MOORE — On the first day of practice, the Southmoore players found themselves in the middle of a lecture. Not on reading defenses or which goaline package to run on third down.
The SaberCats were learning the proper way to wear their mouthpieces.
While it’s something kids are taught in youth league, as part of the state’s crackdown on dealing with concussions, the SaberCat’s coaching staff were not taking any chances.
“I think that it’s extremely important,” Southmoore coach Chris Jensen said. “It’s something we have done in the past. But now there is law pushing for everyone across the state to do the same thing. The kids safety is a primary concern. I don’t think until they realize the repercussions for them being lax on that that they actually take those seriously.”
The law is Senate Bill 1700, and it requires each Oklahoma school district board of education to work in cooperation with the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association in developing guidelines, pertinent information sheets and forms to inform and educate coaches, youth athletes, and their parents or guardians of the nature and risk of a concussion and head injury, including continuing to play after a concussion or head injury.
“We have worked with the Oklahoma State School board association in reviewing the rules that came through the legislation this year,” Moore Public School Superintendent Susan Pierce said. “We presented a first draft of a policy to our board members Monday night for consideration. We are trying to follow all of the parameters set forth in the law, of course. We are working with our coaches, our trainers. We will hand information out to our parents and our student athletes.”
According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, there were at least 115 sports-related deaths in 33 states over the past two years. While SB 1700 will not prevent concussions from taking place on the field, it helps clarify the situation afterward.
“I don’t know if it will have anything to do with the overall number of concussions,” district athletic director Carl Franks said. “That is due to the game itself, in any sport. But I think it will help to have precautions put in place in order for them to help identify head injuries itself and show the situation has been looked into. I know it’s going to be time consuming with some of the paperwork, but when you are talking about student athletes health and welfare, there is no such thing as taking too much time.”
According to the new policy, after a student-athlete is evaluated on the field by a trainer and medical staff, it’s up to them to determine if the player has an head injury or concussion. If they do, they will not be allowed to reenter the game.
“If the student does not return to the game based on the assessment that is done of the injury itself, then there is a release form that has to be done afterward that the student has to take to the medical provider,” Franks said. “And that has to be signed off on.”
With nearly more than 700,000 reported high school sports-related injuries each year, protecting students has become a priority around the country for lawmakers, school administrations and coaches. Now they wants the players to understand how troubling the ramifications of a concussion can be if not treated correctly.
“As coaches, we take those seriously,” Jensen said. “I don’t think players do. So hopefully we are motivated to push a little bit more to understand what it all means. What a concussion means. And the life long problems they could experience because of that.”
