The Athlete's Lawyer

While I have celebrated athletes and coaches, I do not want to overlook the people who put it all together for the athletes, spectators and sponsors. The Race Directors make it all possible. Brian Crow, Tom Cook, Chandra Richardson, Steve Garver, Donna Rostant, Terry McLaughlin, and Greg Welch all do terrific jobs putting on safe, fun challenging events each year. Shown here is Greg Welch of Set Up Events after the Big Lick Smith Mountain Lake Olympic Distance Triathlon. Travelling all over the SouthEast, Welch and his crew work tirelessly to put on great events in in diverse venues while raising money for needy charities. Hats off to Greg Welch and all the race directors who enable this “TriathlonTrialLawyer” to combine “Races, Cases, Places and Faces.”

The Collegiate Times, the Virginia Tech campus newspaper reported this week that there have been 28 bicycle thefts between May 1st and September 9th, 2008.  While visiting the campus, Herndon Reston area injury lawyer Doug Landau noticed an increase in the numbers of bicycles on campus and cyclists commuting to class.  The Virginia Tech Police Department advised students to take the following precautions to avoid their bikes from being stolen:

1. using U-shaped locks;
2. removing a part of the bike, such as the seat, or wheel; and,
3. parking your bicycle in high-traffic, well-lit areas.

This is good advice for students as well as others who use their bicycles to get around or who stop off the trails and visit pedestrian and cyclist-friendly Towns like Herndon, Reston and Vienna.

Last summer a 10-year-old boy died when an unsecured soccer goal fell over and killed him at a High School in Frederick County, Virginia. The case has been filed this year in the Prince William County Circuit Court on behalf of the boy’s Estate.

While scrimmaging against a girl’s team, the goalie was struck on the head and neck when the portable soccer goal tipped over, killing him. The lawsuit alleges that each defendant knew or should have known of the dangers and hazards of moveable soccer goals and failed to protect soccer players from those dangers. According to the lawyers at the Chicago Corboy & Demetrio law firm and Michie, Hamlett firm in Charlottesville, prior to this boy’s death, there were 84 other similar incidents where moveable soccer goals injured or killed children. Lawyers for the estate allege this problem is known throughout the soccer industry and there are far too many cases like it each year. It is the boy’s parents’ hope that this lawsuit will help change the way the soccer industry designs, installs, uses and inspects moveable soccer goals and finally give our children’s safety the priority it deserves. The goal that crushed this child is extremely top heavy and is easily tipped forward. The only feature designed to keep the goal from tipping forward are ground anchors, which all too often are not attached to the goals and not re-installed after the goals are moved.

The Nations  Triathlon in Washington, D.C. takes participants past an unmatched cornucopia of national monuments, such as the White House, National Mall, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Kennedy Center, FBI Building, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, etc.  But what was equally inspiring were the funds raised to help others and the courage of those racers in the purple outfits who battled heat, humidity, exhaustion and pain for a noble cause.  Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau and several of his Maccabiah teammates participated in the 3rd annual DC Nations Triathlon that raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma societies.

As the race was about to begin, with 3,600 athletes jumping into the Potomac River to swim, it was announced that the “Team in Training” (“TNT”) program had raised $900,000,000 !  My teammate and friend Steve Shulman (the muscular guy in the purple TNT jersey) has become a Team in Training coach.  By day, he is a busy lawyer in New York City with a hectic real estate practice.  But outside of work, he devotes time to help others so that they can participate in, and finish multisport events, while raising funds for an important cause.   ABRAMS LANDAU client Rob Urbach won their age group, with Shulman 4th and Landau, despite standing on his tippy toes in this picture, way back.

It was a perfect day for me, as I like it hot, humid and relatively flat.  After a decent swim in the Potomac River and no one successfully passing this Triathlon Trial Lawyer from the moment I got out of the water thanks to fast transitions and a 66 min bike ride (22.6 mph), I exited the chute onto the run course in under 80 minutes and had a sub-2:20 as a goal.   Unfortunately, my leg muscles had other ideas, and I seized up and eventually walked for the first time in my multisport racing career.  I eventually walked across the line in 2:40, my slowest Masters finish ever, and with no excuses, am humbled and more mindful that, as Ringo Starr so eloquently put it, “You know it don’t come easy.”

On the bright side, there were some terrific performances.  All of the Team USA Maccabiah competitors finished despite the heat and humidity.  Matthew Weinberg had a great ride and looked good when we caught up in the Transition area post-race.  Steve Shulman had a decent swim and bike, finishing 4th in the AG standings (in 2:24), and was seen in the “Team in Training” tent with Ironman World Champion (and TNT Coach) Dave Scott.  People were overheard asking, “Who’s that with Shulman ?”  Steve now has a new nickname, “Bagel Butt Shulman” as he had a bagel in his pocket as he was about to start the swim.  Luckily I extracted it for him, as he could have been penalized for having an “unapproved flotation device.”  Upholding the honor and the glory of the team, “Rocket Rob” Urbach finished in 2:19, winning the age group, a new watch and capping a successful summer of multisport racing.  Presenting the Awards for the DC Triathlon Club was none other than our friend, attorney, and founder of SportsLegalForms, Nicolas Jafarieh !  Sports Legal Forms not only provides legal forms and assistance to the super popular (and nearly always sold out) Virginia Triathlon Series put on by SetUp Events, but also advises a number of companies in the sports and entertainment industries.

Getting together in advance of the DC Nations Triathlon enabled me to catch up with several teammates and team manager Lisa Levin Reichman and her family. We met for a “carbo loading” dinner after pre-registration. Lisa was recently featured in the Washington Examiner as she had just finished her first triathlon, has 3 small children and won a gold medal in the Half Marathon at the Maccabiah Pan American Games. Team member Matthew Weinberg also participated in the race, but was unable to make it to the dinner.

In lieu of a sports post today, please visit our sister site (LandauInjuryLaw), which has devoted the week to the clients we have helped after the devastation of 9/11.

Being fat and physically inactive has a name–Sedentary Death Syndrome or “SeDS.”

Approximately 2.5 million Americans will die prematurely in the next 10 years due to SeDS, a number greater than all alcohol, guns, motor vehicles, illicit drug use and sexual behavior related deaths combined. Research has identified SeDS as the second largest threat to public health (heart disease remains the number one cause of death for Americans) and is expected to add as much as $3 trillion to healthcare costs over 10 years, more than twice the tax cut recently passed by the US Senate.

Frank W. Booth, a professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia invented the term SeDS and local “dynamic duo” Allen and Mary Delaney of “Rehab to Racing” are combating this killer combination of morbid obesity and inactivity. They recently met with senior citizens who not only suffered from morbid obesity and inactivity, but also related health problems and pharmacological regimens. One senior had lost nearly all the muscle tone in his legs, shuffled instead of walked, and could not arise from a seated position or walk steps.

After Dr. Allen Delaney did a thorough examination, he and Mary, a physical therapist, showed the atrophied individual and his wife how to do exercises an stretches that would combat the continuing loss of function. Mary also talked with the couple about the importance of a healthy diet and walking not only in the pool, but on dry land in order to stimulate bone density and muscle growth. To date, the couple has lost over 20 pounds, walks regularly, and are more active in only a few weeks. And, the wife reports, “my husband’s backside has gone from mush to tush thanks to the Delaneys !” You do not have to be a competitive triathlete in order to enjoy good health. But you do have to do something, every day, in order to ensure that your body remains functional and healthy for the long run.

Doug Landau, with his bike helmet on, is dropping off his bicycle at the DC NATION’s TRIATHLON. The Triathlon Trial Lawyer had come straight from the mandatory safety briefing and was ready to stow his gear. The morning of the race, he simply had to pick up his computer timing chip* and then get into the Potomac River for the swim !

In addition to dropping off bikes the day before, all competitors must have approved bike helmets. Bicycle helmets must be worn from the before the competitors move their bikes to after they have re-racked their rides. This helps reduce the potential for head trauma and traumatic brain injuries during the race.

*Speaking of computer chips, head protection and sports equipment, one of Virginia Tech’s health related research projects includes reducing head and brain trauma in impact sports. Researchers who are trying to reduce the number of traumatic brain injuries among athletes who wear headgear (i.e., football, hockey, etc.) recruited the Virginia Tech football team to test a new brain-injury monitoring system that incorporates helmets coded with software developed in the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest Center for Injury Biomechanics.

For those clients and friends who were considering seeing Doug Landau at the Bumpass Great Acorn Virginia Triathlon Series race in Spotsylvania on October 4th, he has withdrawn, not because of any injury, but because he will be participating in the Seagull Century bike ride, which starts at Salisbury University in Maryland.

The 20th annual Sea Gull Century is a “Best Bicycling in America” event that has been named among the top 10 century rides in the nation by Bicycling magazine. The Ride Magazine has called the century  “one of the prettiest big rides in America.” The Washington Post has named it “by far the most popular local century” in the Maryland-Delaware-Virginia region.  TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau and his wife of 24 years will be joining other Sea Gull Century riders who have contributed more than $100,000 to build Habitat for Humanity houses.   Riders’ donations have helped to make the American dream of homeownership possible for 50 local, hard-working families.   Other charities benefiting from this annual event are: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team In Training; the Salisbury University Scholarship Fund and other Local Non-Profits, such as: the League of American Bicyclists, Healthy U of Delmarva, Ocean City Lioness Club, Powellville Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary, Helping Hands of Beaver Dam and University of Maryland Eastern Shore.