WARNING: 

Scary Concussion Statistics for Girls Hockey…
 
All Concerned Parents and Coaches:
 
Recent studies have shown that…

Girls’ hockey players are 2 times more likely to suffer a concussion than male hockey players and almost 3 times more likely than football players.

Scary stuff for a game that doesn’t allow
full body checking isn’t it?
 

 Anyone who has ever watched a girls hockey game knows that no body-checking doesn’t mean no body contact. 

 

The female game is very physical and yet we are not preparing our girls adequately to be able to handle the high level of contact.

 

The high incidence of head injuries in girls hockey is alarming.

 
What are we going to do about it?
 
 
 Concussion Prevention is all about:   
Preparation and Protection
 
 
 
It is our responsibility as coaches and parents to ensure that our girls are prepared and protected each and every time they step out on the ice.

We aren’t going to stop the concussion epidemic by just getting girls to wear mouthguards, teaching them how to play “heads up” hockey or teaching them how to be stronger and more stable on their skates.

 
 
We need to address it ALL.
 
 
Coaches and parents need to know:

=>  How to teach their players how to take a hit and protect themselves
=>  How to prepare players for the physicality of the female game 

 

 
 
 Coach Kim McCullough, Director of Total Female Hockey, is proud to present the…
 
 
 
Girls’ Hockey Concussion Prevention Clinic
 
 
Arm yourself with the information you need to protect your players from becoming another concussion statistic.

 

 
Who is Kim McCullough?
 
Kim McCullough is a former elite women’s hockey player (NCAA, CWHL) who has trained and consulted with over 1500 female hockey players and 300 coaches, from novice to national teams, on and off the ice over the past 10 years.  With Total Female Hockey, Kim helps aspiring female hockey players get to the next level of performance by providing them with the training and educational opportunities that will allow them to reach their goals on and off the ice. 

 
What’s the Concussion Clinic all about? 
 
 
 In this one-hour clinic, Kim will share important information about concussions and show you how you can create a safer environment for your players and help them avoid these potentially devastating injuries.
 

The clinic will include:

=> The who, what, where, when, why and how of concussions in female hockey


=> Prevention strategies to use on and off the ice to help players protect themselves 
 

 

 
 
 To register for the clinic:
 
Email Kim directly at
with the subject line, “Concussion Clinic” 
 
Note:  Please include your name and team in the body of the email,
along with a proposed date for the clinic.  
 
 
 
 
BUT WAIT…
 
 
Why are there so many concussions in girls’ hockey?

 
It’s Coach Kim here.
 
I have to admit…I had no idea that concussions were such a big problem in girls’ hockey until this year.

Recent research shows that girls hockey players are sustaining one concussion for every 1000 "exposures" to the game.  That means on a team of 20 players, there is going be one concussion for every 50 exposures (practice or game).  So over the course of a season, that comes out to an average of 2 concussions per team!
 
While it’s true that these scary stats came from a single study and don’t necessarily represent a trend across the entire female hockey world… 

The concussion stories I hear from parents, coaches and players indicate that these numbers are “bang-on”. 

I’ve heard heart-wrenching stories from parents who have had to help their 13 year-olds cope with the lingering effects of a head injury for over 6 months.  I’ve heard from 16 year-olds who have had to quit hockey after suffering from multiple concussions.

These stats and stories tell me one thing…
 
This is a problem that needs a solution NOW.

 

We can debate the statistics and the causes until we are blue in the face…


But I am not willing to wait for more girls to sustain serious head injuries to support (or refute) the numbers before I start taking action.  Instead of debating whether or not head injuries are a problem in women’s hockey or discussing whether the rules need to be changed…
 

We all need to be part of the concussion solution.
 
 
We know that girls are getting hit out on the ice.

What are we doing to PREVENT them from getting injured?


I suffered from 3 diagnosed concussions during my 15 year hockey career and I still suffer from the lingering effects of the injury today. 

But there were countless other incidences where I got “dinged”, or took a “head shot”, and kept playing because I didn’t know that I may have had a concussion.

I didn’t want to look like a “baby” by sitting out.  Like many other driven female hockey players, I played through all kinds of pain because I thought it was all just a part of the game.  Now I realize how stupid that was, but I thought nothing of it at the time.

The scary thing about concussions is it’s a hidden injury.
 
 
Especially in female athletes, because it’s
seen as a "football" or "male" injury.


Unlike other injuries, you can’t just say, “Look at my broken leg."

Now that I know what the signs and symptoms of concussion are, I realize that I probably had at least 5 more concussions that I played through and went diagnosed.

And the reality is that most concussions are either never diagnosed or inappropriately treated.  The research now shows that undiagnosed and untreated concussions are far more damaging to the brain than we realized.

 

There is an urgent need to arm coaches and parents with the information they need to allow their girls to play hockey safely.


BE A PART OF THE CONCUSSION SOLUTION.
 
Sign-up for your Concussion Clinic Today.
 
Email Kim directly at
kim@totalfemalehockey.com
with the subject line, “Concussion Clinic”
 to set up a clinic for your team or association.