestling 84 kilogram final on Thursday, August 21, even though he was defeated by Georgia's Revazi Mindorashvili.

Before this day, Tajikistan's best Olympic achievement was a bronze medal in Judo. Abdusalomov's silver medal is definitely a milestone for his country.

Mindorashvili's gold medal in Georgia's second Wrestling gold medal won in Beijing.

Mindorashvili started the first period well by establishing a 2-1 lead but was overpowered by Abdusalomov near the end and lost 3-2. Mindorashvili was not distracted by this result and went on to win the second period 3-0, tying the bout. In the decider, Abdusalomov showed signs of losing stamina and was completely out-wrestled by Mindorashvili, who took the period 4-0.

Thirty-year-old Abdusalomov placed ninth in Athens four years ago, and he took a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships. His opponent, 32-year-old Mindorashvili, also wrestled in Athens and ranked 13th. Mindorashvili was the world champion back in 2005.


www.en.beijing2008.cn

Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan won Men's Freestyle 120kg Wrestling gold

Artur Taymazov (red) wrestles Bakhtiyar Akhmedov. (Photo credit: Xinhua)


Artur Taymazov from Uzbekistan claimed the Men's Freestyle 120kg Wrestling title at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday, beating Bakhtiyar Akhmedov of Russia in the final.

Bronze medals went to David Musulbes from Slovakia and Marid Mutalimov from Kazakhstan.

India's Sushil Kumar won bronze in Olympics wrestling

For the first few seconds after he had been adjudged the winner, wrestler Sushil Kumar, was dazed. Thoroughly exhausted after three nerve-wracking bouts in less than 75 minutes, he looked around, first for the coach and then for a bottle of water. And then quickly he was engulfed by his coach, P P Sondhi and then former Asian Games gold medallist Kartar Singh, who is accompanying the team as a manager. Minutes later, the 25-year-old Sushil realising the enormity of his achievement began looking around and found his mentor Satpal Singh and ran towards him.

“I owe my career to Satpal Singhji, who is my guru and taught me all I know. I dedicate this medal to him,” he said minutes after winning the bronze. Cash awards to the tune of Rs16.5m have flowed in for Sushil Kumar. After Abhinav Bindra shot India’s maiden Olympic gold medal last week, Delhi wrestler Sushil added a second medal to India’s kitty by winning the bronze in the men’s freestyle (66kg) event at the Beijing Games yesterday.

It was first the turn of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit to announce a cash award of Rs5m and she was followed by Union Sports Minister M S Gill who announced Rs 2m for the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) employee. “It is a great achievement by Sushil. He is the new icon for Delhi and I will give him a cash award of Rs5m. His coach Satpal will also get promotion,” Dixit told a TV channel.

Ram Vilas Paswan, minister of chemicals, fertilizers and steel, came up with Rs1.5m award for Sushil. Not to be left behind, Railways minister Lalu Prasad announced Rs5.5m and the Haryana Government Rs2.5m. Paswan added: “Two years back, we decided to promote two sportspersons and Sushil was one of them. We have always supported him and I am happy that he has done the country proud. We will have a grand reception for him. I have also asked the SAIL Chairman to give him a promotion.”

Sushil’s bronze comes after 56-years when wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav gave India its first ever individual Olympic medal. Jadhaav also won the bronze in the Freestyle Bantamweight class in the 1952 Helsinki Games. This is the first time after 1952 that India have won two medals in a particular edition of the Olympics.

Courtesy : www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Mahendra Singh Dhoni congratulates Sushil Kumar

India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday congratulated wrestler Sushil Kumar for his stupendous feat of winning a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics.

Dhoni said Sushil`s feat would inspire his team to win more games in the five-match series against Sri Lanka.

"Well it is another good day you can say. After Abhinav (Bindra) we have got another medal in wrestling with a bronze (in the Olympics). Congratulations to Sushil," Dhoni said after his side won the second one-dayer by three wickets.

"Hopefully India gets more medals in Olympics. We will also win more games. We have three more (ODIs) to go. So let us see. Very hopeful in both segments in Olympics and cricket," Dhoni added.

Ramazan Sahin wrestles first gold for Turkey

Ramazan Sahin brought the Turkish delegation their first gold medal in Beijing, thanks to his victory over Ukraine's Andriy Stadnik in the Men's Freestyle Wrestling 66 kilogram final on August 20.

Twenty-five-year-old Sahin has been wrestling well in this category in recent years, taking a bronze medal in the 2007 European Championship, a gold medal in the world championship the same year, and a bronze in the 2006 world championship. He knocked out 2007 world championship bronze medalist Otar Tushishvili in the semifinal and 2007 world championship silver medalist Geandry Garzón of Cuba in the 1/8 final.

Sahin led the first period 2-0 for most of the time, but Stadnik tied by a last-second score and took the period 2-2. In the second period Sahin gained the same lead again and held it to the end, with a 2-1 win. The last period was close again as the score remained 2-2 after the first two minutes. Sahin eventually won the bout because he scored the last point.

This is also Wrestling powerhouse Turkey's first Wrestling gold medal in Beijing.

Courtesy : www.beijing2008.cn

Japan's Icho wins Women's 63kg Freestyle Wrestling gold

Icho Kaori competes against Alena Kartashova. (Photo credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Japan's Kaori Icho beat Alena Kartashova of Russia to win the Women's 63kg Freestyle Wrestling gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games here on Sunday.

Kartashova took the silver while Randi Miller of the United States and Kazakhstan's Yelena Shalygina finished a joint third.


Courtesy : www.en.beijing2008.cn

China's Wang Jiao wins gold in Women's Freestyle 72kg Wrestling

China's Wang Jiao beat Bulgaria's Stanka Zlateva to win the Women's 72kg Freestyle Wrestling gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games here on Sunday.

Zlateva won the silver while Japan's Hamaguchi Kyoko and Agnieszka Wieszczek of Poland both took a bronze medal.

Dream comes true for Lopez : Greco-Roman 120kg Wrestling

Mijain Lopez of Cuba (Photo credit: Liang Qiang/Xinhua)


In a rematch of his Athens quarterfinal loss, Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez this time prevailed over defending Olympic champion Khasan Baroev of Russia 5-0, 1-1, to claim the gold in the Men's Greco-Roman 120 kilogram Wrestling weight class, on August 14, 2008.

Lopez was knocked out by Baroev in the quarterfinals of the Athens Games to finish fifth.

Lopez's gold is the first for Cuba in Beijing. As a traditional wrestling powerhouse, Cuba has collected five Wrestling gold medals at previous Olympic Games.

Italy's Andrea Minguzzi beat Hungary's Zoltan Fodor to win the gold medal.

Zoltan Fodor (red) wrestles with Andrea Minguzzi. (Photo credit: Li Gang/Xinhua)



The Men's Greco-Roman 84kg Wrestling gold medal bout was held at the China Agriculture University Gymnasium on day six of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 14, 2008 in Beijing, China.




Andrea Minguzzi of Italy celebrates. (Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Russia's Khushtov wins Men's Greco-Roman 96kg Wrestling gold

Mirko Englich (red) wrestles with Aslanbek Khushtov. (Photo credit: Liang Qiang/Xinhua)

The gold medal match of Men's Greco-Roman 96kg Wrestling was held at the China Agriculture University Gymnasium on day six of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 14, 2008 in Beijing, China.

Aslanbek Khushtov of Russia took gold the gold, beating Mirko Englich of Germany 6-0, 3-0. The bronze medal was shared by Asset Mambetov of Kazakhstan and Adam Wheeler of the United States.

Kvirkvelia won the first gold for Georgia

Manuchar Kvirkvelia wins the gold (Photo credit: Lu Mingxiang/Xinhua)


Manuchar Kvirkvelia of Georgia won the Men's Greco-Roman 74 kilogram Wrestling final by defeating Chang Yongxiang of China on August 13.

Kvirkvelia won the first period 6-0 with a throw of grand amplitude, and went on to take the second period 3-0.

Kvirkvelia won Georgia's first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Though defeated, Chang still grabbed the first ever Men's Wrestling Olympic medal for China.

France Won A Wrestling gold after 84 years

Steeve Guenot wins the gold (Picture credit: Xinhua)

Steeve Guenot became the new Olympic champion of the Men's Greco-Roman 66 kilogram Wrestling weight class after defeating Kanatbek Begaliev of Kyrgyzstan on August 13. He is also the first French Olympic Wrestling champion in 84 years.

The 22-year-old started the bout well, taking the first period 3-0. His opponent gained one point in the first par terre of the second period, but Guénot came back in the second par terre to take the period 3-1.

This is Steeve Guenot's best senior achievement by far. His older brother Christophe Guénot will compete in the 74kg weight class bronze bout.

The silver medalist, twenty-four-year-old Begaliev, placed 11th in Athens four years ago. He was also the silver medalist at the 2006 World Championships.