I just took my daughter Sam to a 2-day softball camp at the University of Tennessee. She had sessions all day, rotating through different skill clinics. This was kind of an exhibition for college coaches looking at high school players. There were 2 college coaches overseeing Sam's group. I had to pull one aside & tell her that Sam has diabetes, so she might need to take some small breaks & I had to ask her to carry Sam's Gatorade. I was lucky, because this coach said, "Oh, ok, we have a girl with diabetes on our team. Do you have any glucose tabs?" So I felt very relieved!! We've only been living with diabetes for one year, so maybe I'm still a little over-protective, but if I'm not going to be around, I want someone else to know about Sam's diabetes & her needs. My question is, especially now that we're moving into possible college recruiting: how do I word it to a coach--who's working with Sam & maybe considering offering her a scholarship--that she has diabetes & it's a serious matter, but she can handle it with a few simple accommodations? I don't want to scare anyone away & I got lucky in Tennessee -- I know this is going to keep coming up. (And right now, Sam's going through a phase of not wanting to act like she has diabetes, so she would never tell the coach or even stop to test her blood sugar if I didn't step in).
I coach in the area of Track and Field. Most events need athletes running and competing lean BUT healthy and nourished.
I’ve kept a practice of knowing how my diabetic athletes were doing by checking their log book and asking what their sugar levels were before practice.
I even purchaced a glucose kit that is at every practice and event.
Healthy carbs are always a neccesity for any athlete and should be available for practice and competition.
I had an experience where there was no updated medical information on student athletes!
Lucky for the collasped athlete that I had 3 family members with type 1 as I quickly worked to bring him up from his low.
I’ve had athletes with many health issues and yes they all excelled!
Let the Coach know everything!
If an athlete is asked to take on a 2-3 mile distance run, he/she will be assued that there is assistance and support would be there with the athlete.
My daughter had type 1 and competed with her college team. She always communicated with her coach when it came to Diabetes.
Hope this helps
I'll go out on a bit of a limb and say that most coaches in the position to offer a university scholarship will already have experience with diabetic athletes. As Last Chance attests to, most university coaches have probably had to deal with all kinds of health issues. I remember, vividly, the moment I told my athletic director that I had diabetes after we had sat down and gone through the particulars of the sholarship he was offering. It was right before I signed my letter of intent and I remeber feeling a ton of pressure to be 100% honest about my health condition . He literally chuckled when he told me that he's had to deal with a lot worse. That was a huge relief.
Ultimately, if your daughter has already demonstrated the dedication and skill to earn an athletic scholarship then that's all coaches are going to be concerned about. I think, ultimately, even though you are trying to be a good parent, how and when to tell coaches about diabetes is going to be up to your daughter and, at some point, I would leave it up to her.
Ok first off how old is your daughter? 17 or 18? I get that she doesn't want to tell coaches because people start to mother you and if anything goes wrong or your trip they think you are having a low. I get where your daughter is coming from and all teenagers want to be "normal" funny thing is there is probably a lot of girls on the team with other medical issues too and they are all not saying anything.
What I always did as an athlete and type 1 diabetic is I would go to 1 or 2 practices before telling my coach - just so they saw me as an athelete first - a player with talent first. Then I told them I was diabetic and said if I needed some sugar or juice just to give it to me. I told them if I start acting like I'm drunk that means I'm low and need sugar. Coaches are used to dealing with medical stuff because that's part of sport.
I always tested before and after a game and made sure I was ok so that it never was a big deal. But I grew up as a diabetic child so it is just part of who I am and part of my life.
I would suggest that this should fall on your daughters shoulders. When she is away at college you should not call her teachers or coaches. That's a huge no no. She needs to become an adult and start handling her diabetes on her own. You have taught her well - this is your chance to step back and see if she can do it alone.
She also should have Hammer or GU products. They are carb based drinks and gels that will maintain her sugars through the game. Gatoraide should only be used as an emergency drink - it has WAY too much sugar.
She should take a GU gel before the game and then one every 45 min. Then after the game make sure to eat.
I used to do marathons and triathlons - trust me gatoraide is a nightmare and so is poweraide. Hammer and GU are sport drinks suitable for diabetics. But do your own research and find what works best for her. But you need to let her deal with her coaches.
Thanks. And good news about your AD! You're right; they've most likely dealt with some serious issues. And Sam should be the one to talk to the coach or AD -- she's just 15 now & a sophomore in hs & at this point, she doesn't want to tell anyone she has diabetes. That's another thing we're working on & we may be ok by junior/senior year, so I can let her take over.
I have never been in this situation samsmom , ...it may be redundant , however llike to suggest , that Sam wears a medical alert 24/7 noting her diabetes ...and what a reason to be proud of daughter SAM !!!!
Happy 2012 !
Would she be willing to go to a diabetes camp where everyone has diabetes so she gets fluent in discussing it?
Just my opinion as someone living with type 1 - it should really be your daughter's choice as to whether other people know about her condition. She needs to fully understand the consequences of not telling others around her too. Talk with her and help her walk through what would happen if she had a bad hypo and no one knew what to do. Once you talk through this with her, she may understand that having people around her know that she has diabetes (or at least having a few people know) is better.
I understand where she is coming from and I am still often a bit reluctant to tell people I'm diabetic. Once people around me know I have type 1 diabetes, they tend to act as if I'm made of glass or something. And everything I do becomes a "can you do/eat that" question. I hate the reaction I get from people more than I hate the disease itself!
I think Amy is right in that first your daughter should establish herself as an athlete. Then and only then should she inform the coach of her condition. However, she has the right to tell the coach that she doesn't want her medical information shared with others. The coach should respect this.
Under most circumstances, i agree with the idea that whether or not to tell others about your diabetes is completely up to you. However, a diabetic playing intercollegiate athletics simply doesn't have that luxury. I would argue, strongly, that if a diabetic is not comfortable with his or her condition yet, then that person is not ready to be an intercollegiate athlete. I think that's the only consequence worth discussing.
We have to realize that coaches have a responsibility to the entire team and the university as well as individual athletes. The coach has to be given the benefit of the doubt that they will be both responsible and discreet with knowledge about an individual's health condition.
From a practical standpoint, there really isn't going to be a way for any responsible diabetic to hide the fact that they are a diabetic from coaches and teammates anyway. There are too many road trips, rooming with teammates, and team meals to even entertain the idea that diabetes care can be hidden from the "team". The truth of the matter is, if they are hiding diabetes from coaches and teammates, they are probably not being very responsible about their diabetes management.
Samsmom seems to have two main concerns, how to tell a coach (not whether to tell a coach) and what will happen once the coach has that knowledge. Completely reasonable concerns. Her daughter, absolutely, is going to have to take the lead and learn to do the responsible thing if she wants to be an intercollegiate athlete. She's young and she will learn and Samsmon is doing a fantastic job.
I just got some info on camps from JDRF & I may be able to get her to one next summer. Everybody is so positive about the camp experience. I hope it will help her open up.
Yeah, I definitely like the idea of showing the coach first that she's a great player, then mentioning that she has diabetes. I just couldn't do that at the softball camp -- I had to tell the coach right away because Sam was going to be with her all day & away from me. Maybe that's just a camp situation & when recruiting starts for real, she'll be able to showcase her skills first.
Hi samsmom. I do like FHS’ response to this issue. We do look after several athletes.
I worked with a 14 year old who had 2 heart operations. By being in the “know” I was able to make her successful in her sport.
I remember a parent coming to me and advising me of her child having diabetes.
The child did not produce well at try outs due having out of control diabetes and experiencing a low after a rigorous workout.
I allowed a second tryout and my oh my! What a high jumper!
A coach only sees production of an athlete in a sport.
Had I not have known health issues of this athlete, I would not have watched her grow athletically over the 5 years with me.
This is a choice that you may want to think about.
Knowledge is power. Success is achieved through knowledge.
A coaches perspective…
Understandable. coaches are going to recognize the skil level first and foremost.The honest truth is, as Last Chance says, that if an diabetic athlete isn't properly taking care of the diabetes first, they probably aren't performing as well as they could anyway. So, displaying the talent to earn a scholarship is already displaying the athletes ability to manage the condition, which makes it a lot easier to discuss.
You definitely want to make sure that coaches know about those skills. High school coaches regularly send out newspaper clippings and letters of interest to prospective colleges and both athlete and their parents are going to be involved in the recruiting process. When getting the attention of college coaches, initially, there really isn't a need to discuss diabetes. It's all about the athletes ability. There will be plenty of opportunity to talk about all the athletes needs later.
Hello FHS,
I have been reading your posts and I appreciate the advise, I am the father of a 15 year old diabetic daughter. She plays Volleyball and year around softball, I have many of the same concerns other parents have with athletic teenagers who have a goal to compete at the college level. My daughter is going to college softball camps and currently involved in the recruiting process. We travel to Southern California often and play in the showcase tournaments there. It sounds like you have experience being a collegiate athlete with type 1, and advise you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I completely agree with your comment," Displaying the talent to earn a scholarship is already displaying the athletes ability to manage the condition", Well said, thanks for the great commengs. Ryliiesdad
Hi ryliesdad. Yeah, I ran track and played football in high school. Got diagnosed with T1 a couple of years after high school, then decided to pick up track again as a way to help manage the diabetes. Had a pretty decent year, caught the attention of some D1 recruiters, and got a scholarship offer for the following year. Ran a few years for a club after college.
Thanks for the comments. Happy to help if at all possible.
She has an alert bracelet & necklace, but she doesn't wear them :( We're going to look at temporary tattoos. She might be more into that.
Thanks so much!