Thank you for volunteering for this research initiative. You are being asked to participate because you are a youth, amateur or high-school baseball player. Please ask any questions you have before agreeing to be in this study. You can contact the researchers directly by responding to this email.

This study is being performed through Concordia University, St. Paul by Adam Balan, MSc, Ryan Crotin, PhD and Dr. Samuel Haag, PhD.

Background Information:
The purpose of this study is to investigate attitudes and behaviors associated to injury prevention strategies among parents/caregivers and their children who compete in amateur baseball.

Procedures:
Please review the attached video and read this email in its entirety. Players will use the link provided below to complete an anonymous, online, 30-question survey. The survey is organized into six sections and should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Most questions will have a limited number of responses available.

Risks and Benefits of being in the Study:
This study has minimal risk. Participants may experience physical or emotional stress during and after survey completion due to thoughts and emotions from a previous athletic injury.

The main benefit of this study is that players will be able to think about their current attitudes and behaviors associated to injury prevention. It is possible that as a participant, you may develop an increased awareness of injury prevention strategies – most notably strength and conditioning. As a result, you may be encouraged from your participation to improve your injury prevention approaches (ie. work with a certified strength and conditioning specialist for sport) and reduce risk of injury.

Compensation:
You will not receive any payments, awards or gifts for your participation. Our intentions are academic and you will not be solicited for any sales or products. We thank you for offering your time to participate as your responses can help improve the future health of competitive baseball for amateur athletes.

Confidentiality:
Research records will be stored securely and only the researchers in this study will have access to the records. In any sort of report we might publish, we will not include personal information that can identify you. Lastly, data collection methods are anonymous. No email addresses or names will be linked to survey responses.

Voluntary Nature of the Study:
Participation in this study is voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your current or future relations with Concordia University, St. Paul. If you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw at any time without affecting those relationships. You are also free to refrain from answering any question of your choosing.

Contacts and Questions:
The researchers conducting this study are Adam Balan, MSc, Ryan Crotin, PhD and Dr. Samuel Haag, PhD. If you have questions, you are encouraged to contact them at baseballipi@gmail.com.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding research methods at Concordia University, St. Paul, you are encouraged to contact Steve Ross, Director of the Institutional Review Board, at sross1@csp.edu or 651-641-8723.