Hard Cast during State Cup

Surfref said:
I think you made the right decision. Even though he will not be playing I would still suggest getting the waterproof sports cast. It just makes life easier.
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My daughter broke her wrist at the end of December, and now we're in the same boat. She's been practicing/scrimmaging with a cast protector (https://www.thecastprotector.com/), which seems to be working great! However, I'm a little worried about the upcoming ref's discretionary determination next weekend in State Cup. I think I'll bring along bubble wrap and athletic tape to augment the padding in case of a difficult ref.

Regarding a waterproof cast, we asked for this, but the orthopaedic specialist recommended against this because she said it was not as snug as the regular cast lining, and wouldn't provide the same level of protection while playing sports. I'll bring a large roll of plastic wrap to State Cup to waterproof the cast in the event of rain.
 
Charlotte's Chauffeur said:
I think I'll bring along bubble wrap and athletic tape to augment the padding in case of a difficult ref.
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No way I let a child play wearing that "cast protector." Football players have pads and helmets to protect them from the child who hits them with that device, soccer players do not. Have her bring a book.
 
jrcaesar said:
No way I let a child play wearing that "cast protector." Football players have pads and helmets to protect them from the child who hits them with that device, soccer players do not. Have her bring a book.
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She's not a danger to anyone padded. Unlike a defensive lineman in the NFL, my 9-year old daughter doesn't pummel her opponent with her forearm (with or without a cast) nor does she wildly flail her arms about while dribbling the soccer ball.
 
Look, I wish you luck at State Cup, but 9-year-old shouldn't be playing in a cast. Too many variables in play, not the least of which is it's more work for the referee to "sell" the idea to opposing coaches and parents that this is safe. No thanks.
 
jrcaesar said:
Look, I wish you luck at State Cup, but 9-year-old shouldn't be playing in a cast. Too many variables in play, not the least of which is it's more work for the referee to "sell" the idea to opposing coaches and parents that this is safe. No thanks.
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I don't often agree with JrCaesar, but he has it right.
 
Adding 2-3 lbs of semi-solid material to the end of an arm, the other players are definitely going to notice. Every player has some kind of incidental contact with arms of other players which isn't a problem usually. But a cast will make a difference.

Players can't where jewelry or watches, boxing gloves or brass knuckles during a game regardless of whether they promise not to use them. I don't know why there should be an exception for 3lbs of plaster.

Your kids can miss a few games. It isn't a big deal. I grew up with kids who broke arms and collar bones and didn't play during that time, but then went on to play D1 college.

Also, how about letting little Jimmy who has been waiting on the bench all season for this moment to get in? Stop being so selfish! :)
 
Everyone has it right. Rest her. She will have more State Cups in her future. I'm actually surprised her orthopod cleared her, usually they are very conservative.
 
What have you people been smoking? A padded arm cast is safer than an arm with no cast and no padding. The elbow and forearm are a lot harder than that padded cast. I have seen many players get injured from being hit by a forearm or elbow, but have never seen a player get injured from being hit by a properly padded cast.

And, a properly made forearm cast only weighs between 1-2 pounds with a sports cast coming in at only a pound.
 
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Surfref said:
A padded arm cast is safer than an arm with no cast and no padding.
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Of course that's not true: The 9-year-old wearing the giant https://www.thecastprotector.com/ will not have the same balance or coordination as she would with no cast. (If she's 15, then yeah ...)

But don't you think, as the senior ref here, that the 9-year-old is going to be prevented from playing by more referees than not? Isn't the idea to offer the best answer here to the earlier question? At State Cup, the check-ins are at the field by the referees.
 
Surfref said:
What have you people been smoking? A padded arm cast is safer than an arm with no cast and no padding. The elbow and forearm are a lot harder than that padded cast. I have seen many players get injured from being hit by a forearm or elbow, but have never seen a player get injured from being hit by a properly padded cast.

And, a properly made forearm cast only weighs between 1-2 pounds with a sports cast coming in at only a pound.
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I assume you are a referee. Please explain why a kid can't wear a livestrong wristband but a 1/2 arm cast with a fractured or broken arm underneath is okay not just for the player but also for the opposing players. I'm seriously curious.
 
jrcaesar said:
Look, I wish you luck at State Cup, but 9-year-old shouldn't be playing in a cast. Too many variables in play, not the least of which is it's more work for the referee to "sell" the idea to opposing coaches and parents that this is safe. No thanks.
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This is correct. Had a child with a bubble wrapped hard cast playing against us once and he/she was waiving the thing all over the place, hitting our defenders with it. Nobody got hurt but it definitely was an advantage to have a heavy object to hit other people with.
 
It benefits no one to have a the child play with a broken arm. I think we've really lost our perspective on youth sports when we promote having kids play injured. Unfortunately, I think its a result, in part, of this culture where we want to protect our kids from disappointment, so we ignore common sense and allow our child to play injured so he/she will not "miss out" on State Cup.
 
jrcaesar said:
Of course that's not true: The 9-year-old wearing the giant https://www.thecastprotector.com/ will not have the same balance or coordination as she would with no cast. (If she's 15, then yeah ...)

But don't you think, as the senior ref here, that the 9-year-old is going to be prevented from playing by more referees than not? Isn't the idea to offer the best answer here to the earlier question? At State Cup, the check-ins are at the field by the referees.
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This was part of one of our monthly ref training last year. We were told to let the players play. This question came up at one of the National Cup referee briefs last year and we were told to let the players play. I think that 99 percent of referees will allow the player, with a padded cast, to play. If the referee says no, than the manager or coach should address the issue with the Cal South field coordinator and referee coordinator. That player will get to play especially if the cast is properly padded. And, a cast only adds 1-3 pounds to the arm. It is not like the have 10lbs of plaster on their arms. I have allowed many player to play with unpacked cast and have had no problems.
 
By all means, pad up lil Johnny and then place the burden on your Coach or Manager to argue with the ref and the coordinators of the benefit of an injured player playing with a club arm, all the while your teammates and opponent patiently wait for snowflake to be cleared so he doesn't miss out on State Cup. It's important to teach this "me first" entitlement mentality early.
 
What does your coach say?
As a coach, I wouldn't let a kid play if they were in a hard cast. I'd let them practice if the doc cleared them, but I wouldn't put them into a game.
A brace or soft cast, I'd be more apt to let her play. (And I know a cast provides more support than a brace).
 
State cup is over rated. Unless your kid is on a top 5 team that has a real shot to win it all, its just another event with some more games. Think how dumb you will feel in the ER explaining how good you padded her cast and how important those games were.
 
Surfref said:
First of all you should get the doctor to give you a thumbs up on playing. If the doctor says it is okay to play, than you will need to pad the cast. Cal South's rules just say the equipment worn must be safe. Ask the doctor for a sports/waterproof cast. Insurance may not pay for the extra $100-$150 cost, but it is well worth it. The sports cast is lighter weight and can get wet. My DD swam in the ocean with her sports cast and took showers daily with it on. Now, go to Home Depot and get a couple 6 foot sections of black hot water pipe insulating foam. Cut the foam so it extends at least 2 inches past each end of the cast. The foam has self adhesive tape so it will stick to itself. Wrap the cast with black electrical tape. This foam is dense closed cell foam and will provide great protection for the arm and anyone he may hit with it. It will actually be much softer than an unpadded arm and safer to other players. Now pray that you get a referee with common sense. If you the referee will not let the kid play, than have the coach or manager, with kid, go discuss it with the field marshal and referee coordinator. I saw this last one work very well last year at National Cup when the referee refuse to let the player play. The referee coordinator and tournament coordinator said the kid could play.

My DD has used the sports cast and the black foam twice. She was always allowed to play.
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The field marshal and referee coordinator can reason with the referee and try to convince him but they cannot overrule his decision. Second, I have seen casts wrapped in the manner you describe and, from appearances it seemed more unsafe than if it hadn't been thus wrapped. I just told the kid to take off the extra wrapping and come play. The opposing coach said he will file a protest if I allowed the kid to play with the cast. I let the kid play. Except for his chastisement of me as a person without kids' safety at heart, I have yet to hear anything further. I can't help but wonder though, how come before the proliferation of law suits orthopedists hadn't discovered medical contraindications to playing with casts?
 
Woodwork said:
I assume you are a referee. Please explain why a kid can't wear a livestrong wristband but a 1/2 arm cast with a fractured or broken arm underneath is okay not just for the player but also for the opposing players. I'm seriously curious.
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I can answer on his behalf. The LOTG says no livestrong wristband or any other jewelry, (although I sometimes see that as going overboard), but leaves the discretion to the referee to determine the safety of the cast. Those of us who came up playing this sport, either through personal experience or the experiences others through the many generations who have played with casts without issue, do not see the cast as a major safety issue. We do not see the cast as making the arm any harder than it already is. The elbow or the knee is pretty hard.
 
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