Division Winners - Spring 2016

Heartland Soccer will officially announce the Spring 2016 division winners after the games scheduled for the May 20-22 weekend. However, many teams have already done the math and figured out they are going to be their division's winners. And that has led to some questions. We hope this will answer most of those questions.

The May PJHRS shines on siblings, Keegan and Katie Cordova.
Keegan began reffing in the fall of 2014. He said, "I love being able to contribute to making a game a positive and enjoyable experience for participants and spectators." After working as an outdoor referee he  decided to get certified as a futsal referee too. Keegan says, "I enjoy the speed of a good futsal game."
He is working towards upgrading and would like to become at least a grade 6, which will allow him to officiate national tournaments.
Keegan has played soccer for ten years and presently plays for Legacy Barcelona. In addition to reffing and playing soccer he runs varsity cross country and track. Keegan is the number three runner for cross country at his high school. He runs the 4x800 and his mid season pr is 2:06. He also runs indoor and national track.
Katie has been playing soccer since she was five years old. She currently plays for Legacy and Blaze.
Katie's love for soccer coupled with her older brother's positive experience working as a referee led her to become certified to referee.
When Katie is not reffing or playing soccer she keeps busy with dance. She enjoys tap, jazz, ballet and modern hip hop. In addition to dance, Katie participates in track. She competes in the high jump, long jump, 400 and 4x4. Katie is a member of the National Junior Honor Society.
When recalling her first day as a referee Katie said, "I was working as an AR and got stung by a bee. I had an allergic reaction and panicked a little but the funny thing is that I know that nothing will be worse on the job  than that first day."
Thank you to Keegan and Katie for your hard work and dedication.                                            

The Weekend Soccer Dilemma

Every weekend at Heartland there are hundreds of matches played by thousands of players, watched by thousands more parents and fans, and officiated by hundreds of referees.

There are thousands of good plays and more than a few fouls. The "Weekend Soccer Dilemma" is how are we going to react to any specific play?

There are many people who work with the referees each weekend. Their dilemma is how to instruct the referees so they will deliver decisions that result in a safe, fair and enjoyable match. I call it a dilemma because it plays out like this.If the contact in question was done by your child, then it is a good play. If the contact in question was against your child, then it must have been a foul. If you call fouls the parents will say, "Come on Ref, let them play!" And, if you don't call fouls other parents will say, "Come on Ref, you are losing control of this match!"

What is a young referee supposed to do in the light of this dilemma?  In the weekend soccer matches the parents can voice their opinions out loud and make it hard for the referees (don't think it doesn't affect the players because it does). You don't see referees change their calls very often, but does the noise affect them?

When we teach referees, we have a standard that guides the teaching.  The standard is the Laws of the Game. Each referee has been through at least one course where they were tested on their understanding of these Laws. It doesn't mean they always remember what they were taught in class, but they know where to go and get the information to evaluate their performances. How many of you have read these Laws before you gave your opinions this past weekend?   

Referees are like players. As they get more experience they develop a better insight into the nuances of the game of soccer. The way we are making better referees is to work with them when they come back next week and build on what they learned last week. We all have a role in this program and we all benefit when the new referees stick around and become experienced referees.

Next week, think about the dilemma and what you can do to address it. Thank you to the thousands of you who help. Now, if you will concentrate on the few who don't we will concentrate on the eeferees who want to learn.                    

Too Much Water? For Young Athletes It Can Be a Risk.

It's something you hear at every sports practice and sporting event: drink lots of water. Now that temperatures are rising, our instinct is to encourage kids to drink, drink, drink.

Young athletes are more likely to lose water through sweat. So if you start out dehydrated, you won't get a good workout. Young athletes can get dizzy, lethargic and their muscles won't work as well which can lead to muscle cramps sooner.

Water helps a body to exercise efficiently and a well-hydrated athlete feels stronger and can work out longer and more effectively. The heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood to the body, and oxygen and nutrients can be transported more efficiently to the muscles working during exercise. This means a young athlete will have more energy, and the same exercises you struggled with when dehydrated will seem much easier.

While it's healthy to quench your thirst and replenish lost fluids, too much of anything can be a bad thing. In this case, over-hydrating can put a person at risk of hyponatremia, usually found in endurance athletes. This is where sodium in the body is too low from excessive sodium loss in sweat or urine or it is diluted by taking in too much free water without any electrolytes.

Hyponatremia can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion, muscle cramps, and in severe cases coma, seizures and death. These are difficult as they can also mimic signs of dehydration. We recommend that parents and coaches monitor fluid intake to determine if the symptoms are being caused by excessive fluid intake or very limited intake.

To walk the line between dehydration and over hydration, it's best to listen to your body. Don't force yourself to drink excessively but don't be afraid to drink if you feel thirsty.

How much water do you need? We recommend taking water breaks every 15 minutes in the heat and one sports drink per hour of exercise is also recommended to replace electrolyte losses.

Consult your primary care physician for more serious injuries that do not respond to basic first aid. As an added resource, the staff at Overland Park Regional Medical Center is available to diagnose and treat sports-related injuries for young athletes. To make an appointment, call (913) 541-3365. For more information about the Sports Medicine Program at Overland Park Regional Medical Center, visit oprmc.com/sportsmedicine .

Betsy Kellerman, ATC/LAT, is the manager of the sports medicine and concussion programs at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Kellerman attended the University of Wyoming, where she obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Physiology and Sports Science and a Bachelor's Degree in Athletic Training. She also received her Master's Degree in Sports Management from Nova Southeastern University. Previously, Kellerman managed the University of Wyoming Sports Medicine Department and has worked with all different levels of athletes from Division I College Athletes to youth athletes. Her passion lies with educating parents, coaches and the community on mild traumatic brain injuries, as well as athletic injuries and offering the resources needed to heal.