Safety Tips - from USA Gymnastics Volume 2, #3, 1997

Sarah Jane Clifford is a USA Gymnastics National Safety Certifier and owner of Gymnastics Training Center of Rochester in Penfield, New York. Clifford is tenacious in making her club and instructors the most up-to-date on all safety issues in the gym. We spoke with Clifford about her gym and why she feels so strongly about safety!

Q: Sarah could you first give us some background on yourself and your business?
A: I started in the sport of gymnastics when I was 12 because when I auditioned for a ballet company, the lady told my mom to give it up and try gymnastics. I had 8 years of dance experience prior to this. I walked in the gym and went from one 30 minute class per week to practicing six days a week. I was addicted. I went to Ithaca College and competed on the gymnastics team. I had a major injury in college that made me realize how important safety was. I landed short on a layout and popped my ankle. After college I moved back to Rochester.

A.B. Frederick was the safety director for the United States Gymnastics Safety Association (USGSA). When he left, I took over this position. Later, when USA Gymnastics started the USA Gymnastics Safety Certification program, I applied to become a national safety certifier and was accepted as one of the first 10. We were called the "disciples."

GTC FACILITIES
I opened my gymnastics business in 1987. The facility had a swimming pool that we filled-in when converting the building to a gymnastics school. Our program grew to 988 students enrolled with 700 on a waiting list. This convinced me it was time to build my own facility. June 1994, we opened a new gym called The Gymnastics Training Center of Rochester (GTC), which is a 22,000 square foot facility. I designed the floor plan based on information in the USA Gymnastics Safety Hand-book. All of our equipment meets safety specifications. When we built the gym we foamed the entire facility and put carpet on top with the equipment inset between the foam and carpet. Everything was permanently installed. We placed foam around all the bases of all the equipment to make it as safe as possible. We have two floor areas recessed in the floor so they are level surface with the foam and carpet. The trampolines and tumble-tracks are also recessed in the ground so that the bed is at floor level.

Since our gym was built after the 1994 American Disability Act, it is totally handicapped accessible. This includes the ramps on the walkways from the parking lot to the sidewalk. The parking lot is laid out with arrows to help traffic flow easily. The parking lot is brightly lit. Our vending machines contain only healthy foods. We have a juice machine, snack machine, and cold food machine which includes milk, salad, fruit, soup, pasta and yogurt. Students coming from school can get a healthy snack before they participate. While waiting for their class, we provide cable TV, VCR with many videos for young children, books, puzzles, lego table, playpen with foam toys, microwave, and so forth.

The gym is alarmed for motion and audible sounds at night and includes a complete fire system - heat sensors and smoke detectors. The lighting system in the gym was designed with help from Kodak. For the safety of the gymnasts, they suggested a true bright white light that permits taking photos without the need of a flash. There's also an intercom system in the gym which can be used to call any other station in the gym or 911. No outside calls can be made through this system. We also have a portable phone which can be taken over to the athlete in case of injury to call the parents and ambulance without the necessity to leave (or move) the child. Mirrors are included throughout the gym so that the instructors can always see their entire class. Safety signs are posted at each equipment station to remind the coaches and athletes about particular safety needs and requirements for that apparatus. The class rotation order of the day is placed around the gym to assure traffic flows in only one direction. To facilitate orderly group changes, we march each group from one station to the next with their instructor.

EVEN OUR RESTROOMS ARE SAFE
In our men's room we have a small urinal with tinkle targets so the boys can practice aiming to the middle of the urinal. We have diaper decks with seatbelts in both the men's and women's restrooms. In the women's room we have toilet seat liners for sanitary purposes. In our handicapped stall we have a chair for nursing mother's privacy. In the parents lounge we have a large waiting room with tables so they can sit and work.

GTC ENROLLMENT AND PROGRAMS
Currently we have more than 2,000 students with competitive teams for men, women and Special Olympic athletes. We also offer cheerleading and nursery school with a separate ballet studio (the same size as a floor exercise mat) so the gymnasts can practice dance for their floor exercise routines. We have a separate preschool area which uses modified gymnastics equipment.

Q: I understand that you have one of the most safety-conscious gymnastics clubs in the U.S. Can you tell me a little about the success of your program?
A: We maintain a low student-teacher ratio (pre-school is 6:1, mass program is 8:1, and team is 7:l). The students receive a lot of personal attention.

STAFF REQUIREMENTS AND TRAINING
Our entire staff is required to have CPR, First Aid, Safety Certification, Skill Evaluator Certification and PDP Level I. All of the preschool instructors take the KAT course in addition to the other courses. When we hire a new employee they are required to have a general physical examination including shots for DTB, measles, mumps, rubella, and tetanus. We also do a police check on each employee. All of this is paid for at GTC expense. As a staff member completes each certification requirement, they are eligible for a 25 cents per hour raise, per exam passed.

ACCIDENT REPORTS AND FOLLOW-UP

To follow through with the safety policies, anytime an accident occurs the supervising staff member must complete an accident report form before leaving the facility - this includes any accident where ice has been applied. Each accident report is then followed-up by our assistant director who calls and checks on the student's progress. We have become involved with several orthopedics in our area who will accept a patient within 24 hours for a diagnosis. Depending on the severity of the injury, all students must obtain a written doctor's "statement of release" before they can resume participation in our programs.

It is standard for our staff to somewhat "over-react" to an injury-for example, we always splint the joint involved before releasing a student from our facility. We've also had the local ambulance service visit our gym to work with our staff and rehearse pit rescues. Should there be a head or neck injury, it is definitely standard operating procedure to call the ambulance and the professionals in order to evaluate the situation and transfer the athlete to the hospital. We believe that the parents appreciate over- versus under-reaction.

OTHER PRACTICES
Our gym serves as a "safe haven" in New York. Safe havens are appointed by the attorney general. In other words, anyone who has a problem can come into our facility and use the phone to get help. We also have a service provided by the town where kids can come to our facility via their school bus. Several of the local schools participate in this service.

We make every effort to ensure that our kids are safe from the moment they walk into our facility until they leave. The coach responsible for the warm-up at the beginning of class also does door duty at the end of class. Door duty involves standing by the exit door to make sure no student leaves without a parent. If someone other than the parent comes to pick-up a child, they must report a "code-word" to our receptionist before gaining release of the student-parents in our club provide a pre-established code-word on their child's registration form. Our receptionist is stationed near the front door so that no one can enter or exit the facility without being seen.

We practice fire safety and have members from the local fire department visit to work with the staff and students on proper exit techniques and how to "stop, drop and roll." We also have a "no show" policy. If a child does not show-up for two weeks of classes, our secretary calls the child's home to determine why he/she has not been in class. We permit one make-up class per month to encourage parents not to bring their sick children to class. We also provide an additional make-up class in the winter season. If parents feel uneasy driving, hopefully, they'll stay home because they know they can make the class up.

Q: Why do you think safety is so important?
A: If I can help prevent one accident then all of this is worth it.

Q: Can you give us an idea of your injury rate?
A: I would estimate that only about 1 in 2,000 students gets injured each month (less than 1/2 percent). An example on an injury may be a sprained ankle or arm. We would guess that this percentage rate is much lower than other gyms.

Q: What are some of the unique aspects of your program centered around safety?
A: T-shirts and shorts are not permitted for female athletes. Wearing jewelry is not permitted in the gym and no shoes are allowed on the carpeted areas. We vacuum the rugs and mop all mats with germicide daily. Latex gloves are kept near the equipment and in the first aid kit in case of any open wound. We use Precise (a germicide) anytime blood gets on any of the equipment in order to prevent spreading contagious diseases.

Our classes are designed to be age appropriate. The gymnasts are progressed slowly, but steadily, through the program with heavy emphasis on the basics. For the more experienced or talented gymnasts, however, we also have a fast-track program. On trampoline, there are 101 skills that must be performed before somersaulting skills are permitted. For safety considerations, we do not allow open gym.

Special safety equipment includes in-ground pits, overhead spotting rigs, a BAB system and all state-of-the-art equipment. We have bleachers which seat 300, 50 during parent observation the parents have a comfortable place to sit and watch. We encourage spotting - believing it is better to spot than not. Our coaches practice spotting techniques during our weekly staff meetings.

Q: Are there concerns that have surfaced since the printing of the last USA Gymnastics Safety Hand-book (1994)?
A: New areas include the Athlete Wellness Program, the Kinder Accreditation for Teachers (KAT) program and the continued prevalence of law suits. I truly believe odds of being sued are higher than ever before. I would guess that half of the club owners in the country have a lawsuit pending.

We educate our team parents on nutrition. We have a sport psychologist work with our athletes and we have a relationship with the local eating disorder clinic. We believe referring people early can prevent future problems. We are not afraid to tell the parents when we feel there is a problem developing. We believe education is a large factor in maintaining such a low percentage of kids with problems.

Q: What are some recom-mendations you could offer to other club owners, coaches and judges surrounding safety issues in the gym?
A: Don't be afraid to react when you feel that you're seeing something that is inappropriate. For example, when I judge a high school meet, I check the equipment. If I find something wrong, I'll inform the meet director and ask that it's fixed before permitting the gymnasts to compete.

As another example, we had a 4-year-old student fall on her arm. We wanted to apply a splint. The parent (a physician) objected. We stuck by our procedure and insisted the child wear the splint before leaving our facility - it was later determined that both bones in her forearm were broken.

Another recommendation for coaches. When you travel to meets or other gymnastics events, be sure to bring medical forms for each gymnast including information such as allergies, doctors name and number, insurance name and number, and (if the parents are not coming with you) where they can be reached. It is a good idea to also bring a medical release form for treatment so a coach can take a child to get treatment if a parent is not attending the competition.

I would recommend that gyms practice pit rescues with their local rescue resources and incorporate timed fire safety drills in their programs on a regular basis.

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