TheAthletesLawyer

The mayor of Washington, D.C. beat me. Badly. At both the Reston Duathlon and the D.C. Nations Triathlon, he whupped the Triathlon Trial Lawyer good. So did his brother. I do not care that they grew up with parents who operate a FleetFeet sports and running shoe store. I should be able to take him in a triathlon or other multisport race. So I was keen to see his “crib” where he works out.

The CycleLife in Georgetown is an amazing club/gym/bike shop/health food bar.  Toussaint McCrae and his staff have a wonderful location, state of the art facilities and a great attitude. The upstairs strength training and aerobic exercise areas are immaculate and top of the line. If I still worked for the Association of Trial lawyers of America (now “American Association for Justice”) in Georgetown, I would be working out at CycleLife all the time. If you live or work nearby, check it out.

The Annual “Bench & Bar” in Alexandria is the one time when lawyers like injury and disability lawyer Doug Landau get to ask questions of the Circuit Court and other judges with impunity. The Alexandria Bar Association bravely puts on this event, which includes questions being asked anonymously ! However, Doug Landau has run across another impressive “Bench & Bar” on the other side of the Potomac.

CycleLife in Georgetown has a healthy food bar on the ground floor of their 32nd and “K” Street facility from which you can see their mechanics work bench. In other words, you can be sipping a protein smoothie while watching the mechanics fix, tune up or outfit your bicycle. CycleLife’s state-of-the-art facility is unlike any other bike shop I have ever seen. In addition to sales, service and food, there are spin classes, a full gym, large flat screen televisions and aerobic exercise equipment looking out over the jogging train and Potomac River. Next time I’m in Georgetown, I’m definitely heading over to get in a workout, post-exercise shake and pick up some bike gear.

While driving into the District of Columbia for a pre-season tune up 5km., I found myself in Georgetown looking for safe parking.  Out on the street, on a freezing cold morning, was Toussaint McCrae of CycleLife USA.  Coming in from Herndon Virginia, I put on all my layers so as not to suffer hypothermia, muscle cramps or other sports injury.  Mr. McCrae was out in the the street shortly after dawn offering runners free, covered parking in the  CycleLife building.  Located at 3255 K Street, looking out on the Potomac River and the jogging trail from under the Whitestone Parkway, CycleLife is ideally situated for those looking to get in a good workout in Georgetown, or get their bike fixed, or get a healthy post-workout meal.  The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and willing to freeze their butts off to help multisport athletes in Georgetown !  More information and pictures of their “Bench & Bar” from the Triathlon Trial Lawyer in tomorrow’s post.

Wisconsin’s highest court rejected a lawsuit that sought damages on behalf of a former high school cheerleader who suffered a serious head injury while performing a stunt, as reported on Fox News.  In the ruling, the Wisconsin Supreme Court found that the lawsuit was barred by a state law that prevents participants in contact sports from pursing damages for unintentional injuries. The decision is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, according to the report in Houston Chronicle. According to sports injury and disability lawyer Doug Landau of Herndon Virginia’s ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., severe head and brain injury cases pose a number of challenges, including the injured athlete’s assumption of the risk, contributory negligence and some states’ immunity laws.

If you run on the Fairfax County Parkway, and may have seen this injured runner or the aftermath of this accident, please contact ABRAMS LANDAU at once (703-796-9555 or FrontDesk@LandauLawShop.com). Here are the facts:

On Wednesday, December 17, 2008, a local runner left his house at approximately 6:10 AM for an 8 mile run. It had rained the night before, but it was not raining when he headed out. It was approximately 38 degrees outside. He was wearing gray shorts, a long sleeve shirt, a purple knit cap and gloves. He ran along a paved path that runs for several miles – north and south – along the Fairfax County Parkway. There are several short intersections designated by cross walks along the route. He approached the cross walk at Rugby Road approximately 6:40AM.

After making sure he had the light and that there were no cars coming in either direction, he entered the crosswalk and as struck by a PT Cruiser. The injured athlete was transported to Fairfax Hospital. The athlete’s injuries include: head wound (subarachnoid hemorrhage), closed head injury, loss of consciousness, scraped knees and elbows. The damage to the driver’s car from the crash with the jogger included: damaged bumper cover, left headlamp, hood, windshield (cracked not shattered), grill damage, driver’s side mirror. If you know anything about the persons involved or the crash itself, please contact us.

Top local over-50 Masters Runner Mark Malander ran a strong race at the USA Cross Country Championships. And he brought his own cheering section ! Triathlon TrialLawyer Doug Landau heard Malander’s wife Loretta at the crest of one of the hills of the challenging Derwood, Maryland race course. Finishing 4th in the Masters race in 29:08, Malander (50) was competing for the Potomac Valley Track Club. In this tough cross country race, Malander averaged better than 5:50 per mile pace. Both Mark and Loretta are accomplished Oak Hill, Virginia runners.

USA Track & Field announced that the nation’s premier cross country event will feature $47,000 in prize money. The championships will be hosted by the Montgomery Country Road Runners Club at Agricultural History Farm Park. In addition to the national titles on the line in Derwood, open and junior men and women will qualify to represent Team USA at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships March 28 in Amman, Jordan. Highlights of the 2009 USA Cross Country Championships will be televised on February 15 during ESPN coverage of the Tyson Invitational. The championships will consist of six cross country championship races for men’s and women’s categories with national titles on the line for junior, masters and open divisions.

At the USAT&F National Cross Country Championships, the Pugsley and Shapiro family showed how Potomac River Running is a “family affair.” They were cheering at the kilometer mats, the tops of the hills and the finish line. Cathy and Ray Pugsley partnered with her sister, Margie Shapiro, and her husband Brandon to enter retailing with two Potomac River Running Stores in 2003. They have combined their experience providing business plans and market analysis to clients at Price Waterhouse, and their enjoyment of running and triathlons. (Margie won the ITU International Amateur Championships and the “Best of the US”.) Shown here are the Pugsley and Shapiro family members at the National Championships, where former Junior Champion Ray was the 2009 Masters Runner up.

The family chose sites in Ashburn and Burke in residential growth areas not served by an independent running store for their initial locations. They have now expanded; established a running group in Loudoun County, Virginia; and, continue private coaching & racing at the highest local, regional and National levels. More information on the Potomac River Running stores and club.

Do kids return to the field too soon after a concussion and head injury ? Doug Landau has seen athletes knocked out, “knocked silly” and even his best friend bloodied when he ran from the pitcher’s mound for a pop up only to be struck in the skull by his catcher running into him with his mask still on ! Research reported February 2nd in Time Magazine indicates that younger, less developed brains are at greater risk of second-impact syndrome, which is why the new concussion study from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, is so troubling. Submitted to a scientific journal for peer review, the yet-to-be-published study examined 1,308 concussion incidents reported by athletic trainers and found that in girls’ volleyball and boys’ basketball and baseball, more than half of concussed players returned to play too soon.

“These levels are way too high,” says Dawn Comstock, an Ohio State pediatrics professor and co-author of the new study. She cites several factors that are driving the numbers. Not enough high schools have certified trainers who know how to deal with concussions–just 42% do, according to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. In some instances, over-competitive coaches, who are not required to be trained in concussion management, are pushing players back onto the field. And too often the players themselves are not reporting head trauma, brain injury, nausea or even dizziness, with team spirit giving them too much of a “warrior mentality.”

The 1988 Junior USA Cross Country Champion Ray Pugsley was 2009 USAT&F Masters Cross Country runner up at the Championship race in Derwood, Maryland this week. Pugsley, of Potomac River Running, was in the hunt for the National title on the hilly, slippery, icy and muddy course. Colorado’s Simon Gutierrez needed a big kick to pull away from Potomac Falls’ Pugsley to win the men’s 8K in 25:15. The 48-year-old Raymond Pugsley, competing for the Baltimore/Washington Athletic Club ran a close second in 25:20. Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau was not surprised by his friend’s tenacious race, as he has witnessed Pugsley’s tremendous speed and strength up close at local road running races.

Join WABA and the Embassy of Sweden once again in celebrating Sweden’s famed ski race festival by bike! This year’s event takes place Sunday, March 1st, 2009. Last year, Triathlon TrialLawyer Doug Landau and friends from Herndon Virginia met up at the Swedish Embassy, which is located by the Potomac River in Georgetown. It is located in the same lovely spot where the 2007 Nations Triathlon started (remember the “decon tents” !). The course took the riders out of Georgetown and around lovely Potomac Maryland golf courses and neighborhoods. While it was freezing cold, it was a relatively safe course, and the Herndon and Reston area injury and disability lawyer saw no crashes or other bike accidents. Had he really been on his game, this experienced Masters athlete would have packed a hot thermos of tea or cider for the middle of the ride.

This year there will be three different rides for cyclists of all levels and free warm blueberry soup at the end. Last year, the soup in the Embassy, and then exhibits and games added to the wonderful day. The event was free, as was the soup, and there was plenty of parking. Registration and more info coming soon courtesy of the Washington Area Bike Association (WABA) ! You can see pictures from the ride and the post-ride festivities on our posts from the 2008 VASA ride, including Landau getting “seconds” and “tirds” of the famous Swedish HOT blueberry soup !