Diabetes and Inline Hockey

[MartyAlexander]

Dear IHC Readers:

This last monday my 13 year old son was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. He played Bantam AA ice hockey this season as a first year. He has been playing inline hockey (house and rep) since he was 8 years old. In other words, hockey is a big part of his life.

Just wondering what wisdom there is out there from coaches, players and parents based on experiences that you have had in fitting diabetes into inline hockey. Any information would be appreciated.

Ice hockey came to an end last Saturday. He played his first game of inline this year on Thursday nite. I know it's duable. Just wondering about certain situations (e.g., 3 tournament games in a day). Also, looking for any printed material, including websites. Any high profile inline players with diabetes?

Thank you very much in advance. Greatly appreciated.

Marty Alexander

[RichardGraham]

Hi Marty,

I hope that one of Inline Hockey Central's readers will have some good advice for you and your son. Best of luck to you both!

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[bling45]

Marty,
I know playing sports is definatly "do-able" with diabetes...I dont have any sound advice to give, but I would talk to your doctor and get some input from him/her on how to manage it...Also stay on top of the Meds and dont skim on days, stick with them like clock work...Also watch the signs and remeber them when a spell is coming on and get the kid Meds or sugar whatever if he is playing and he starts feeling a episode coming on...No doubt diabetes is a serious medical situation and needs to be kept up with, but with proper diet and Meds it is very very managable...Here are a few websites that deal with athletes and diabetes:

http://www.mendosa.com/athletes.htm
http://sportsmedicine.upmc.com/MySportFootballDiabetes.htm
http://www.diabetes-exercise.org/index.asp
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/healthfitness/story/5EA6EED96FEC2EFD8625711B0009D3F0?OpenDocument
http://www.angelarose.com/FamousDiabetics/Fam-Sports.htm

Maybe some of those websites can help get ya started in the right direction...Just remeber to remind your son that diabetes is not the end of his sports career as long as he keeps an eye on it and manages it correctly....Good luck and best of luck to you and your son...

[TeamBreakaway]

Marty if you can send me a contact number I will put you intouch with a few parents I know who have a kid with diabetes and he's been playing for years with it. He's a very good roller player who also plays club ice as well as high school ice hockey.

Coach Pedro
Tour Breakaway
[email protected]
http://www.TeamBreakaway.com



http://www.eteamz.com/TeamBreakaway/images/teamlogo.gif

[rlrhky13]

Hi Marty,

Last season I had a player on my 92' ice team that is very diabetic.. During tourneys he would just check his sugar before and after every game.. We also kept a bottle of either powerade or gatorade on the bench with us at all times and his testing kit.. He did fine and I know he is still playing...

[elphawk]

Hello Marty.

Just wanted to say you are not alone.

My 14 year old son was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes 10 years ago. To this day he is one of the healthiest kids I know.

My son plays at the Bantam AA ice hockey level and also plays inline hockey. He plays at the highest level in inline hockey. In fact he played for the 12U Team USA West last year at the World Cup and at the AAU Junior Olympics. They won gold and silver. He once again made the team this year.

By now some readers know I am talking about Crazy from El Paso.

For those that know my son will tell you he is probably the best in shape kid on his teams. He does this by working out, eating right and most important not fighting the disease but living with it and not letting it get him down. He has never used his disease as an excuse or as a crutch.

We do of course watch his diet and make sure we have snacks and glucose tablets on the bench. It is difficult when we travel to make sure he eats on schedule, but his teammates and their families know his situation and are very supportive.

The bottom line is dont let your son get down. There is no reason whe he cant live a "normal" life.

For support contact your local Juvenile Diabetes Reasearch Foundation. www.jdrf.org

Not only do they offer support, but also raise money to help find a cure for Diabetes. My son has been involved for years and in fact has gone to Washington DC to lobby congress for more funding for research.

If you need any more info or support do not hesitate to contact me. Maybe my son can talk to yours. Write to me at [email protected]

Raul Castaneda

[bobbradley]

Hi Marty....
I had a couple of kids on my team with the same situation. Diet of course is #1. They drank a lot of Gatorade on the bench and asked me not to keep asking if everything was OK. They are both now playing Junior and doing fine.
Best Regards,
Bob Bradley - OMRHA

[GROWL99]

Dear Marty,

My name is Jimmy Vivona. I've got some experience with diabetes, due to the fact that both my wife, and her younger brother both have type 1 diabetes. I've also coached 8-12 year old kids for a period of time, and have seen kids play hockey,while they themselves, have diabetes. It sounds to me like your son is an avid hockey player, and I'm sure a very determined kid. My advice is to use former Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer, Bobby Clarke as a great example for your son. He played his whole career with diabetes, and the technology today to combat the disease is far greater than anything he ever had. I'm sure your son has lots of goals in his future, both on and off the rink. I wish you all the best.

Best regards,

Jimmy Vivona

[NJwerewolves12]

Jimmy V ur my hero

Doing the Cobra