Let’s face it: the winter sports we will be seeing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics are fun but sometimes come at a cost. We’ve teamed up with the Children’s Hospital to give you some tips on avoiding injuries and staying healthy!

Snow Sports and head injuries

* The National Ski Areas Association says in a new report nearly half of all skiers and snowboarders in the United States wear helmets, up from 25 percent in the 2002-2003 ski season. Helmets are selling at a record pace this season, according to a trade association. The largest percentage of helmet users are children and teens.

* The Children’s Hospital knows first-hand how important wearing a helmet in snow sports can be. The hospital works with patients who have suffered concussions and head injuries, and has the expertise to talk about the wearing helmets during snow sports, and any other sport activities.

Obesity and athletes

* Gold medal hopeful Lindsey Vonn has been called overweight by her competitors on the ski racing circuit. She’s fighting back, saying “I pride myself on how hard I work out and how physically fit I am. For them to say that was extremely aggravating.”

* The Children’s Hospital can highlight weight issues among teens and offer some winter exercise tips and eating tips by experts at The Children’s Hospital.

Teens and performance enhancing drugs

* Whether it’s cross-country skiers using blood-boosting drugs to build endurance or hockey players taking steroids to recover from injuries, any athletes planning to cheat at the Vancouver Olympics will have to beat the most stringent anti-doping net in Winter Games history.

* The Children’s Hospital doctors offer some implications for teens wanting to use performance enhancing drugs, sports supplements and even power drinks. You could focus on how being a star athlete means training the healthy way: eating the right foods, practicing, and strength training without the use of harmful supplements or drugs.

Winter Olympics injury experts

* Every Olympics we see athletes push the limits and end up getting hurt. The Mayo clinic has already sent out a release positioning itself as the source for everything having to do with injuries that occur during the Games, and Children’s can be more focused on teens and injuries.

* The Children’s Hospital can provide experts to discuss numerous sports injuries for children and teens. This would include concussions, performance enhancing drugs, sports psychology and joint injuries.