Parents Protocol for injury during a meet

[gopuckgo]

Is there a standard protocol for an injury that occurs during a meet or is it up to the individual coaches? I was at a meet a few weeks ago with my child when a girl from another team crashed hard on beam. She was rolling around under the beam screaming and holding her ankle. Her coaches layed her back in the spot she fell and tended to her under the beam. Poor thing continued to moan and wail for about a half hour. They applied ice to her ankle and another man (team affiliated I think) carried her to the end of the beam (far enough away for the next girl to compete), where she sat moaning and crying some more. The meet completely stopped for about 30 minutes. I just couldn't believe that they didn't get her out of there to an urgent care or ER. I thought maybe were waiting on an ambulance, but one never came. Meanwhile the man just kept carrying her around to a different part of the gym. Not to mention the children were all watching this happen and it wouldn't end. I haven't coached in a few years so maybe protocols are different now then a few years ago. The girl finally left with some adults who carried her out. I am still perplexed by the situation so I thought I would ask. Has anyone else seen this, is it that common?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

My dds first season competing, but here's what I have seen so far.
One meet a girl fell and hurt her ankle on beam. Meet did not stop, she was attended to by someone from the hosting team and after about 15 min of him checking her and applying ice, she left with someone from her team and a nice pack.
At a meet we were hosting, one girl fell off bars and hurt her neck. Meet did not stop. she laid down in the general bars area (but with plenty of room for others to warm up/compete) checked out by one of our adults and attended by her coach... and after about an hour or so she left the competition with her parents.

 

[gymgal]

It really depends on the nature of the injury and whether the gymnast can be moved safely. They may not have known whether that gymnast you mentioned sustained a concussion, had a spinal injury, was dizzy, had heart palpitations, etc and so they were being overly cautious.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Is there a standard protocol for an injury that occurs during a meet or is it up to the individual coaches? I was at a meet a few weeks ago with my child when a girl from another team crashed hard on beam. She was rolling around under the beam screaming and holding her ankle. Her coaches layed her back in the spot she fell and tended to her under the beam. Poor thing continued to moan and wail for about a half hour. They applied ice to her ankle and another man (team affiliated I think) carried her to the end of the beam (far enough away for the next girl to compete), where she sat moaning and crying some more. The meet completely stopped for about 30 minutes. I just couldn't believe that they didn't get her out of there to an urgent care or ER. I thought maybe were waiting on an ambulance, but one never came. Meanwhile the man just kept carrying her around to a different part of the gym. Not to mention the children were all watching this happen and it wouldn't end. I haven't coached in a few years so maybe protocols are different now then a few years ago. The girl finally left with some adults who carried her out. I am still perplexed by the situation so I thought I would ask. Has anyone else seen this, is it that common?

==
No reason to bring in an ambulance when the parents can take her to the ER. Obviously if it was a clean leg break with displacement then they would have carted her off, but, no... sounds normal. Just a bummer.

 

[sleeping judy]

A girl badly broke her arm a couple weeks ago at the state meet and was clearly in shock. They laid her down under the bars, pulled up a mat to cover her as much as possible and tended to her while the meet went on around them. It took an agonizingly long time before the paramedics arrived and I was shocked that at a meet as big as that that they didn't have medics onsite. I saw it happen and was nauseous. Her father yelled really loudly and it was quite a scene. I just felt badly for all involved. One of dd's teammates was on floor when the paramedics came in to transport her out and it was really distracting and I thought she was going to lose focus and fall. There was one of those photographers at the meet and all of dd's teammate's photos had the paramedic entourage in the background.
The whole thing was really upsetting and I am having a hard time getting it out of my head

 

[Seeker]

I've seen a horrible arm break at a meet too (bone sticking out) and I still can't get it out of my mind. It was nearly a year ago. They put mats up around her and the paramedics did come relatively quickly, but it was still bad. She was yelling and crying in pain and I felt so horrible for her. Scared everyone.

I can't believe that the folks at the meet the OP was talking about let the girl just roll around and cry and moan. Not only is that distracting and potentially dangerous to other gymnasts, but if she is crying and carrying on, maybe she needs medical attention? Just a thought.