Abstract des Autors

The highly competitive nature of intercollegiate athletics has created an “arms race” with schools committing major resources to new and upgraded facilities. However, these facility resources are seldom equally spread amongst all sport programs. The hammer throw, a throwing event within track & field, often has competition and practice venues that are overlooked or neglected. Significant injuries and deaths in this event warrant an examination of the hammer throw facilities from both a policy and risk management perspective. This study examined the level of compliance for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hammer throw facilities with NCAA and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) recommendations for facilities across all three NCAA divisions via a 35-item online survey. Respondents indicated 69.6% of hammer facilities were in compliance with NCAA guidelines while only 35.8% complied with the more stringent IAAF standards. One-way ANOVA analyses of overall facility safety demonstrated significant differences for 13 facility factors, and regression analysis determined four facility factors that were significant predictors of overall facility safety including: a dedicated hammer facility, cage age, cage gates, and meeting IAAF specifications. In light of these findings, the NCAA should consider full alignment of its hammer facility guidelines with the IAAF standards. Verf.-Referat