National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell has implemented a new head injury standard for all NFL players. Goodell’s policy states that a player who gets a concussion should not return to action on the same day if he shows certain symptoms such as persistent dizziness and headaches, a gap in memory or the inability to remember plays.

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But what happens when not remembering plays translates to not remembering how to do homework or failure to recall basic math formulas?

 

While high profile NFL players, such as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, are being sidelined due to traumatic brain injuries, the question of how are high school athletes being protected emerges.

Throughout the fall season, five LHS athletes suffered from some form of a concussion. When this occurs, athletic trainers follow very precise protocol. 

 

“Basically, they get removed from play and we monitor their symptoms. It depends on the severity, but normally they see a doctor and potentially get an impact test,” Todd Smith, certified athletic trainer, said.

 

Following an on-site examination of the athlete, he or she is typically diagnosed with avoiding contact for a week, depending on symptoms. While these first time head traumas are usually regarded as ‘minor’ injuries, they can have implications far beyond having to sit out from sports for a few weeks. Center Austin Appel received a concussion in the Sept. 5 football game against WHS and was sidelined for 4 weeks.

 

“I had headaches constantly, [and] everything was cloudy,” Appel said. “You feel like you are acting normal, but looking back on it I was definitely not myself.”

 

Fortunately, many athletes, such as Appel, are able to rest for a few weeks and then compete again.

However, alarming numbers of high school athletes nationwide are facing more serious trauma. Whether it is the athlete’s second concussion or just a severe first incident, these athletes are suffering from intensified confusion, headaches, dizziness, nausea, mood disturbance and slow speech.

 

Sophomore quarterback Alex Schultz received his second concussion in one year Sept. 5 when competing against the WHS Warriors.

 

“You don’t really feel concussions,” Schultz said. “I couldn’t remember things. You get really emotional, I would cry for no reason.”

 

Schultz, who was expected to be one of the Patriot’s most crucial playmakers, suddenly found himself sidelined for the remainder of the season. As frustrating as the season was, he recognizes the severity of his injuries, and the potential dangers of a third concussion.

 

“[Another concussion] could create problems beyond sports,” he said. “I wanted to get in, but I was scared, and you shouldn’t be scared when you play football.”

 

Of the sports with high incidence of concussions, including ice hockey, boxing, rugby and soccer, football concussions are the most common amongst high school athletes. However, that does not mean head injuries are limited to the gridiron.

 

Sophomore basketball player Mal Wencil sustained a serious brain injury during her freshman year basketball season when she dove for a rebound and an opponent landed on her. Wencil was not immediately aware that she was suffering from a concussion.

 

“I didn’t realize it during the game, I thought it would just go away after a good night’s sleep,” Wencil said.

 

However, ten days following the impact Wencil passed out at practice during sprints. She then knew something was up and went to the doctor and took an impact test, where they discovered she was suffering from severe head trauma. She was pulled out of school for three weeks and laid in the dark and listened to music.

 

This fall Wencil attempted to play soccer, but she was only able to compete for half of the season.

 

“I tried to play soccer, but I started failing my classes due to memory problems again this fall. A teacher emailed my parents and I went back to the doctor,” she said.

 

Since her fall season relapse, Wencil has been trying to work her way back into basketball.

 

“Sports are my life and I hate sitting [out],” she said. “I started failing my classes but I didn’t want to tell because I wanted to keep playing.”

 

There is not uniform agreement on how to manage concussions, but any loss of consciousness or any persistent symptoms after 15 minutes usually result in a trip the emergency room. But what about cases like Wencil’s? With life-threatening implications of head injuries easily flying under the radar, what is being done to protect these athletes?

 

“The worst thing about it is the only way to tell if a person has a concussion is if they tell us,” Smith said. “There are other things we try to look for. Unfortunately there isn’t a whole lot you can do in terms of prevention.”

Could increasing numbers of athletes experiencing head trauma eventually lead to a policy such as the one implanted by Goodell being common place in high schools across America?

 

“I think it would be good if they made a policy for high school athletics because it would protect young athletes’ futures,” Schultz said.

 

If a new policy in SD athletics was to form, many hope the policymakers would not only treat the kids as athletes, but also as students.

 

“Most student athletes don’t make it to the collegiate level, let alone the pro’s where they could make a living out of their talent,” head football coach Aaron Beavers said. “It is important to remember that these kids have their futures ahead of them. We must cater to and prevent head injuries.” 

But what happens when not remembering plays translates to not remembering how to do homework or failure to recall basic math formulas?

 

While high profile NFL players, such as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, are being sidelined due to traumatic brain injuries, the question of how are high school athletes being protected emerges.

Throughout the fall season, five LHS athletes suffered from some form of a concussion. When this occurs, athletic trainers follow very precise protocol. 

 

“Basically, they get removed from play and we monitor their symptoms. It depends on the severity, but normally they see a doctor and potentially get an impact test,” Todd Smith, certified athletic trainer, said.

 

Following an on-site examination of the athlete, he or she is typically diagnosed with avoiding contact for a week, depending on symptoms. While these first time head traumas are usually regarded as ‘minor’ injuries, they can have implications far beyond having to sit out from sports for a few weeks. Center Austin Appel received a concussion in the Sept. 5 football game against WHS and was sidelined for 4 weeks.

 

“I had headaches constantly, [and] everything was cloudy,” Appel said. “You feel like you are acting normal, but looking back on it I was definitely not myself.”

 

Fortunately, many athletes, such as Appel, are able to rest for a few weeks and then compete again.

However, alarming numbers of high school athletes nationwide are facing more serious trauma. Whether it is the athlete’s second concussion or just a severe first incident, these athletes are suffering from intensified confusion, headaches, dizziness, nausea, mood disturbance and slow speech.

 

Sophomore quarterback Alex Schultz received his second concussion in one year Sept. 5 when competing against the WHS Warriors.

 

“You don’t really feel concussions,” Schultz said. “I couldn’t remember things. You get really emotional, I would cry for no reason.”

 

Schultz, who was expected to be one of the Patriot’s most crucial playmakers, suddenly found himself sidelined for the remainder of the season. As frustrating as the season was, he recognizes the severity of his injuries, and the potential dangers of a third concussion.

 

“[Another concussion] could create problems beyond sports,” he said. “I wanted to get in, but I was scared, and you shouldn’t be scared when you play football.”

 

Of the sports with high incidence of concussions, including ice hockey, boxing, rugby and soccer, football concussions are the most common amongst high school athletes. However, that does not mean head injuries are limited to the gridiron.

 

Sophomore basketball player Mal Wencil sustained a serious brain injury during her freshman year basketball season when she dove for a rebound and an opponent landed on her. Wencil was not immediately aware that she was suffering from a concussion.

 

“I didn’t realize it during the game, I thought it would just go away after a good night’s sleep,” Wencil said.

 

However, ten days following the impact Wencil passed out at practice during sprints. She then knew something was up and went to the doctor and took an impact test, where they discovered she was suffering from severe head trauma. She was pulled out of school for three weeks and laid in the dark and listened to music.

 

This fall Wencil attempted to play soccer, but she was only able to compete for half of the season.

 

“I tried to play soccer, but I started failing my classes due to memory problems again this fall. A teacher emailed my parents and I went back to the doctor,” she said.

 

Since her fall season relapse, Wencil has been trying to work her way back into basketball.

 

“Sports are my life and I hate sitting [out],” she said. “I started failing my classes but I didn’t want to tell because I wanted to keep playing.”

 

There is not uniform agreement on how to manage concussions, but any loss of consciousness or any persistent symptoms after 15 minutes usually result in a trip the emergency room. But what about cases like Wencil’s? With life-threatening implications of head injuries easily flying under the radar, what is being done to protect these athletes?

 

“The worst thing about it is the only way to tell if a person has a concussion is if they tell us,” Smith said. “There are other things we try to look for. Unfortunately there isn’t a whole lot you can do in terms of prevention.”

Could increasing numbers of athletes experiencing head trauma eventually lead to a policy such as the one implanted by Goodell being common place in high schools across America?

 

“I think it would be good if they made a policy for high school athletics because it would protect young athletes’ futures,” Schultz said.

 

If a new policy in SD athletics was to form, many hope the policymakers would not only treat the kids as athletes, but also as students.

 

“Most student athletes don’t make it to the collegiate level, let alone the pro’s where they could make a living out of their talent,” head football coach Aaron Beavers said. “It is important to remember that these kids have their futures ahead of them. We must cater to and prevent head injuries.”