Sports Medicine Bulletin

Honoring Scientific Leadership in an Era of Change

22 May 2012 11:14:16 CDT

Viewpoints presented in SMB commentaries reflect opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of ACSM.

Dr. Kutcher is Director of the Michigan Neurosport Program and a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology with the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. His research focuses on the neurologic aspects of sports injuries, particularly related to concussion, migraine and sleep disorders. He is a leader is sports neurology and recently was appointed to direct the National Basketball Association’s new Concussion Program. His statement below was extracted and adapted from his recent commentary, which appears in the May-June 2012 issue of Current Sports Medicine Reports (CSMR).

Dr. Guskiewicz recently was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow, an internationally prominent award, for his work in sport concussion. He is the Kenan Distinguished Professor and director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also serves as the chair of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and holds joint appointments in the Department of Orthopaedics, University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center, and Doctoral Program in Human Movement Science. For 17 years, Dr. Guskiewicz has focused his research on sport-related concussion in high school and collegiate athletes. The range of his investigations has encompassed such issues as consequences of sport-related concussion on balance, neuropsychological function, and the long-term neurological issues. He has received 20 funded research grants and published more than 75 journal articles on these topics. He currently holds memberships on the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Concussion Committee, the National Football League Players Association’s Mackey-White Committee, and the National Football League’s Head, Neck, and Spine Committee. Dr. Guskiewicz’s work in sport-related traumatic brain injury was recently profiled in the May-June 2012 issue of Current Sports Medicine Reports (CSMR), along with a statement of historic perspective and tribute by Dr. Kutcher.

SMB is pleased to share with our readers some of Dr. Guskiewicz comments from that profile article in CSMR. SMB join’s Dr. Kutcher in congratulating Dr. Guskiewicz for his persistent focused efforts, creativity, and leadership in advancing the understanding of concussive injury in sports - and this prestigious honor he has received from the MacArthur Foundation. For more, see The MacArthur Foundation.

NYSHSI to Announce New Model for Development of Youth Sports in Partnership with U.S. Tennis Association

Olympian Gary Hall, Jr. to speak at news conference

22 May 2012 11:14:16 CDT

The National Youth Sports Health & Safety Institute (NYSHSI) will announce its dedication to a new model of development for youth sports on Friday, June 1 at 11:30 a.m. during a news conference held during the 59th ACSM Annual Meeting (Moscone Center West, 2nd floor lobby).

“Our young people need to be active, and participating in youth sports is an important component. However, many of these young athletes are doing too much, too fast,” said Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM, “This new institute will support youth athletics and create guidelines to protect their health and safety.” Bergeron serves as executive director of the new NYSHSI.

The need for NYSHSI is underscored by a poll that shows 91 percent of Americans feel sports participation is important for children and adolescents, and 94 percent feel more needs to be done to ensure the health and safety of youth athletes.

NYSHSI leadership board member Gary Hall, Jr., 10-time Olympic medalist (swimming) and the third most decorated United States male Olympian, will share his perspectives on being an athlete.

Dr. Brian Hainline, chief medical officer of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), will highlight the effort to transform the way tennis is introduced in the United States. New rules for youth tennis have been passed by the International Tennis Federation and USTA that are significant for children 10 and under, as they will make it easier for more kids to get in the game and make tennis fun from the start.

For more information about NYSHSI, visit www.nyshsi.org.

Policy Corner: San Francisco shows gain from PA-friendly policies

22 May 2012 11:14:16 CDT

San Francisco, this year’s ACSM Annual Meeting host city, has moved up the ranks to fourth in the ACSM 2012 American Fitness Index™ (AFI) data report. The annual report evaluated the most populous city areas in the U.S. to identify the healthiest and fittest places in the United States. San Francisco was previously ranked sixth in the 2011 rankings.

The Bay Area ranked first on personal health indicators related to health behaviors, chronic health problems and health care. The area ranked 14th on community/environmental indicators associated to the built environment, recreational facilities, park-related expenditures, physical education requirements and primary health care providers.

San Francisco’s movement in the rankings demonstrates what advocacy for both proactive health and wellness policies and demonstrating local interest in factors which improve quality of life can do for your community. Everything from availability of fresh fruits and vegetables to the condition of your sidewalks is a factor in the overall health of your city or town. Let decision makers know that the health of their citizenry is your priority today.

Be Active at Annual Meeting

22 May 2012 11:14:16 CDT

Let’s get moving at this year’s Annual Meeting! ACSM is promoting physical activity at the 59th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Pick up a free pedometer from ACCU SPLIT Certified Accurate Pedometers at booth 112 in the Exhibit Hall (while supplies last - first come, first served, during exhibit hall hours). Track your steps each day and turn them into the Member Services Booth for a chance to win a complimentary registration to the 2013 Annual Meeting. The attendee who takes the most steps for the entire conference will win! Throughout the conference, stop by the Member Services Booth to see how far around the world our cumulative steps would take us.

Join us for an organized walk on Thursday, May 31st at 6:30am to get your day started on the right foot. Student Affairs Committee Chairperson, Lanay Mudd will lead a group on a morning walk along with Michael Scholtz and Greg Hottinger from NOVO Wellness. Meet other conference attendees and enjoy a morning walk.

Congratulations to a student group from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who took home first place in the Steve Blair Campaign to Promote Activity. This contest asked students to encourage conference participants to take the stairs and be more active at the annual meeting. You will see their winning activity featured in the Moscone West lobby. If you decide to take the stairs, you may step into their winning activity! Thank you to NOVO Wellness for their help with this activity.

Meal timing, protein and conditioning

22 May 2012 11:14:16 CDT

If you compete or simply enjoy working out, eating right helps you train harder, delays the onset of muscle fatigue and aids in recovering from a workout. Eating proper foods doesn't have to be complicated or rigid, and certainly no one approach fits everyone. Your body needs carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals and fluid to fuel it for exercise. Eating right helps your body adapt to workouts, improves body composition and strength, enhances concentration, helps maintain a healthy immune system and reduces the chance of injury. The timing of meals and snacks is equally important. At a recent American College of Sports Medicine meeting, Nanna Meyer, Ph.D., and dietician at the University of Colorado and United States Olympic Committee at Colorado Springs, told an audience, "Don't bother lifting if you haven't eaten breakfast." Current research recommends Greek yogurt with some fruit and nuts, oatmeal cooked with milk, cereals or a carbohydrate sports bar pre-exercise, with an emphasis on protein, like yogurt, chocolate milk, recovery mix or a bar containing some protein as soon as possible after training.

President's Council on Fitness backs Wii, Kinect and other video games

22 May 2012 11:14:16 CDT

We called it “the devil’s machine” in my house, and the Faustian bargain we struck over that first Nintendo 64 would have impressed Lucifer himself. We bought it for my son when he was perhaps 7; it provided countless hours of contentment for him and an equal measure of downtime for Mom and Dad.

So I couldn’t ignore the irony in the April 30 announcement that the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition had decided to team up with the Entertainment Software Association to demonstrate “how to use video games to promote physical activity.”

Times, as they say, do change.

Sports Medicine Bulletin

Honoring Scientific Leadership in an Era of Change

NYSHSI to Announce New Model for Development of Youth Sports in Partnership with U.S. Tennis AssociationOlympian Gary Hall, Jr. to speak at news conference

Policy Corner: San Francisco shows gain from PA-friendly policies

Be Active at Annual Meeting

Meal timing, protein and conditioning

President's Council on Fitness backs Wii, Kinect and other video games

NYSHSI to Announce New Model for Development of Youth Sports in Partnership with U.S. Tennis Association

Olympian Gary Hall, Jr. to speak at news conference