Carmen Bott says we’re breaking kids down at ages 10, 11 and 12 when we should be building them up. Known as the “ACL Whisperer,” the strength and conditioning specialist explains why major knee injuries are hitting kids younger and what sports parents can do about it.
In addition to her strength & conditioning expertise, Carmen is a practicing kinesiologist who has worked at every level of sport, from Learn-to-Train to professional. She’s been coaching since 1998, lectures full time at Simon Fraser University, and is a wife and mother of a child in youth sports.
Scott Rintoul talks with Carmen about why a pediatric ACL tear can mean 18 months of rehab, why soccer, basketball and lacrosse are seeing more ACL injuries than other sports, and why kids need strength, sprinting, wrestling and play instead of endless skills training. She makes the case for daily PE in elementary school and explains “art scars,” the lasting marks an adult’s words can leave on a child. They also cover equal playing time, red flags in coaches and parents, and why she says the number one issue in youth sports is parents pushing harder than the child.
