2015 Safe Sports Social Announced

Nowadays most high school teams have on site athletic trainers to assist in treating injuries during the game; however, what happens when your athlete leaves the field?   Safe Sports Network was created to aid in these times to help decrease the frequency and severity of sports related injuries. Offering free injury drop-in clinics, annual sports physicals, and community education they are a necessary resource to families in the Greater Manchester, NH area. The 2^nd Annual Safe Sports Social will introduce you to these important services and will also help raise money to fund this key organization.

2015 SAFE SPORTS SOCIAL TAKING SHAPE:

KEYNOTE SPEAKER AND SAFE SPORTS STAR OF THE YEAR WINNER ANNOUNCED

MANCHESTER, NH, January 9, 2015 – The program for the 2015 Safe Sports Social presented by the NH Orthopaedic Center is beginning to take shape.  This fundraiser will be held Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at The Derryfield.  The Social raises funds to ensure essential sports medicine care for young athletes.

Bob Gfeller will deliver the keynote address.  Bob’s son Matthew died of a football-related traumatic brain injury in 2008.  Since then, Bob and his wife, Lisa, have dedicated themselves to ensuring kids play it safe through prevention, recognition and treatment of youth sports head injuries. That’s the mission of the Matthew Gfeller Foundation created by the family after Matthew’s death. After many years in the business arena, including most recently as Executive Vice President for Lowe’s Home Improvement, Bob is currently the Executive Director of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma in North Carolina. He is actively involved in trying to keep kids safe on a daily basis.

The 2015 Safe Sports Star of the Year Award will be presented to Christopher Couture, MD at the Safe Sports Social. The award is given to a person who through words and actions demonstrates his or her commitment to ensuring youth sports safety. Dr. Couture is a graduate of Dartmouth Medical School.  He is a local sports medicine physician who has been practice for over 14 years, the past 4 at Victory Sports Medicine in Merrimack. In addition to providing great care for athletes in his medical practice, Dr. Couture volunteers his time as a sideline physician for area high schools and is a physician with the US Ski Team.  In addition, he is a member of the NH Advisory Council on Sport-Related Concussion and he is one of a small group of physicians qualified to interpret the common neurocognitive test used in managing our athletes’ safe return to play.  Dr. Couture also volunteers as a principal faculty member in NHMI’s accredited athletic training residency. He is, without a doubt, an invaluable resource for Safe Sports Network and for our young athletes. He is most deserving of this recognition.

Several local businesses have signed on to sponsor this important event. See sponsors at http://www.nhmi.net/safe_sports_social_sponsor_promo.php.

To learn more or to find out how you can contribute to ensure that young athletes are as safe as possible, visit www.nhmi.net.