Youth sports don’t feature the same dangerous combination of size, speed, power and aggression that defines professional sports, but injuries still remain a natural part of the game.

Even though minor injuries are often unavoidable, at Liberty Mutual Insurance Play Positive™ we believe it is a smart policy to take measures to help prevent serious and costly injuries and to limit, identify and treat injuries when they do happen.

We sat down with U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team standout Taylor Lipsett to get his thoughts on how youth athletes, coaches and Positive Sport Parents can help prevent, treat and overcome injuries. 

Taylor helped lead the U.S. to a Gold Medal at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia this past winter. He lives, trains and competes with osteogenesis imperfect, a genetic bone disorder sometimes known as “brittle bone disease.”

In our exclusive TAKE 5 interview, Taylor told us that he has a pretty solid and serious regimen to help ensure he can compete at a high level in the tough sport of hockey while also living with osteogenesis imperfect, which leads to “loose joints.”

“I do a lot of pre-hab work, especially on my shoulders, to strengthen and tighten up the rotator cuffs and other small muscles holding my shoulder into place,” said Taylor. “This helps prevent a more serious injury that could sideline me for a month or two during the season.”

Like most high-level athletes, Taylor has had to deal with injury and the setback that comes along with it. He told us that the U.S. Sled Hockey Team “family” was key in maintaining a positive attitude on the road to recovery.

“The U.S. Sled Hockey team is more like a family, as opposed to just a team,” said Taylor. “This made a huge difference in staying connected with the team when I wasn’t training or traveling with them due to injury. Guys would constantly check in on me to see how rehab was going, to see how much stronger I was getting on a daily basis, telling me to hurry back because the team needed me. This in turn made me work even harder on a daily basis to be back with them.”

As tough as it is for any athlete to deal with and come back from injuries, Taylor believes that such experiences can teach youth athletes many valuable lessons about not just sports, but life in general.

“Overcoming an injury can have a huge impact on an athlete!” said Taylor. “The choice is the athlete’s as to whether or not the impact is positive or negative. If handled appropriately, it can teach a young athlete about hard work, determination and resiliency. It can also teach mental toughness, as the rehab process can be extremely mentally and physically demanding. But in the end, the whole process can help you become a better and stronger athlete than before!"

Taylor also believes firmly that coaches and Positive Sport Parents can make an impact when it comes to preventing, treating and overcoming injuries in youth hockey. Part of that impact is encouraging youth athletes to put in the work needed off the ice.

“I think the most important things are the little things,” said Taylor. “Make sure you take the time to work on the “pre-hab” exercises to build up the smaller stabilization muscles of your joints. It’s boring, but making sure these small muscle groups are strong and ready to take on bigger training loads will save you months of rehab down the road.”

To read the full TAKE 5 interview with Taylor, visit PlayPositive.com. And come back next month for another exclusive TAKE 5 interview!

At Liberty Mutual Insurance, we constantly look for ways to celebrate the countless acts of positivity shown by people every day. We created Play Positive, powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, as part of this belief to help ensure that our kids experience the best that sports have to offer in environments that promote and display positivity. We believe kids can learn valuable life lessons when coaches and parents come together to support winning on and off the ice.  

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