Skip to main content

Are we pushing young athletes too hard? (77 Square)

When Lori Molitor’s 9-year-old daughter, Madison, participates in gymnastics, she wears a heel cushion. After her training session she ices. And before she goes to bed she stretches. All of this is done in hopes of keeping her injury-free as she continues her progression as a budding gymnast.

The Verona mother’s cautious approach with her daughter was borne partially from observing her eldest daughter deal with injuries while competing in sports, but many parents remain in the dark about the dangers of overtraining.

Quoted: Shari Clark, a physical and athletic trainer with UW Health Sports Medicine and a lecturer in the UW-Madison kinesiology department.