Sox trainer stresses body conditioning

As you dust off your golf clubs, tennis rackets and baseball gloves for another season of recreational sports, work out your body's wintertime kinks and cricks.

By Barb Valiukenas Editor

Herman Schneider, head trainer for the Chicago White Sox, has the responsibility of preventing and caring for any athletic injuries sustained by his teammates. He and Strengthening Coach Al Vermeil oversee a conditioning program that involves the use of weights, stretching, flexibility. Nautilus-like equipment and a new plyometrics approach.

"Plyometrics goes back to the old days when you used yourself, rather than equipment, to train yourself," Schneider explained.

"It consists of a series of boxes which you arrange at different heights and distances," he said. "You jump from one box to another to build up the cardiovascular system and leg strength."

Running techniques and squats are also a part of the plyometrics system. The aerobic exercises which highlighted the 1983 and '84 Sox training camps were discontinued after their novelty diminished.

Reducing the risks

According to Schneider, there is no single cause for the injuries sustained by the Sox and other professional baseball players. They can be traumatic injuries, weather-related or mechanical problems, unforeseen mishaps or legitimate problems resulting from the occupational hazards involved in playing the game.

Most of the injuries Schneider sees involve upper extremities, particularly the shoulder and elbow. The most serious type involves the rotator cuff of the shoulder. The least serious would be a finger blister, unless you happen to be a pitcher.

"You will never be able to get rid of sports-related injuries altogether," Schneider stressed, "but you try to cut down on the percentages of them occurring.

"I am starting to truly believe that a professional athlete who pays the price of working out the entire winter, comes to spring training and then modifies his conditioning during the regular season is psychologically less prone to injuries, stays stronger and tires less easily during the season."

Making the commitment

Spring training is required for all Sox players. The conditioning programs offered during the baseball season and winter focus on the Sox organization's minor league players, although veteran players are encouraged to participate.

Eleven minor league players went through the entire conditioning program last year, while Sox Catcher Carlton Fisk set an example for his teammates.

"Carlton went through the yearlong conditioning program," Schneider noted, "and he had the best (professional) year of his life. He also stayed about 98 percent injury-free."

The conditioning program involves working five or six days each week. Different activities are done during each session, and they are structured for special areas and needs. For example, a pitcher concentrates on his arms and shoulders.

"The Sox are fortunate in that the team has a young nucleus and is very open-minded," Schneider noted. "The players want to do everything they can to increase their capabilities of playing the game."

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Weekend athletes

Although Schneider feels the Sox conditioning program could be used by persons playing recreational sports, he realizes the limitations of time.

"People who play recreational sports usually don't have four or five hours of free time daily that they can devote to conditioning their bodies," Schneider said. "However, any conditioning these folks do is better than none, as they are very prone to injuries."

Even though we know the basics about preparing for sports competition, it would still be helpful to heed Schneider's advice.

• Stretch and develop flexibility. Get in "the habit and memory" of doing it before you begin to play any sport.

• Drink large amounts of fluids before, during and after your sports activities. Schneider recommends Gatorade as the best drink to replace the minerals, potassium and electrolytes which the body loses through perspiration. The loss of these elements can result in cramping and injury.

• Use the right sports equipment. For example, make sure your shoes are the correct size and that clothing does not catch on them.

• Restretch during the cooling down period after you conclude your activity.

• Apply ice for about 20 minutes to an uninjured area that may simply be bruised or sore. Then re-stretch the area.

Responding to an injury

If you are hurt during play, Schneider says to stop all activity immediately. If you ignore the popping sounds, cramps and other warning signs given by your body, serious injuries can result.

Schneider also recommends placing ice on all injuries as soon as they happen. The average person usually needs to continue the ice treatment for 24 to 48 hours.

Based on his experiences, Schneider feels men are more prone to sports-related injuries than women.

"Women just stretch more," he said, "and their metabolism is different. They also have an overall higher tolerance of pain."

Professional credentials

Schneider joined the White Sox as head trainer in 1979. He had previously been with the New York Yankee organization for 10 years, working as an assistant trainer for the 1977 and '78 world champion Yankee teams. He also served as head trainer for the Yankee's minor league teams in Ft. Lauderdale, FL; West Haven, CT, and Syracuse, NY.

A native of Rochester, NY, Schneider "grew up on baseball." The park housing the Rochester Red Wings baseball team was located across from his home. It was his source of both odd jobs and a growing interest in the game.

Illinois prepares recommendations for Presidential Commission Editor's Note: The following are excerpts from testimony presented by Ted Flickinger, executive director of the Illinois Association of Park Districts, to the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors at the National Park and Recreation Conference in Dallas last October. Governor James Thompson has formed an Illinois Advisory Committee on Americans Outdoors and requested that Mike Witte, director of the Department of Conservation, and his staff work closely with this committee in the preparation of an Illinois report to the President's Commission. There are more than 20 organizations represented on the Governor's Advisory Committee. The first meeting of the Advisory Committee was held in Springfield on Oct. 23, 1985. It was devoted to identifying Illinois' recreation resources and the issues relevant to recreation in Illinois. We formulated preliminary recommendations, and we expect to complete our final report for submission to the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors by Feb. 1, 1986. Stong Support Governor Thompson has indicated that he will be extending an invitation to Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander to bring the Commission to Illinois for a public hearing. The Governor has also supported a study to determine the economic significance of recreation in Illinois. The study and other research will culminate in a Governor's Conference on the Economic Significance of Recreation to be held in Springfield April 29 through May 1,1986. We hope the Commission will devote a section of its final report on the subject of the economic significance of recreation. Recommendations On behalf of the members and board of directors of the Illinois Association of Park Districts, I would like to submit several preliminary recommendations to the Commission. First, we strongly recommend the formation of a Land, Water and Conservation Trust Fund. In Illinois, the demands for local matching funds have far exceeded the supply of federal and State monies. Last year the Governor recommended legislation to fund the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Devel- Continued on page 36 Illinois Parks and Recreation 34 January/February 1986 opment (OSLAD) program. The legislature granted us $20 million over the next five years to be coupled with LAWCON funds. But this is not enough to meet the ever increasing demands. Our citizens want more recreation areas closer to the population centers. There were 62 park and recreation agencies which made requests for nearly three times the available State and federal funds. Second, we recommend the development of a comprehensive national data base for recreation information. Included in this data base should be the well-documented information on the economic significance of recreation of which I mentioned previously. Not since the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission reported in 1962 has a comprehensive study of park and recreation supply been undertaken. We believe the need for a national study is compelling and timely. The output should include reports and a data base at local, state, regional and national levels on the following: • A model study to collect information which documents the economic significance of recreation at the state and local levels. • Types and amounts of expenditures and economic impact (jobs, business revenues and population changes) resulting from local government spending and assistance funding. • Number of agencies, employees, populations served, revenue sources, and dollars budgeted and spent by type of agency and by region. • State, regional and national summaries of types and numbers of sites, parks, facilities, and programs and services provided by local governments. • Trends in level of support, budgeting and service by local government from 1960 until now. • Major changes occurring by type of agency or department and by region. • Differences in services and opportunities provided between municipal and county governments, heavily urban versus more rural regions and rapid-growth versus static population areas. Third, we believe the Commission's final report should include strong recommendations related to environmental pollution for clean rivers, streams, lakes and the outdoors in general so recreation can be pursued in a safer and healthier environment. Other concerns Flickinger had other concerns which he shared at the Illinois Committee's second meeting during the State Conference. He felt the National Commission should explore the following: • Obtaining a larger share of the federal dollar for recreation interests. Citizen spending for recreation has been steadily increasing while federal expenditures for land acquisition, development and management have dropped back to the 1970 level of approximately $374 million. • Securing the Presidential Commission's assistance to solve the recreation-related problems encountered by state and local governments, since they provide a significant majority of recreational services. • Increasing recreation resource contributions to environmental and wildlife management, and the elimination of hazardous environmental conditions. • Expanding the states' role in parks and recreation by expanding state park systems with a high priority on the development of water-based recreational sites and programming. Note: Illinois' recommendations will be finalized on Feb. 1. Copies can be obtained by contacting Ted Flickinger at the IAPD office.

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