Youth sports don’t feature the same dangerous combination of size, speed, power and aggression that defines professional sports, but injuries still remain a natural part of the game.
Even though minor injuries are often unavoidable, at Liberty Mutual Insurance Play Positive™ we believe it is a smart policy to take measures to help prevent serious and costly injuries and to limit, identify and treat injuries when they do happen.
We sat down with U.S. Freeskiing Slopestyle Coach DJ Montigny to get his thoughts on how youth athletes, coaches and Positive Sport Parents can help prevent, treat and overcome injuries.
In our exclusive TAKE 5 interview, DJ told us that he believes there is a lot that athletes can do to help guard against overuse injuries. He also shared some of the U.S. Freeskiing Team’s injury prevention practices.
“The athletes work out with strength and conditioning coaches and do skills and air awareness development on the trampolines,” said DJ. “A lot of it comes down to the gym work and trampolines, and other activities like skateboarding and mountain biking.”
Like most high-level athletes and coaches, DJ has had to deal with injury and the setback that comes along with it – both as an athlete himself and now, as a coach to other athletes. He told us that “a team effort” is key in maintaining a positive attitude on the road to recovery.
“When an athlete is returning from injury, it’s a team effort with coaches, doctors, physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches and the athlete, making sure everyone is on the same page on how the athlete is progressing,” said DJ. “As a coach, you check in often. You have to evaluate the situation and get the athlete the care they need.”
As tough as it is for an athlete to deal with and come back from injuries, DJ believes that such experiences can teach youth athletes many valuable lessons about not just sports, but life in general.
“It’s hard work to overcome an injury,” said DJ. “It’s a challenging situation, and not an easy thing to go through, and getting back to being a successful athlete is something to carry into everyday life in the future.”
DJ also believes firmly that coaches and Positive Sport Parents can make an impact when it comes to preventing, treating and overcoming injuries in youth freeskiing – beginning with proactive measures.
“Encourage a healthy lifestyle all around,” said DJ. “If you’re not living a healthy lifestyle, chances are you’re going to get hurt. It’s about staying active and fit, staying in the gym and working on training.”
To read the full TAKE 5 interview with DJ, visit PlayPositive.com. And come back next month for another exclusive TAKE 5 interview!
At Liberty Mutual Insurance, we constantly look for ways to celebrate the countless acts of positivity shown by people every day. We created Play Positive, powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, as part of this belief to help ensure that our kids experience the best that sports have to offer in environments that promote and display positivity. We believe kids can learn valuable life lessons when coaches and parents come together to support winning on and off the hill.
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