New Ways to Keep your Baseball Game Sharp with Gopher State At Home Baseball
This pandemic has presented challenges for youth baseball players across the state of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Let MYAS/Gopher State help!
We have two new At Home Baseball features, along with our drills and live events on Facebook, that we are excited to share with you to keep you swinging until we can get back on the baseball field.
MYAS/Gopher State Free Facebook Live Baseball Skills Development
Join us this Friday, April 17, at 11:00am for another installment of At Home Baseball Live with Gopher State Baseball. This week we are thrilled to have Coach Bryan Ludwig join us. He is an MYAS/Gopher State Alum, a college standout at Augsburg University and is currently a coach and instructor that specializes in Catching, Hitting, Strength and Mobility.
The At Home Baseball + Series, presented by the MYAS/Gopher State Player Development, is your chance to receive some individual expert training at home, while we wait and hope for team baseball to return. These 45-minute baseball player development virtual training opportunities will be available through Zoom Video Conferencing (info below) and may be viewed on your laptop, iPad, tablet, or mobile phone. You have the option to sign up for the training that fits your needs, or register for four or more training sessions and receive a discount.
Read pitches faster with this baseball visual reaction training app! It feels like we are all stuck on the bench right now. At gameSense, we want to get your athletes out of the dugout and back in the game. Our pitch recognition technology for softball and baseball players helps them stay prepared while adding an exciting new level to their training. Because of our affiliation with MYAS, your team can take advantage of our "Safe at Home" special for FREE the entire month of April - and after that you will enjoy an exclusive discount.
To make sure you are ready for the baseball season while you are stuck at home, we are providing many free resources through our Gopher State Baseball Facebook page. These resources include drills from professional instructors as part of our At Home Baseball Series as well as Facebook Live FREE Training every Friday - and much more!
Q & A with Aaron Wagner - Jimmy John's Catering and Community Manager
Why do you sponsor MYAS? Being that the family “on the go” is so important to our business, there is no more “on the go” family than a sports family.
We wanted to be a part of the MYAS community because it impacts so many different stores and franchisees in our market. The reputation and integrity of MYAS is unmatched and we are proud to work with this organization.
What message would you like to get out to the MYAS audience about how your company is operating during this COVID-19 pandemic?
Jimmy John’s is currently open for catering, delivery, pick up, and drive thru (select locations). During this time we have also temporarily expanded the majority of our delivery areas to reach more customers. We are focused on the safety of our customers and team members and have added a leave at the door policy with deliveries. We appreciate our MYAS customers and can’t wait for sports to begin again.
‘Knee’ Deep in Pain? Let us help!
As the largest joint in the body, the knee is essential for competing in nearly every sport. As a result, it is also the most common site for injury in young athletes. Overall, knee injuries make up about 55% of all sports injuries. There are two main types of injuries that occur at the knee: 1) acute/traumatic and 2) overuse.
Overuse injuries are caused by a repeated action or continuous stress on the knee joint. Common overuse injuries at the knee include:
Bursitis — inflammation of the bursa around the patella
Patellar Tendinitis (jumper's knee) — inflammation of the patellar tendon, the tendon that connects the patella to the quadriceps muscle
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (runner's knee) — muscle weakness, minor wear and tear to the cartilage under the kneecap, or misalignment of the patella that may cause an abnormality in the movement of the patella over the femur
Osgood-Schlatter disease — inflammation of the patellar tendon where it attaches to the tibia that occurs in growing adolescents (most common in boys ages 13-14 and girls 11-12)
This article will focus on one of these main types of overuse injuries, patellofemoral pain syndrome.
What is it?
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) which is often preventable in youth athletes, is one of the most common knee conditions encountered in sports medicine. It is a general term for knee pain that occurs around the kneecap (the patella.) The pain is a result of soft tissue inflammation or swelling under or around the patella. It usually comes on gradually and progresses slowly. Running, jumping, walking up or down stairs and sitting for long periods of time often make symptoms worse. Sufferers are often unable to perform sporting and work-related activities without pain.
What causes it?
The causes of PFPS are wide-ranging and can include the kneecap moving out of alignment or repetitive stress on the knee joint. Risk factors for developing PFPS include weak muscles in places like the core (abdominals), gluteal (buttock), hamstring (back of the thigh) or quadriceps (front of the thigh) muscles. Tight muscles such as the quadriceps, hamstrings or gastrocnemius (calf) muscles can cause symptoms and so can abnormal foot positioning (flat feet or high arched feet). This condition usually does not require surgery.
What are treatment options?
Often, this condition is best treated by seeing a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or certified athletic trainer. Depending on the severity, the treatment may include:
Rest and/or ice to reduce swelling and pain
Special kneecap taping to improve the alignment of the patella and reduce pain
Muscle strengthening of the core, hip, hamstring and quadriceps to improve the alignment of the kneecap
Education about proper footwear and training techniques to prevent re-injury
Sport specific instruction to assist with proper mechanics for jumping, cutting, pivoting
A home exercise program to continue stretching and strengthening
If you or someone you know has persistent knee pain that isn’t improving with rest, is worsening, or for more information about physical therapy and athletic training services, please call the Institute for Athletic Medicine (IAM) at 612-672-7100 to set up a virtual video visit with one of our experts. Visit us online at athleticmedicine.org.
The MYAS's association services division has the mission of improving the delivery of youth sports services. We are accomplishing this by documenting great practices/procedures and sharing the information with our members. We are also focused on making sure we are helping our members the best we can. If you need assistance or have questions or concerns, please reach out at associationservices@myas.org or contact our association services director, Daniel Harrison, at 763-746-1719.
Podcast Library
Title: Preventing ACL Injuries
Release Date: March 31, 2020
Guests: Daniel Harrison & Bri Bren, DPT, SCS, Institute for Athletic Medicine
Title: Parent Meetings
Release Date: March 24, 2020
Guests: Daniel Harrison & Mark Arjes, Youth 1st Initiative
