Hi. I have a quick question before our first youth rec league game tomorrow. I have a 4th grade girls team. One of my players is a diabetic and wears a medical alert bracelet 24/7. She is prone to problems upon activity, like basketball. I want to make sure I know about any rules differentiating "jewelry" from medical alerts. This alert bracelet is tight fitting by use of a velcro strap. I can tape the bracelet part and leave the emblem visible that declares diabetic. The only reference I could find was :

Players shall not wear jewelry with the exception of religious or medical medals. A religious medal must be taped and worn under the uniform. A medical alert must be taped and may be visible.

Does this cover my player and can I reference it if an official at the game (who will likely be young or inexperienced) questions her medical alert?

thanks everyone. I just want to do what's right.

Coach GBert

Yes, she can wear the medical alert.

You might be smart to get a letter from your league stating she's cleared to play with the medical alert. You never know when you'll run into the "I said she can't play coach and I aint reading that rule book you have" type of person.

Coach -- yes, yes, and yes. The best way to keep things clean would probably talk to the tournament director ahead of time, showing him the rule book, and saying that this is the proper way to tape. Get td to approve it ahead of time, like this, and then when you have your inexperienced official, be sure to approach him or her early and talk about it calmly, stating that td has already approved it. It's extra work for you, but it will prevent a lot of problems.

And you get stars in your crown for being a coach who likes to follow the rules, and sees the value in pursuing that goal. I wish we could clone you around here!

Doggone it, Dan, you type faster than I do!!

ART. 6 . . . Jewelry shall not be worn. Religious and medical-alert medals are not considered jewelry. A religious medal must be taped and worn under the uniform. A medical-alert medal must be taped and may be visible.

Who? Me??!!

Hey, c'mon, whatchya gotta be bustin' balls for? I'll tell ya some people never give it a rest...

(Hm... maybe copy/paste doesn't work real well here?)

It's sorta like My Fair Lady in reverse...

Repeat after me:

Da rain in Spain is gonna ruin da freakin' picnic.

Tournament directors don't have the authority to approve anything related to safety, Juulie. If the R makes a wrong safety decision, then the only body usually able to over-ride that decision is the state governing body. The only letter that is usually acceptable also is one that is generated through the state governing body- not through a doctor or a tournament director.

Coach, you're better off trying to talk to the officials ahead of time if you can, or maybe someone from the association that is supplying the officials- just to make sure that they understand the rule.

Let's see...

Oh, deah, no. I'll just go back to my cultuh ghetto and read deah Jane Austen until the tea pahrty. Watuhcress sandwiches, anyone?

Tournament directors don't have the authority to approve anything related to safety, Juulie. If the R makes a wrong safety decision, then the only body usually able to over-ride that decision is the state governing body. The only letter that is usually acceptable also is one that is generated through the state governing body- not through a doctor or a tournament director.

Coach, you're better off trying to talk to the officials ahead of time if you can, or maybe someone from the association that is supplying the officials- just to make sure that they understand the rule.

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Yeah, this makes sense. Petition the state to let this kid play in a 4th grade tournament. :rolleyes:

Might be smart to talk to whoever is assigning the thing though.

JR -- you could be right (wouldn't that be interesting?!). Around here tournaments that 4th grade teams play in don't fall under the state governing body. They're just local leagues, or at their most organized, a rec league with a parks department. I was suggesting on that basis.

Coach, you should contact the highest governing body that has authority over your tournament. A written letter will be the most useful thing to show the ref, if the person with the authority won't be on-site.

I'll just go back to Jane Austen, until the tea party.

Don't those fourth game tournaments fall under your insurance coverage though? Doesn't your association worry about insurance and liability problems in all games, Juulie? Please note that I'm not trying to be smart or anything like that either. We go over situations like this with our officials every pre-season so that they know what to do when they run into them re: the legal aspects and how it relates to our insurance coverage. It doesn't matter whether it's a 4th. grade game or a high school varsity game either. You're usually under the same liability when it comes to safety matters.

All I'm saying is I'm not gonna accept anything from a tournament director, coach, AD, whoever- when it comes to safety matters- without seeing something that is gonna cover my a$$. Of course, having said that, I hope that the officials on this game are smart enough to read the rule book before making their final decision. The rule on medic alert bracelets is pretty clear- tape the bracelet part but the medal with the medical info on it is OK.

JR, you're making too much of this.

Under the rules the kid can wear the medical alert. Period. So there's no liability issue. All we're discussing is how to guarantee that some pinhead doesn't bench the kid because he's a pinhead.

IMO it would be perfectly acceptable and even prudent to get a letter from the director stating that under the rules the tournamnet is being played under the kid can play. And as you say it would be a good idea for someone to contact the assignor so he can remind his officials of the rule beforehand.

Dan, I know what you're saying. I certainly agree that the officials should know the damn rule- it's straightforward as hell. There should never be a dispute.

I just wanted to make a general statement that, if there <b>is</b> a dispute concerning any safety/medical problem, then I ain't gonna let any tournament director make the final decision. Nuh-huh. It's my butt on the line.

Iow, I don't agree with your #1. I sureashell do agree with your #2.

Just my studly opinion.