National Sports Safety Organization Launched Following Son's tragic death

Denver, CO (PRWEB) November 2, 2009 -- A new organization dedicated to sports safety has been founded in honor of fallen athletes across America. The National Sports Safety Organization (NSSO) is a national clearinghouse for sports safety information and resources, aimed at protecting athletes from serious injuries and unnecessary deaths. NSSO's programs are designed to help universities, colleges and organizations achieve the highest levels of sports safety in their athletic programs.

George Wheeler founded NSSO in honor of his son, Rashidi Wheeler, a Northwestern University football player. Rashidi died on August 3, 2001, following a conditioning workout with the Northwestern football team.

"I started NSSO because I didn't want Rashidi's death to be in vain," says Wheeler. "I personally want to ensure that these kinds of avoidable tragedies will never happen again. Our mission is to provide sports safety resources to America's student athletes and the colleges and universities they attend. We want to raise the sports safety bar all across the nation."

NSSO website is an information center

The National Sports Safety Organization features a comprehensive website that contains a wealth of information about sports safety and related facts. The web site address is www.nssousa.org. The NSSO web site has been under development for more than 13 months and is divided into three distinct information centers: Sports Safety, Resources and Membership. The Sports Safety section includes pages devoted to sports safety facts, equipment and technology, safety procedures, athlete deaths, catastrophic injuries and defibrillators. The Resources section provides services to web site visitors including information and links pertaining to CPR and first aid training classes, sports attorneys, grief counselors, football safety guidelines and safety quizzes.

NSSO's Membership section describes the benefits that students, individuals and institutions receive when they become members, including scholarships, insurance programs and health screenings. Already 40 pages and growing, the NSSO web site includes an extensive Blog (http://www.nssousa.org/nsso-blogs.php) that showcases articles and information about brain injuries, summer camps, exercise, running shoes, heart screenings, sports nutrition and protective eyewear. The web site includes a Fallen Athletes Registry (http://www.nssousa.org/fallen-athletes.php). This section honors athletes who have died while participating in sporting events and provides biographies of the fallen athletes and the details of their deaths.

Collegiate Sports Safety Report

NSSO is currently involved in the creation of an annual report called the Collegiate Sports Safety Report (CSSR) (http://www.nssousa.org/collegiate-sports-safety-report.php). The CSSR will list the safety procedures, equipment, and personnel that U.S. universities currently have in place to handle sports injuries and health emergencies. Student athletes and their families will be able to use this report to determine which schools are meeting or exceeding NSSO's recommended safety guidelines. This report will allow students to compare safety programs at a variety of institutions, thus enabling them to choose a school that maintains a high level of sports safety compliance.

NSSO Sports Safety Kit

A centerpiece of NSSO's efforts to improve sports safety is the NSSO Sports Safety Kit (http://www.nssousa.org/nsso-safety-kit.php), Compiled and designed with the help of the American Paramedics Association, the NSSO safety kit is a comprehensive medical center that contains everything a sports team or recreational organization needs to have on-site at playing fields or other sports venues. The kits are designed specifically for use at sporting and recreational events. The kit contains more than 50 first aid and medical items, including an automated external defibrillator, stethoscope, bandage kit, cervical collar, and blood pressure cuff.

NSSO Memberships

NSSO offers student, individual and institutional membership programs (http://www.nssousa.org/student-memberships.php). All memberships include the annual Collegiate Sports Safety Report and a subscription to NSSO's online quarterly magazine, Sports Safety USA (http://www.nssousa.org/sports-safety-usa-magazine.php). This new e-magazine will feature articles by leading sports safety authorities and will offer tips on how athletes can safely achieve their full potential without injury. In addition, all NSSO members will receive discounts on a variety of sports, health and safety products and services offered by NSSO membership sponsors.

When asked to summarize NSSO's most important goals, George Wheeler stressed: "We simply want to make sporting events safer for everyone involved. We're bringing together as many sports safety resources as possible to address these important concerns. We'd like to invite both individuals and organizations to become a part of the NSSO team. With the help of our members and sponsors, we're confident that we can deliver a high level of sports safety services to protect America's athletes." NSSO can be reached by calling 1-888-560-NSSO (6776).

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