Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES Athlete's foot may, in the first place, be due to excessive sweating and the lack of proper-cleanliness, but the disease is contagious, and the fungi are very easily picked up. The fungi grow best on organic material, and flourish particularly on such substances as hair, silk, and wool. It is essential, therefore, that the athlete should always have clean clothing. The fungi thrive also on the floors of gymnasia and changing-rooms, on benches, and especially on diving-boards and the sides of swimming-baths. Since towels and shoes are very goo_d carriers of this particular fungus, it follows naturally that the coach should insist that athletes use only their ·own towels, and that they should never borrow each other's shoes. Quite a number of men carry the fungus on their feet without experiencing any personal inconvenience, but they do serve to spread the condition. There are three main types of athlete's foot, which it would be well for the coach to be able to recognize. There is the desquamating type, characterized by the superficial skin peeling between the toes and sometimes on the bottom of the feet. If the athlete shows water-like blisters they may not be due to ordinary friction, but may be an indication of the vesicular type of athlete's foot. Finally there is the eczematous type. This is really an aggravation of the earlier types which has become eczematous and chronic through neglect. When this condition ~-s reached the skin of the athlete's foot becomes hardened and shows a reddish, inflamed appearance. This is the rriost serious type, of course, and is likely to be characterized by the collection of pus or a watery discharge. To prevent the occurrence or spread of athlete's foot the coach must consider the position from perhaps four points of view. In the first place, he must observe and enforce strict discipline in the changing-rooms and the gymnasium. In these quarters no debris must be allowed to collect. Old clothing, dirty towels, worn-out shoes, and dusty floors provide good harbourage for the fungi of athlete's foot. All rubbish should ' be removed, and the floors should be frequently scrubbed with a strong disinfectant. At the same time, in choosing a disinfectant, one must select one which will not be irritating to the athletes' bare feet. The lockers in which the athletes store their kit need special attention, but perhaps the best preventive of all is the provision of proper foot-baths. These baths should be placed at the entrances and exits of the changing-rooms, and also in a convenient position 150