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Data Show Hard Hits to Youth Helmets

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An F-16 pilot may "pull" 9 g while maneuvering at 45,000 feet; a race car driver might feel 5 g in the second it takes to go from zero to 100 miles per hour.

According to new data, 7- and 8-year-olds are taking helmet hits in the range of 50-70 g in some cases, greater than those experienced by college football players.

G-forces are the measurement of a force acting on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity. In layman's terms, the higher the g-force, the greater the impact.

In the first study of its kind, researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University installed accelerometers inside the helmets of several youth players on the Auburn Eagles team in Montgomery County, Virginia.

“We’re finding that, surprisingly, these kids are getting hit harder than we originally thought,” said Ray Daniel, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at the university.

“In terms of measurements, these kids are seeing around 30 to 50 g, and the average impact for a college player is about 26 g. We didn’t exactly expect to see 7- and 8-year-olds get college-level hits,” according to Medill Reports.

"Because the study began this fall, Daniel said it’s too early to determine precisely what impact is too great for a child to bear, particularly given that each player has a different threshold. However, he said researchers have found no data suggesting the Eagles are at concussion-level impact."

Measurements including direction and magnitude of the impacts are transmitted wirelessly to a sideline system staffed by researchers. The study will continue until the end of the team's season. Formal results are scheduled to be published in the spring of 2012.

Full story

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Axon/Korrio Team Up for Soccer Concussions

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Korrio Teams Up With Axon Sports to Raise Awareness about Concussion Risk in Youth Soccer

Leading sports automation platform provider partners with innovator in online concussion management tools to educate soccer community on the importance of concussion management and need for baseline testing

SEATTLE, WA (October 18, 2011) – Korrio (korrio.com), developer of the 21st-century sports automation platform Playflow™, announced a partnership today with Axon Sports (axonsports.com), providers of the Computerized Cognitive Assessment Tool (CCAT), a breakthrough testing system used by athletes and their families to assist medical providers in providing care after suspected concussions and making critical return-to-play decisions.

The companies will collaborate to raise awareness about the dangers of concussions in youth soccer and address teams’ growing interest in implementing proactive concussion management plans. They will also explore ways to integrate baseline testing through Axon Sports CCAT on Korrio’s Playflow sports automation platform.

Concussion management has become more prevalent in youth sports in recent years, as more states consider mandating new protocols and guidelines in an effort to more effectively identify and treat brain injuries. One element of an effective concussion management plan is baseline testing that measures an athlete’s cognitive brain function. Using the Axon Sports CCAT, athletes take a baseline test prior to the season, which records their brain speed and accuracy. The results are used for comparison in the event of a suspected concussion or traumatic brain injury. Such test results are a useful tool for medical providers to consult as they evaluate injuries and administer treatment.

“Industry-wide adoption of concussion management plans for youth soccer teams is still in a nascent stage and both Korrio and Axon Sports view this partnership as an exciting first step to help accelerate the process,” said Steve Goldman, Korrio CEO. “In the coming months, Korrio and Axon Sports will work with others in the youth soccer community on this important issue and explore ways to make baseline testing a standard part of the registration process. This will offer parents peace of mind, knowing they have taken an essential step in protecting the health and safety of their young athlete.”

One in 10 athletes will suffer a concussion this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The actual number is likely much higher, as many concussions continue to go unrecognized and undiagnosed. A concussion is defined as a brain injury caused by traumatic force and can be characterized by headaches, a dazed feeling, blurry vision and dizziness.

“Axon Sports has developed a very simple web-based concussion management tool for youth sports, enabling baseline testing that is quick, easy and affordable,” Axon Sports President and CEO Polly James said. “We look forward to working with Korrio on ways to support clubs and teams that embrace best-practice concussion management planning, while also making online baseline concussion testing more readily available to the youth soccer community.”

Korrio, whose Playflow platform allows youth soccer leagues and clubs to manage all aspects of team operations – from registration and payments to team rosters and scheduling – recognizes the seriousness of concussions. It plans to post relevant information on its website and use its communication channels to educate parents, players and coaches about concussion management, testing and warning signs. For coaches, it’s crucial to learn the symptoms of such head injuries in order to remove hurt players from the game.

“In the coming months, Korrio and Axon Sports will explore the feasibility of integrating Axon Sports baseline testing into Korrio’s Playflow sports automation platform,” Goldman continued. “We believe Playflow’s family-centric social networking capabilities in the youth soccer community can serve as a great tool for medical education and sharing information about concussion risks and management.”

About Axon Sports

Axon Sports provides the Axon Sports Computerized Cognitive Assessment Tool (CCAT) as well as educational resources on a wide range of topics surrounding its proper use within an overall concussion management program. Together with athletes, parents, coaches, athletic trainers and doctors, Axon Sports is on a mission to protect and train the athletic brain. To learn more or preview a sample test, visit axonsports.com.

About Korrio

Korrio, founded in January 2009, is the developer of Playflow™, a 21st-century youth sports automation platform. Korrio has a singular focus on kids and sports. The company’s mission is to transform the sports experience and elevate the level at which sports are played by automating the things that get in the way — like registration/payment, team formation, rosters, scheduling, communication, and web hosting. Korrio is easy, safe, integrated, and mobile. Visit us online at korrio.com and watch our Korrio video to learn how to elevate your game.

Source: Press Release

Korrio Contact: Axon Sports contact:

John Gates/Mark Baizen Gretchen Nuckles

Elevate Communications Vice President of Marketing

617-861-3651/3680 Axon Sports

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 715-848-1024

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Twitter: @johngates and @mbaizen

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Football Player Dies in NY; Autopsy Complete

. Posted in Featured Articles

UPDATE: Ridge Barden, 16, a high school football player in upstate New York, died Friday night after suffering a head injury during a game. His father Jody said autopsy results indicate his son died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He said the coroner's report did not find any other damage to his head, according to the New York Times.

"...after two years on the junior varsity, the junior Barden got his chance: Friday, the team’s final game of the regular season, was Barden’s first career start at the varsity level.

'He was definitely excited about that, that the coaches finally were giving him his first start,' Jody Barden said. 'I remember he told me ‘I’m going to start and play the whole game as long as I don’t make any mistakes.'

How could a ceremonious moment turn to terrible? How could a 6-foot-1, 235-pound teenager — a seemingly healthy 16-year-old with no previous head injury history — be lost on what appeared a harmless football play?" asked the New York Times.

"'The coaches and trainers went over. He was talking. He rolled on his back by himself,” said Phoenix School District Superintendent Judy Belfield. The boy was able to sit up after the play, but he complained of a very bad headache and collapsed when he tried to stand, she said.

An ambulance took him to a hospital, and he was being transferred to a larger medical center in Syracuse when his condition deteriorated, Belfield said. The ambulance turned around, but doctors were unable to save the student’s life," according to the Washington Post.

All Phoenix School District football helmets are reconditioned every year, Belfield said.

New York's concussion law, signed by Governor Cuomo in September, 2011, takes effect in July 2012.

Full story New York Times 10/16/11

Full story Washington Post 10/15/11

Questions/comments? Contact Jean Rickerson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Hospitals Put Athletic Trainers on the Field

. Posted in Featured Articles

The ultimate goal of many medical professionals who research concussions is to have a certified, or licensed athletic trainer (LAT) present at every game and practice. But for school districts struggling to maintain their financial status quo amid the threat of deep cuts, LATs are often viewed as a luxury.
That's a mistake, according to Kevin Guskiewicz, the Director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at UNC Chapel Hill, who recently told a North Carolina High School Athletic Association committee that schools should consider not fielding teams in football, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls soccer and wrestling until a school system had enough money to hire a licensed athletic trainer, according to the newsobserver.com.
For the past several years, several groups in North Carolina have been particularly aggressive in promoting the use of LATs on a wide scale. In 2009, a bill sponsored by Senators Hoyle and Davis required the employment of licensed athletic trainers at all North Carolina high schools and included a funding measure in excess of $21 million each year. That bill did not pass.
But this year's legislation did.
Forsyth County was thrust front and center of the concussion issue in 2008 when sophomore Matthew Gfeller died during a his first varsity football game from a single blow to the head. A few weeks later in neighboring Pitt County, junior Jacquan Waller died after suffering a concussion during football practice, and another during a game two days later.
The two student-athletes were honored together in June, 2011 when Governor Bev Perdue signed the Gfeller-Waller Concussion Awareness Act. Like most state laws, it calls for the removal of players who are suspected of having suffered a concussion from a practice or games, requires written medical authorization for return to play, and education for coaches, parents and athletes.
Unlike others, the North Carolina law also requires school districts to develop emergency actions plans that must be approved by a medical professional and the school principal.
No mention of athletic trainers in the law, but that has not deterred the effort to bring these allied health professionals to the frontlines.
Facing a sluggish economy and financially-strapped schools, supporters of LATs at the schools found a new frontier. While North Carolina still lags the average -- only 42% of high schools nationwide employ athletic trainers -- there are school districts in North Carolina that boast a 100% success rate.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, including R.J. Reynolds High School where Matthew Gfeller's was a student, has partnered with Wake Forest Baptist Health (WFBH) and Forsyth Medical Center to bring full-time licensed athletic trainers to all twelve high schools, according to Dr. Heath Thornton, Assistant Professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine and Medical Director of WFBH's high school outreach program.
Dr. Thornton is a member of a county committee that oversees the LATs who cover every game and practice at no cost to the school. Each hospital will pay the LATs' salaries, as well as provide supplies needed to care for each team. The program will cost between $750,000 and $1 million.
In addition to their on-field responsibilities, the LATs also administer ImPACT, the computerized neuropsychological (baseline) concussion test that is offered to all district athletes.
"We're hoping that this model system we're developing at the high school level will trickle down to youth sports," said Dr. Thornton.
Gulford County high schools all have certified athletic trainers paid for by the school district. Davidson County has two certified athletic trainers that cover six high schools, according to WFMY.com.
Questions/comments? Contact Jean Rickerson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Idaho Football Player Has Brain Surgery

. Posted in Featured Articles

At the end of September, Bobby Clark was enjoying high school football in northern Idaho. Today, he is at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, fighting for his life after suffering a brain injury during a game. This is Bobby's Story from his CaringBridge.org page:

"Bobby Clark, Priest River Spartan #52, was injured Sept. 30, 2011 in a home football game. We don't know exactly what happened, only that it DID happen in that game, and not prior. He has been in a coma since he collapsed coming off the field, and it is NOT medically induced. He was airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center, and underwent emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. He is fighting hard, but he has a very, very long road ahead of him, and we are hoping with all we have that he is going to get better. All we can do is wait and hope."

According to KXLY.com, nine of the forty-three football players on the Priest River Lamanna High School football team have been sidelined with concussions so far this season. For some, the timetable for return is unknown. The Junior Varsity football team has had to cancel this week's game due to a shortage of healthy players. Superintendent Michael McGuire says there's not enough funding to purchase new helmets for all players, but one-third are reconditioned every year. He told KXLY.com if the problem persists, future games may be cancelled.

Clark's latest MRI showed some improvement, and he remains sedated under a cooling blanket, according to his mother's journal on CaringBridge.org.

Sign Bobby Clarks' Guestbook at CaringBridge.org

Questions/comments? Contact Jean Rickerson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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