Fall sports begins with spotlight on concussion law

Colfax football player Tyler Morse puts his helmet in the belly of an opponent in this picture from last year’s season. While coaches and officials have put policies in place that discourage players from leading with their helmets, such plays inevitably happen.

Fall sports are set to begin at high schools throughout the county, and coaches, parents and athletes are being briefed on the impact of a state law aimed at limiting the dangers of concussions.

Colfax Athletic Director Mike Morgan advised parents and athletes about the law at the annual fall sports kickoff meeting Monday night.

School officials throughout the state are preparing for the second year under the Zackery Lystedt Law, which was passed by the legislature in the 2009 session.

The law mandates players be pulled from a game if they suffer a concussion and can not re-enter competition until receiving clearance from a doctor.

Though leading with his shoulder pads, Bulldog Alex Teade’s head makes contact with an Adna opponent in last year’s state title game. Teade left the game after suffering a concussion on another play near the end of the game.

“Concussions are just a part of the game,” said Morgan. “But this really puts an emphasis on the importance of taking them seriously.”

State regulations also say schools must show parents a video about the law that explains the dangers of brain trauma. The video said children are particularly vulnerable to second impact concussions, when players receive more concussions if put back on the field of play after suffering an initial concussion.

Those second impact concussions can cause serious long-term damage to their brains.

The Colfax football team saw first hand some of the impacts of the law last season.

Quarterback Alex Teade was pulled out of the state 2B championship game against Adna after suffering a concussion on a bell-ringing hit in the fourth quarter.

“In the old days, we probably would have told him to rub some dirt on it and get back out there. I mean, that’s why we had smelling salts,” said Morgan. “But with what we know now, there’s absolutely no reason to take a chance.”

Morgan said Colfax has always kept a watchful eye on brain injuries.

“For us, it’s nothing different. It’s the same thing we’ve been dealing with for 30 years,” he said. “But as a coach, I really am glad they took this out of my hands.”

Long-time trainer Tony Carter has pulled a number of student athletes from action after suspecting they suffered a concussion.

“That’s a dangerous thing to play around with,” he said. “You don’t ever want to take a chance of damage being done to their brain.”

And Mr. Carter knows all about concussions.

“I would say probably two-thirds or more of my football career I was playing with a concussion,” he said. “A lot of people tell me it shows today.”

But that was a different time, said Coach Morgan.

“I’m sure back when I was a kid playing at GP I had multiple concussions,” said Morgan, whose mother was a registered nurse.

The key, they both said, is to know the personalities of the kids on the field. Uncharacteristic behavior after a big hit is a sure sign.

Erin Hopkins, an athletic trainer at the hospital who began working with the high school last spring, said coaches and trainers need to take an athlete off the field to make sure no more damage is done.

She saw several athletes sustain concussions while she studied with the athletic department at Eastern Washington University.

Carter said an old teacher of his played professionally in the early days of the NFL and showed significant signs of brain damage.

“He was a pretty sharp guy, on the whole,” said Carter. “But he was definitely a little fuzzy around the edges.”

Morgan said the hope in passing tighter regulations on high school athletes is that changes will trickle up through the college and professional levels.

Safer equipment was meant to prevent injuries, but Carter said it may have had a reverse effect on concussions.

“We always looked at our helmets as weapons,” he said. “Back in the leather helmet days, they didn’t do that. They lost more teeth, but they didn’t get as many concussions.”

Morgan said helmets over time evolved from a protection device to a tackling tool. With more knowledge about the dangers of concussions now, the hope is that trend will be reversed.

“Now we’re screaming at these kids to keep that head up, keep that head up, and if a kid leads with his helmet, we’re yanking them off the field and sitting them out for a couple of plays,” he said.

And, while football takes the brunt of concern – with bulky players smashing into each other at full speed – athletes in other sports need to keep a watch for brain injuries.

According to the WIAA statistics, more athletes suffer concussions playing girls soccer than any other sport.

Morgan said he saw the dangers in his own children. He said his daughter, Adrienne, suffered concussions cheerleading while son Kyle never had one on the gridiron.

The law is named after Zackery Lystedt of Maple Valley, who sustained serious brain damage after suffering a pair of concussions in a junior high football game. A head first fall into the ground gave him his first concussion. He was inserted back into the game 15 minutes later and collapsed after another tackle.