RE: Unnecessary roughness? Players question NCAA's record on concussions
Injuries in sports are unfortunately part of the game. My father was a HS athletic trainer for 30 years and is actually in the Ohio HS Athletic Trainer Hall of Fame. I remember him asking players if they were hurt or injured, those are two different things. Injured, you're not going back in. If hurt, is it something that can be taped, wrapped, band aided, stretched, etc,, a player can shake it off and continue playing.
He still thanks his lucky stars in 30 years of football games, wrestling matches, soccer, etc. he never had to cart a kid off the field with a serious neck injury, heat stroke, etc. Even now he knows he was lucky. Even as recent as 10 years ago there was no real protocol for head Injuries other than "yes he really got his bell rung," he or she needs to sit out a couple of series. Or maybe follow a pen tip with your eyes. I'm sure he had concussions slip through is radar, but again did the kid just get his bell rung or did he have a concussion? The OHHS Trainers association had a lot to do with setting protocols for coaches and providing training. He self admittedly was on the forefront of hydrating kids in the 70's when coaches were using no water as a motivator, that didn't happen on his watch. He was a big advocate of HS's having a team doctor who would be the real final say in if a kid was going back on the field.
He was in the first wave of official HS athletic trainers who started in the 70's who specialized in looking out for the well being of the kids. Before his group, there would be a coach with a tool box of band aids, maybe an hour or two of first aid training and "rubbing dirt in it" was the best medical advice they could suggest. My dad's group of HS trainers were the first one's pushing for required CPR certification for all coaches, rehabbing injuries, vs just having them play injured. He had a say if the kid was going back into a game. I know he didn't make some coaches happy over the years, but he was an impartial party who didn't care about wins and loses, he was there for the kids. I remember him in the Late 70's and early 80's developing soft casts that other trainers used for kids with broken wrists. They had to submit their design to OHSAA for approval so those kids could play, safely for themselves and others.
I don't envy anyone in the position to make judgment calls on the abilities of youth athletes. Coaches are supposed to motivate, encourage and push you past what you think your limits might be. Yes, some coaches go way over the line, but how many players also attribute that same or similar hard nosed coach for making them push past where they think they could go and being a role model in their lives. We all know W/L also determine occupational status and coaches see it as their job to get the most out of their players. I have young kids who are leaning towards athletics and I cross my fingers they have fun, will continue to have fun and remain injury free. I have no issue with pulling the plug or mincing words with a coach if I think a line has been crossed. My heart goes out to any parent who's lost a child related to a game.
Head injuries are such a moving target and it might be the only time I defend the NCAA. One kid can be a human battering ram and have no issues, another kid might get hit just right and from that point forward be a concussion waiting to happen. Is it the gear, is it the way we teach tackling, is it not having the right protocols in place and then monitoring who's following them? Are the kids just bigger and faster, thus the impacts are larger? It's such a huge issue, especially when a former player might not see the impact until 40 years down the road.
(This post was last modified: 10-31-2014 09:28 AM by emanoh.)
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