The University Interscholastic League’s concussion protocol isn’t up to date with stricter national guidelines and features more relaxed recommendations for how soon athletes should return to play after head injuries.

Over the last eight months, the NFL, NCAA and National Federation of State High School Associations have adopted stricter concussion guidelines to deal with a complex, dangerous injury that often produces more questions than answers.

The UIL has improved concussion management and education since 2004, but troubling issues linger for Texas’ high school athletes, many of whom start football practice this month:

•Unlike guidelines recently adopted by leading concussion experts, the UIL leaves it open for an athlete to return to play on the same day if the athlete hasn’t lost consciousness and concussion symptoms are resolved within 15 minutes.

•Like its heat guidelines, the UIL concussion protocol is merely a set of recommendations and isn’t policed.

•Fifty-three percent of public schools in Texas and about 92 percent of private schools don’t have a full-time certified athletic trainer on staff. Additionally, 33 percent of public schools in Texas (mostly at the Class A and 2A levels) and 87 percent of private schools don’t even have weekly access to a certified athletic trainer.

•UIL athletes must fill out a medical history form each year before competing in athletic activities. The forms feature questions that don’t always deliver in determining concussion history. National experts say that about half of all concussions go unreported, and therefore undiagnosed and untreated.

Kevin Guskiewicz, director of the Sports-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina and one of the nation’s leading concussion experts, said the UIL’s concussion protocol “needs to be more stringent” regarding return to play.

Guskiewicz led a 2003 study that found that 33 percent of college football players who returned to play on the same day they suffered a concussion in a game developed symptoms three hours after the game ended.

“My question back to whoever is making that [UIL] policy is, ‘Are you sure that the athletic trainers or the team physicians who are making that decision to return within 15 minutes have the tools in place to really ensure that they have not had a concussion?’ ” he said.

“If they have had a concussion, there’s no question that they should not return to play on the same day. If the issue is, ‘Well, they appear to be a little dazed and there is nothing else showing up and we don’t believe that they’ve had a concussion,’ they better be sure that they have objective tests to validate that diagnosis or nondiagnosis and that return-to-play decision. You should always err on the side of caution.”

Risks of concussions

In 2004, the Dallas-based National Athletic Trainers’ Association released its position statement on sports-related concussions. The UIL implemented its concussion protocol for the 2004-05 school year as “suggested guidelines for management of head trauma in sports.” UIL policy director Mark Cousins said the UIL adopted its protocol from the Brain Injury Association of America.

“Even though schools have their own material they use and develop it on the local level, as long as it works in conjunction with this protocol, we feel like we’ve been able to provide our coaches with a consistent way that it should be handled,” Cousins said. “It’s something that we continue to look at and study the new trends that are coming, but we feel like we’re in a pretty good place of making people aware of head injuries.”

Athletes can suffer permanent brain damage from repeated concussions, even minor ones, and youths often take more time to recover from a concussion than adults because their brains are still developing. Under second-impact syndrome, a second blow to the head – even a seemingly mild one – before a first has healed can lead to death.

Tamara C. Valovich McLeod, a leading national concussion expert, said that a victim is at risk for future concussions, and that for each one symptoms seem to linger longer and recovery time lengthens. McLeod, an associate professor at A.T. Still University in Arizona, said that if the first concussion is treated appropriately, a second one is easier to treat.

“We’re dealing with high school kids who, if you tell someone, you might not be able to play,” McLeod said. “I understand the position you’re in because playing Friday night is the most important thing to them. But if you don’t tell someone, you’re going to have prolonged symptoms and you may be out for the season.”

Cousins said that Texas schools’ lack of athletic trainers often leaves medical decisions in coaches’ hands.

Most Class 5A and 4A schools have at least one certified athletic trainer on staff, but 3A and smaller schools often don’t. Almost always, a certified athletic trainer is present at a UIL football game, but practices frequently go on without a medical professional on the sidelines.

“So if they don’t have an athletic trainer, the coaches are making those decisions sometimes,” Cousins said, “and we have to make sure the coaches are educated enough to make the right decision and know the right protocol.”

In 2007, the Legislature passed “Will’s Bill,” which requires every UIL school employee connected to athletics to take an annual safety training program, including head injury treatment. Texas was the first state to pass such a law. The law was named for Will Benson, an Austin high school quarterback who died after a head injury.

“That’s something that’s been really helpful. It makes them more aware of the information and what’s going on,” Cousins said of the bill.

UIL protocol criticized

Cedar Hill football coach Joey McGuire took his annual test in late June. McGuire, who has two full-time athletic trainers on staff, said he believes the UIL is doing enough to educate coaches about concussions.

“They are taking more and more steps,” McGuire said. “The things that are happening are because there are more studies being done and it’s in the public more.”

Bucky Taylor has been one of the state’s most educated high school athletic trainers with regard to concussions. Taylor, who recently retired after 36 years as Mesquite High School’s athletic trainer, said he believes that more than half of UIL schools don’t follow the concussions protocol.

“With TAKS and this and that and No Child Left Behind and all this other stuff they have to deal with, some of this stuff just doesn’t get read or told to them,” Taylor said.

He also said that the protocol doesn’t have “any teeth to it.”

“If I’m a coach at X-Y-Z High School and I put a kid back in a game, who is going to stop me and who is going to punish me?” Taylor said. “The policing of rules is a big deal. The UIL really has no police authority.”

Several area districts, including Mesquite and Dallas, have developed their own concussion management policies. Athletic trainers use a variety of cognitive testing tools to diagnose a concussion.

McLeod said every athletic trainer should use a SCAT2 card, a tool developed in 2008 by a group of international experts meeting in Zurich, Switzerland. The card, which can be downloaded from the Internet at no charge, standardizes treatment and follows the most up-to-date recommendations, known as the Zurich Consensus.

An estimated 130,000 high school athletes in the U.S. annually suffer concussions.

Andrew Ahfeld suffered one his junior year playing on the defensive line for Frisco Centennial. Ahfeld, who graduated in May, recalled getting “nailed” on a helmet-to-helmet hit.

“You couldn’t really get your legs underneath you,” Ahfeld said.

Athletic trainers gave him three words – banana, paper and pencil. Twenty minutes later, when asked, Ahfeld couldn’t recall the words. The trainers took away his pads and helmet. He was sidelined for two weeks.

In his senior year, Ahfeld “saw stars” after some collisions, something that he said he never mentioned to athletic trainers.

“Everyone gets that,” Ahfeld said.

Travoy McCarver, a wide receiver at Fort Worth Paschal, was knocked out during a game last year. Forced to miss nine days, including a game, the senior chafed while others practiced and played.

After sitting out practices, McCarver would return to the school and run or do drills without the athletic trainers’ knowledge.

“I was mad that I couldn’t practice,” he said.

A concussion history

Concussions account for nearly one in 10 sports injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the number is probably much greater.

A 2004 study in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine found that only 47 percent of all concussions in high school football were being reported.

Reasons for underreporting can vary from an unawareness of what a concussion is to ignoring the issue so that playing time isn’t lost.

“The problem with that is if 50 percent of the athletes are not reporting concussions, they may continue to play and then they could get hit again,” McLeod said, “and get in a situation with second-impact syndrome, and it could be a catastrophic event.”

Before UIL students can participate in sports each year, the students and their parents or guardians must complete a physical evaluation of medical history form.

The form’s questions are designed to determine if the student has developed any condition that would make it hazardous to play sports.

According to the Zurich Consensus, “A structured concussion history should include specific questions as to previous symptoms of a concussion, not just the perceived number of past concussions.”

Texas’ form is vague, asking “Have you ever had a head injury or concussion?”; “Have you ever been knocked out, become unconscious, or lost your memory?”; and “If yes, how many times?” The form also asks “When was the last concussion?” and “How severe was each one?”

“With those types of questions, you miss a lot of concussion history,” McLeod said.

Most students and parents view a concussion as being knocked out and are likely to answer “no” if the child has never lost consciousness. Less than 10 percent of athletes who suffer concussions lose consciousness.

Missed concussions

In 2008, McLeod surveyed about 500 Virginia high school athletes, asking them a series of questions – both specific and broad – to determine their concussion history. She found that 8.5 percent reported having suffered a concussion and 3.8 percent reported having been “knocked out” while playing sports, but 25 percent said they had been “dinged” or had their “bell rung” and 55 percent said they had suffered concussion symptoms, such as headaches, vomiting or memory loss, after a head injury.

Generally, the colloquial terms “dinged” and “bell rung” should not be used to describe a concussion, McLeod said, because they diminish the injury’s seriousness. But the terms can be useful in fishing for an athlete’s concussion history.

Through her research, McLeod helped make the concussion history questions on Arizona’s medical history forms more wide-ranging. Texas’ form is evaluated annually by a UIL committee.

“We wanted to see how they responded depending on how we phrased the question,” McLeod said. “We saw that it really makes the difference in how you ask the question.”

The overriding theme of concussion management, Taylor said, is to err on the side of caution and take a team effort to identify and treat the injury.

“We make decisions so these youngsters can live long, productive lives and they don’t have dementia when they’re 45 or shaking when they’re 45,” Taylor said. “I like the motto of, ‘When in doubt, keep them out.’ After all, these are kids’ lives we’re talking about.”

Staff writer Mark Dent contributed to this report.

Playing football requires a great amount of skill, but being a great football player requires much more, athleticism.  A great football player, no matter what position he plays, must have speed, agility, power, and strength.  For many players, it takes aggressive training to attain the superior levels of athleticism to compete at high school and college levels.  That means finding new ways to train muscles to fire and explode at the appropriates times on the field to make those key plays both offensively and defensively.

We are constantly searching and researching for ways to help our sons improve their level of athleticism on the football field.  Most importantly, because they are still young, we have to find methods that are safe for their bodies so that they can receive all the benefits without any of the negative consequences of overworking their muscles or burning their desire to strive to get better.

Our oldest son is our offensive lineman.  Over the years, he has played as a lineman either offensively or defensively with some very talented boys.  Unfortunately, the “big boys” of the team have a stigma attached to the term “lineman.”  And, that is that they are unhealthy, overweight, slow-moving players.  We decided that we did not want our son to view himself in that manner, so we have worked very hard to teach him the difference between unhealthy and healthy. 
It is possible to be a “big lineman” who is very healthy, very fast, agile, and full of power and strength.  This is accomplished through some very aggressive workouts that he chooses to do in order to be the best player he can be.

We change his workouts every so often so that his muscles are consistently being challenged and to prevent boredom.  We found this video and have used in a modified way many of the exercises that are demonstrated.  Our son has found them to be very effective and enjoys the opportunity to challenge his body to try new strength moves.  He found that his abdominal muscles were very sore the first few days that he began these exercises.  His abdominal muscles are probably the weakest muscle group on his body right now because he likes to focus on his arms and legs.  It’s not always easy to convince a young player that his core is an important area, if not the most important, to maintain.

So, for that we will continue our search for the most effective abdominal exercises and keep building strength, agility, power, and speed.

I feel that intense beating in my heart
And I know it is time for #46 to do his part.

Every single heartbeat pulses like seconds on the clock
Stirring my mind and body to get ready for the block.

The impending battle is about to begin
Time to focus on how to win.

I remind myself that fear is not an option, not today.
I’m here to play, I’m here to stay.

So, with piercing eyes, I look across that line
To let my opponent know that this day is mine.

With a swift swoosh of the football, I make the snap
And it lands perfectly in the hands of my quarterback.

While I block my defender with all my might,
the quarterback hands off the ball and I continue the fight.

Down the field, #9 carries the ball
Into the end zone, it is a 6 point victory for all.

I have won this round, but the game continues.
I have to work hard, I just can’t lose.

Today is not the day I will let down my band of brothers.
I will protect them like no others.

Today is not the day I will not let down my coach.
I will not allow the defense to encroach.

Today is not the day I will let down myself.
If I don’t do this for me, then there is no one else.

Today is the day I will live my passion, my dream.
GA Giants, that’s my team!

by Nico Russolillo

Fury v Express 4-03-2010

Fury vs Thunder 4-29-10

Not only will parents be able to walk away with a completed identification card of their child, but children will have the opportunity to meet Cell Phone Sally and McGruff the Crime Dog. There will also be a storyteller, face painting, and free snacks and drinks. The fair is an excellent opportunity for parents and children to meet police department personnel in a friendly and fun environment.

The Fingerprint Fair is being hosted by the Frisco Police Department’s Communications and Community Services Divisions and is aimed at achieving public service through cooperation, education, and community service.

For more information about this event, call the Community Services Division at 972.292.6145 or email Services@FriscoTexas.gov.

Road to redemption: Most Americans knew little about the nation’s dog-fighting subculture until Vick’s case. The magnitude of the animal cruelty shocked the public. He served 18 months in prison and lost his $130 million contract and millions more in endorsements. He fell into bankruptcy. When the NFL allowed him to resume his career — over the protest of animal rights activists — he started over as a backup for the Eagles. He took all the requisite PR steps, expressing remorse in the media (most notably his “60 Minutes” interview) and participating in charitable causes.

Outcome: Minimal redemption. After one season as a low-profile reserve, he’s eager to assume a starting role. Public outrage over his case has subsided, but he must accomplish much more, and more and more on and off the field to regain full popularity.

Barry Bonds, never really liked baseball, but I liked his style, until rumors surfaced about his steroids abuse, what a looser! Alleged, yea alleged! steroid abuse, perjury!

Road to redemption: The BALCO steroid distribution case implicated Bonds, Jason Giambi, Marion Jones, Bill Romanowski and other athletes as abusers. In the face of substantial evidence, Bonds denied he knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. Federal investigators didn’t buy his story, and Bonds was later indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice. That case is still pending.

Outcome: No redemption. He became baseball’s all-time career home run leader, but finished his career with the steroid cloud over his head. He hoped to continue playing, but no team offered him a contract. Some Giants fans seem willing to forgive his alleged PED abuse, but he remains an outcast in the sport, as he should be!

Ray Lewis, great linebacker he was Charged with double murder. Apparently, he just hang around with the wrong croud, most of the times that is enough to get you in big trouble!

Road to redemption: Lewis copped a plea to obstructing a police investigation, agreeing to testify against his cohorts in their trial for stabbing two men in a 2000 nightclub brawl. Lewis plowed on with his career as middle linebacker of the Baltimore Ravens, leading the NFL in tackles the next season. The league honored him as its Defensive Player of the Year. He led the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV and was named the game’s MVP. He’s been named to the Pro Bowl 11 times and is regarded as one the best team leaders the league’s ever seen.

Outcome: Full redemption. He’s expressed regret over the death of the two stabbing victims, but also anger over his prosecution. After this ordeal, he became more active in Baltimore charities and churches. In time, he regained his commercial viability, too.

Concerned about concussions, Goodell said the league will keep looking for ways to make the game safer. Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation” hours before the Super Bowl, he didn’t rule out the idea of banning the three-point stance for linemen to reduce the ferocity of collisions at the line of scrimmage.

“As you’ll see tonight, you’ll see a lot of players that never get down in a three-point stance,” Goodell said yesterday. “So it’s possible that would happen.”

While science is still trying to determine the long-term effects of concussions, Goodell said, the league has made progress in increasing awareness about the severity of such injuries.

“For many years the culture had been quite different – that concussions weren’t serious injuries,” he said. “I think we have changed that culture and made sure that people understand they are serious, and they can have serious consequences if they’re not treated properly.”

Goodell has met with NFL competition committee co-chair Rich McKay to begin evaluating possible rules changes.

Another priority for Goodell is the league’s stalled labor negotiations. He predicted players’ salaries will still grow under a new agreement, even if their share of revenue is reduced as owners have proposed.

Goodell said the owners need more money to cover rising costs for international ventures and infrastructure projects such as new stadiums.

“You have to invest in these stadiums that we’re in today,” the commissioner said. “You need to find new ways of creating revenue, whether it’s international or otherwise. And that takes investment. And we need to make sure that the owners have the capital to be able to do that. And then the pie grows, and everyone benefits.”

The union has said management wants players to reduce their share to 41 percent of applied revenues from about 59 percent. Goodell counters that of the $3.6 billion in incremental revenues since 2006, players received $2.6 billion.

“We want to structure something that really is going to lead us into the next decade in a way that’s constructive, so the players benefit, the teams benefit, and most of all, the game,” Goodell said.

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I shared this same story with our oldest son who is almost 12.  He has been fortunate to play on teams that have adequate funding and to play in leagues that have beautiful turf fields in stadium settings.  However, this year, his select team played in a different league which gave his team the opportunity to travel throughout the metroplex.  He played on many different fields, some of which were full of weeds and ant hills, some of which were torn up and muddy from recent rains, and some of which were state of the art.  Some of teams we played including our own team arrived in custom made jerseys with head to toe Under Armour and some teams wore ripped socks, overused cleats, and equipment that had been obviously passed down.

Regardless of the field conditions, or the economic background of the players, or the uniforms they wore, there was one thing each team had in common.  Every player from every team came on the field and played with heart.  This Good Morning America story about the Trona High School Football team reminded me about how important it is to remind my children to play with heart.  Because, in the end, it’s not about the fancy uniforms, the expensive gear, or the perfectly groomed fields.  It’s about playing with heart.

We will be playing with heart this upcoming weekend in a 7/8 year tackle tournament and an 11/12 year tackle select football state championship game.  Go Fury!  Go GA Giants!  Let’s bring it home!