Senate Resolution No. 2304 BY: Senator CARLUCCI MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 2020, as Youth Sports Safety Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Youth Sports Safety Month WHEREAS, The State of New York takes great pride in calling attention to awareness of serious injuries which affect many New Yorkers; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 2020, as Youth Sports Safety Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Youth Sports Safety Month; and WHEREAS, April is National Youth Sports Safety Month; more than 60 national medical and sports organizations support National Youth Sports Safety Month, including American College of Sports Medicine, The President's Council on Physical Fitness and sports, and the United States Olympic Committee; and WHEREAS, Each year, over 20 million kids in the United States participate in sports and almost one million suffer serious sports-related injuries; and WHEREAS, In most cases, sports-related injuries are preventable, yet according to the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and Sage Kids USA, more than half (62 percent) of sports injuries occur during practice; and WHEREAS, Sports-related injuries include: overuse and over-training injuries, heat exhaustion, debilitating bone, muscle or tendon breaks and tears, cardiac arrest, and head injuries; and WHEREAS, Although sports-related injuries are serious and require attention and awareness, concussions seem to be the most prevalent critical injury in youth athletics, with millions occurring in young athletes every year; and WHEREAS, Keeping sports safe requires an entire culture of injury awareness and prevention, so adults should not ever tell their kid to shake it off and keep playing, and kids should not hide injuries because of fear of repercussions or a loss of playing time; and WHEREAS, New York State should make every effort to make sports safe for our youth; the health and well-being of the youth of the State of New York is of paramount importance to this Legislative Body; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 2020, as Youth Sports Safety Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Youth Sports Safety Month; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.