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Post by szimm29 on Jul 8, 2014 8:28:25 GMT -6
how are you guys dealing with all the fear of concussion and participation dropping ? or is it just me?
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Post by larrymoe on Jul 8, 2014 9:35:07 GMT -6
For my money, participation isn't dropping because of concussions. It was dropping before that was even a public issue.
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Post by fantom on Jul 8, 2014 9:38:01 GMT -6
For my money, participation isn't dropping because of concussions. It was dropping before that was even a public issue. It's become the fashionable excuse for kids who weren't going to play anyway. |
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Post by blb on Jul 8, 2014 9:40:20 GMT -6
For my money, participation isn't dropping because of concussions. It was dropping before that was even a public issue.
This has certainly been true in our state for many reasons.
Number One is declining enrollment - people are moving out of state because of loss of jobs-economy, and with aging Baby Boomers there are simply less school-aged kids.
Then there's Pay to Play, Specialization, Burnout, etc.
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Post by larrymoe on Jul 8, 2014 9:55:11 GMT -6
It's become the fashionable excuse for kids who weren't going to play anyway. We haven't gotten there yet. Kids just don't give reasons. Then again, if they don't want to play, I don't ask for a reason. |
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Post by coach2013 on Jul 8, 2014 9:57:20 GMT -6
what can you do? if you have a trainer that is hanging around, every time a kid gets hit or hits someone they get looked at. just hit less, use bags and shields more and move on.
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Post by buck42 on Jul 8, 2014 10:09:38 GMT -6
Concussions arent reducing the pool of football players as much as it is the laziness in the todays youth is growing. Look at the child obesity rates...kids are fat for a reason...they dont do anything. Sure they dont eat as clean a diet as they once did. However, the foods are not that much worse than all the fried food and carbs that the old timers survived on. The difference is the kids are not active. They sit on twitter, XBox, iphone, etc...they are in the AC all day and they do not want to work!
Add to the fact that most of the better athletes seem to have hoop dreams. Basketball plays inside and they dont really practice...they roll the balls out and play. AAU steals kids/parents money but everyone is happy because little Johnny is playing and coach is getting paid!
Lazy kids and a lazy society is the problem...not concussion!
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Post by szimm29 on Jul 8, 2014 22:43:07 GMT -6
I am running across a lot of "nervous moms" thats why i ask, but i see all of your points in my kids too.
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Post by Underdeveloped on Jul 8, 2014 22:57:04 GMT -6
We have had nervous moms too... Always the 8th grade parents. Once they become a part of high school program for a year I typically am able to retain them.
We had a meeting this year with all parents of 6th 7th and 8th grade parents. We passed out a summer calendar and explained the importance of weight room and strengthening the neck and shoulders. We explained how concussions work and what our protocol is for a concussion. Told them how we structure practice so they know little Johnny isn't just hitting his head on a brick wall over and over. We told them we are all wearing 5 star helmets but that they are really only helping protect the skull. We have a coach on staff who had "graduated" from the heads up tackling program.
My advice is to put the information out there that you are aware of their concerns. That you are taking it seriously. I mention to them that girls are 9 time more likely to tear their ACLs but they still play sports because they gain a valuable experience from being on a team. And then expound on what that experience is like for our football boys. We discussed how a young man needs confidence and being able to call himself a football player will offer some confidence. I am a believer that concussions should be taken seriously just like dehydration should be, nutrition should be, proper weight room mechanics should be etc...
Sorry I rambled but kids not playing for any reason drives me nuts. Everyone one can benefit from this game.
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Post by szimm29 on Jul 8, 2014 23:16:20 GMT -6
love it
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2014 15:46:24 GMT -6
For my money, participation isn't dropping because of concussions. It was dropping before that was even a public issue. It's become the fashionable excuse for kids who weren't going to play anyway. Yeah. They think it doesn't sound as lame as "My mom won't let me." We had issues with it last year after a senior had 3 in 2 months and had to quit playing--his doctor even wrote a note saying he was forbidden from traveling with us to our final road game. His were legit, but all of a sudden we had concussion hysteria. Before the season was over, out of a roster of 28 kids, we had a total of 5 different kids who had 7 "concussions" that effectively ended their seasons. Our trainer was definitely in CYA mode and the town doctors were worse. We also had problems with it keeping kids from even coming out because the basketball coach there really liked to play it up when talking to parents, especially to the parents of kids at the feeder program. He included it as a key point in the little spiel he'd lay on them: "Well, I support other sports and I feel like he should if that's what he wants to do, but my biggest concern if your son plays football is that he might get hurt. You just see so many serious injuries and now they're finding out that concussions from football will leave you brain damaged for life..." But then, that place was a zoo. Nervous moms are always going to be there. The best thing is to just address their concerns honestly, show that you care about their son as a person and will keep him safe, and if they still won't let their kid play... then you can't really do anything about that. Evidently our state has now gone to mandating that we have a meeting with parents to talk about concussions, how to diagnose them, and what the consequences are. I'm sure that's going to lead to all kinds of fun this year. |
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