The University Interscholastic League
(UIL) Legislative Council followed its Medical Advisory Committee’s recom- mendations and voted to require cheer- leaders to comply with state law on prevention, treatment, and oversight of concussions. Cheerleading coaches and sponsors must now be trained on safety guidelines to minimize the risk. TMA urged UIL to improve cheerlead- ing safety back in January.
“Epidemiologic data suggest concus- sions and other serious injuries are a risk in physical activities such as cheer- leading, as well as in traditional contact sports. National data on injuries associ- ated with cheerleading, and some recent projections on the risk and incidence of cheerleading injuries, are alarming,” the association told UIL officials in a let- ter from Jason Terk, MD, then-chair of the TMA Council on Science and Public Health, and Gilbert Handal, MD, then- chair of the TMA Committee on Child and Adolescent Health. “Including cheerleading within the scope of the UIL can be a bold move to ensure we have a state system focused on injury prevention under consistent, evidence-based safety guidelines,” they wrote.
In 2012, the TMA House of Delegates
referred the cheerleading issue to the Council on Science and Public Health for further study after the Harris County delegation raised concerns in a resolu- tion. Then during its meeting at TexMed 2013, the house adopted policy that the association advocate stronger UIL over- sight of cheerleading programs; work with other groups to increase injury surveillance; promote educational pro- grams for students, coaches, and physi- cians; and encourage physicians to get involved in the local development of policies and strategies focusing on injury prevention through school health advi- sory councils. n
LAW F IRM PC
Crystal Zuzek is an associate editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1385, or (512) 370-1385; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at
crystal.zuzek@texmed.org.
46 TEXAS MEDICINE August 2013
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