Concussions in High School Athletics

A Proposal to reduce the number of Concussions

IntroductionThe City of Albuquerque has over 13 high schools and every high school has
an athletic program (aps.edu). Every athletic program has a varsity and junior
varsity football team and a men and womens varsity and junior varsity soccer
team. Since Albuquerque doesnt have any professional athletic teams the
community supports many of the high school and college teams. The athletes who
play these two sports alone, are at higher risk of sustaining a concussion, which is a
brain injury. While it may be impossible to completely prevent a concussion,
precautions and new rules could be put into place to reduce the number of head
injuries. Informing players about this serious injury and providing the newest gear to
players could be implemented to reduce the amount of concussions young athletes
sustain through their high school careers. To solve this problem we are reaching out
to Honeywell and Intel Corporations in the Albuquerque area to propose to them
ways in which their contributions and support will keep young athletes that attend
Albuquerque Public Schools safe while playing the sports they love.
So What is the Problem?
There are over 1,500 student athletes in the Albuquerque community across
13 high schools who play either football or soccer (these number are
approximations based on how many players actually make up an average size
team). These sports are known for being very physical and many injuries are
reported every year due to the physical demand placed on the players. In the past
few years reports in head injuries have seemed to increase at a drastic rate. There

has been more research on head injuries in these past few years which may be
correlated to the increase in reported cases nationwide. More and more people are
becoming familiar with the term concussion, and the possible health effects that
come along with this injury.
A concussion or, mild traumatic brain injury, occurs when an individual
sustains a brain injury after taking a hard hit to the head or neck region. According
to the Mayo Clinic, a concussion is a traumatic brain injury that alters the way the
brain functions. Concussions are very common in contact sports. Sustaining a
concussion could trigger a progressive degenerative brain disease, Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy. Those diagnosed with CTE usually do not find out of this
condition until years after their last concussion or ending of the athletic career. CTE
could lead to early onset of Alzheimers disease, and even personality changes in
those who receive multiple blows to the head resulting in a concussion (Mayo
Clinic). Concussions are not limited to just physical contact sports, one may sustain
a concussion from an event such as a car accident where the head and neck are
moved in a whiplash motion which causes the brain to hit the skull and cause
swelling.
There has been an increase in the number of reported head injuries
throughout the sporting world. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, between one million and four million new brain injuries
occur every year in America due to trauma in sports and recreational activities.
More than 767,000 American youths visit the emergency room because of traumatic
brain injuries each year. While more people are aware there are still concussions
occurring at high rates in student athletes our team is proposing a plan that will

reduce the number of concussions reported in APS athletics as well as making the
Albuquerque community more aware of this serious injury

Qualifications- Whos on Our Team

Our team consists of neurological specialists from the University of New
Mexico Hospital, athletic trainers from the University Sports Medicine program and
two undergraduates pursuing their degree in Biology with a focus on pre-med. This
is a very qualified team who has the best interests in young athletes in the
Albuquerque Community.
Aspen Johnson is a second year student at the University of New Mexico who
is majoring in Biology with goals to attend the School Of Physical Therapy at UNM.
She has played sports all her life including high school soccer. She has experience
multiple concussions and the later effects of the injury. She is passionate about
helping others and providing safe ways to enjoy sports such as soccer without
having to experience an injury like a concussion.

Derek Saenz is also a second year student majoring in Biology, with a plan to
continue onto medical school and study medicine with a focus in Neurology. His
interest in this field was sparked by a blow to the head while playing in a high
school football game. He now desires to prevent serious injuries like his own by
pursuing this degree.
Aspen and Derek will be working closely with three researchers from the
University of New Mexico that have been conducting research towards the long term
effects of concussion in athletes. These researchers include Kent Kiehl, a Professor
of Psychology, Neuroscience and Law at the University of New Mexico, and
Executive Science Officer of MRN (The Mind Research Network). Andrew Mayer:
assistant research professor in the Department of Neurology at the Health Sciences
Center, he is also a research assistant at MRN. Lastly we will be working with Vince
Calhoun, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the chief
technology officer at MRN. Together these three founded, Project Brain Safe, to
conduct research that will greatly reduce the number of head injuries in athletics at
the University of New Mexico. Working with this distinguished team gives us an
edge and research that supports the severity of the issue we are proposing to
amend. If we could implement the findings in their research, they may be more
open to considering the idea they can greatly aid the community by donating
money to keep children safe (Wentworth).
Step by Step Plan
With this increase in head injuries we plan to reduce the number of reported
head injuries in football and soccer athletes. We strive to protect our student
athletes and spread awareness throughout the Albuquerque community. To achieve

these goals we propose a plan of action that will include your company. We believe
that players need proper equipment and other safety measures, training camps,
need to be established to better protect these athletes.
Safety First
First, to protect the players, helmets for football players and padded
headgear for soccer players will need to be purchased for every athlete on the
team. This includes junior varsity and Varsity teams for soccer and football, both
boys and girls for 13 high schools. We will be purchasing the Riddell 360 Helmet for
our football players. This helmet is the first designed using energy managing
materials and a face mask attachment system that disperses energy of frontal
impacts. With this technology if a player receives a hard hit to the head it will not be
focused on one area but the energy of the hit will be distributed throughout the
helmet, overall reducing the the actually force of a hit. We will also be purchasing
Full 90 Premier, padded head gear for the junior varsity and varsity soccer teams.
The Premier head gear is equipped with the, Advanced Truefit System, that
provides expanded coverage of the occipital lobe while maintaining a low profile,
custom and comfortable fit. The overlapping side ribs on the Premier allow this
headgear to be fully adjustable, making it the most unique and advanced open
crown headgear in the game. The Premier is constructed with Forcebloc, foam and
an inner lining of Cool Max, fabric to accelerate moisture evaporation, allowing
the player to keep his head in the game. Both the football helmet and soccer
headgear are the newest products to out on the market that are specifically
designed to protect and reduce the number of head injuries. We want all of our
student athletes to have the best equipment to protect them from serious head
injuries.

Trainings
Second, football teams will go through a training camp which will teach
players how to properly tackle and will be properly fitted with the new headgear
which will be purchased thanks to your contribution. The training camp will be held
at the University of New Mexicos athletic fields. We will be bringing in, Heads Up
Football, the organization working towards concussion prevention to teach athletes
how to properly hit and educate them on the severity of concussions. This will be a
two day training camp that all football players must attend before their practice
session begin in the summer months. With the new trainings and knowledge of
concussions players will be more aware of their actions when on the field. This
awareness will bring a drop in the number of concussions reported during football
games which in the end will be very beneficial to our youth.
Spreading the Word
Lastly, concussion awareness campaigns need to be established to better
educate the Albuquerque community about this serious and possible life
threatening injury. We will hold our awareness presentation in every high school in
Albuquerque Public School System in order to effectively spread the message of
how severe concussions are. We are encouraging all athletes, parents, and faculty
to attend and wear a red or blue clothing item, which will be the campaign colors, to
raise even more awareness. Awareness of this injury will benefit the entire
Albuquerque community.

Costs and Benefits-

To provide every athlete on both junior varsity and varsity teams, we are
estimating that our plan will cost about $500,000. Our list of costs includes
$100,000 to the training camp for young athletes, another $100,000 to the
awareness campaign, and $293,000 to purchase new state of the art equipment for
football and soccer athletes. In addition, we will also bring awareness to the public,
community, and athletes in order to further prevent concussions. Your company will
be changing the lives of not only athletes, but the entire community as well.
Your company will have the opportunity to place its logo on the head gear
being purchased as well as flyers and brochures handed out to the public during the
awareness days. This free advertising opportunity will reach many individuals who
are unaware of your services as well as spark an interest in them to seek what your
company has to offer. Being a part of this prevention and awareness plan will better
your relations with the whole Albuquerque community.

Once our plan and all finances have been taken care of we will see immediate
gratitude from community members. Not only that, but there will be noticeable drop
in the number of reported concussions in these high school sports, which is the
whole goal of this campaign. Our youth will be better protected from serious injury
and life threatening conditions.
Thank you for your time, if you have any question or concerns please feel
free to contact us at reduceconcusions@aps.edu or call us at 505-777-0099. We
look forward to working with your company.

Work Cited
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Concussion." - Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation, n.d. Web. 30
Oct. 2015. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/concussion/basics/definition/con-20019272>.
Wentworth, Karen. UNM researchers taking hard look at concussions in
student
athletes. University of New Mexico. Web. 14 August 2014.
<http://news.unm.edu/news/unm-researchers-taking-hard-look-atconcussions-I

n-student-athletes>.

Youth Sports Safety Alliance. "Statistics." Statistics. Southwest Athletic

Trainers' Association, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.swata.org/statistics/>.