Coaches. A missing link in the health care system
B. R. Brown Jr and S. A. Butterfield
Department of Pediatrics, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor.
The number of children and adolescents who participate in interscholastic
athletics demands attention to the quality of the coaching they receive and
to the opportunities that the athlete-coach relationship provides for
modification of high-risk behaviors, social skills training, and character
formation. Although the need for coaches has increased due to the advent of
girls' athletic programs, which was mandated by Title IX legislation, only
a minority of states require certification for coaches who work in school
systems. Four coaching curricula are summarized and contrasted: the
American Coaching Effectiveness Program, the curriculum of the National
Youth Sports Coaches Association, the Athletic Health Care System, and the
Coach Effectiveness Training Program. Recommendations for coach
certification by states, physician advocacy for coaching standards, and
improved sports medicine services are discussed.
