Volleyball Good News!

In my never ending quest to bring you all that is great and glorious about the sport of Volleyball.....USA Today says Volleyball is the safest sport for high school females and second safest overall for all participants!!!

Now the details, and they are not that devilish. In the Monday, July 9th USA Today Life section (on page 5D), there is/was an article titled Season of Aches, Pains by Kim Painter. Within this article is an information box referenced as Sports injuries; Injury rates in high school sports (per 1,000 practices or competitions). Girls' Volleyball rated out with a 0.89, which was the lowest of the four female sports listed - highest was Soccer at 2.07, then Basketball at 1.54 and on the Bronze Medal podium is Softball at 1.04.

Of the listed Boys' sports, only Baseball with a 0.78 ranking was safer than Girls' Volleyball. The source of this information for the USA Today Life section information box is the Center for Injury Research and Policy, 2008-2009. As an aside, I wonder why Baseball was safer than Softball - I know I am just showing my sport ignorance, but I am curious.

Initially, I was surprised that volleyball was the safest. Then, after thinking about it, we have the separation of the athletes because of the net. This force-field of safety, keeps the contact between the competitors in a 12 inch width, while the other sports are slamming into each other routinely.

It did surprise me that Girls' Soccer had more injuries than Girls' Basketball. I had always viewed Basketball as a highest injury risk sport because of multiple players jumping in very close proximity to each other (just think free throw rebounds), along with the tendency for players to go flying into each other while sprinting up and down the court. But, then again, you don't have Basketball players sliding into each other with cleats and taking balls off the head after they have flown over 50 yards.

Back to the Greatest Sport of All Time - Volleyball. I think it is fantastic that of the listed high school sports for Girls, Volleyball is rated as the safest!

Parents of young girls, if you want keep your kids safe as they grow up, while they enjoy all the benefits of team sports, then make sure they are volleyball players!!!