Please watch my interview with Steve Adubato on youth sports safety, as part of "One on One's" Youth Sports Education series.
This video is provided courtesy of Caucus Educational Corp. www.CaucusNJ.org.
Click here to watch One on One interview.
Recent Posts
- Bollinger CEO pays $1,000 Bonus to all 434 Employees out of his own Pocket
- Concussion Update, Part IV: Legislation to Protect your Melon
- Concussion Update, Part III: Head Injuries ~ Looking for Signs and Acting Quickly
- Concussion Update, Part II: More Brain Injury Prevention & Awareness for Parents & Coaches
Bollinger CEO pays $1,000 Bonus to all 434 Employees out of his own Pocket
Just thought I'd share the news about my company, Bollinger -- and about my dad, Jack Windolf, our CEO. Last month, he was slated to receive a bonus resulting from the sale of 51% of our firm last year. Instead of keeping the bonus for himself, he shared it with all 434 of our employees, giving each one a $1,000 bonus (after taxes). It turned out to be the feel-good story of the week, picked up by all the networks, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Fox & Friends and Fox Business.
We were all happy to receive the bonus, but even more excited to see our company and Jack touted all across the country! Click here to view a couple of the news reports:
Concussion Update, Part IV: Legislation to Protect your Melon
Lawmakers in Washington state are putting through a bill to help minimize the potential for traumatic brain injuries in sports. Washington has approved the country's strictest law governing the return to play of youth athletes who are suspected of having a concussion. The law, which is informally known as Zackery Lystedt's Law, state that any athlete under 18 who shows signs of concussion will be barred from returning to play until he or she has been evaluated by a physician and cleared to resume sports activities. The purpose of this law is to prevent what is known as second impact syndrome. The law also has an educational component, requiring athletes and parents to sign a concussion and head-injury information form.
The law is named for Zackery Lystedt, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2006, during a middle school football game. Zackery, then 13, took a hard hit in the end zone that put him out of the game for 15 minutes. He then went back in the game, where he collapsed on the field a few minutes later. His last words to his father before losing consciousness were, "Dad, I can't see." Zackery was then taken to the hospital where doctors operated on the hemorrhage in his brain. Three years later, he is still in a wheel chair, although he has mostly regained his sight and speech. It took Zackery 9 months after the injury before he could speak again.
Continue reading "Concussion Update, Part IV: Legislation to Protect your Melon " »
Concussion Update, Part III: Head Injuries ~ Looking for Signs and Acting Quickly
Adding to the wealth of information in the media recently regarding head injuries, the NY Times joined in with an article on the importance of acting quickly to get head injuries checked out (view "Head Injuries" article).
While serious head injuries are rare in sports (when compared to total numbers of participants each year), when they do happen, every minute counts. In some circles, brain trauma specialists refer to the time between the injury and getting treatment as "brain minutes" with each minute potentially being the difference between life and death.
The NY Times article touches on a number of critical points:
- Helmets do not always prevent concussion, but they are almost 100% effective in preventing skull fractures.
- The evidence in Natasha Richardson's case suggests she fractured her skull during the fall, causing an artery tear and the subsequent brain bleed that led to her death.
- Concussions -- which are the result of a quick acceleration and deceleration (or shaking) of the brain -- are not always caused by head-to-head or head-to-object contact. In some cases, a body-to-body tackle or hard check can cause a concussion as well.
- Anyone who suffers a head injury or exhibits symptoms of concussion should ALWAYS be checked out by a doctor.
Coming up next: In Concussion Update IV, see what lawmakers in the state of Washington are doing to protect kids from Second Impact Syndrome.
Concussion Update, Part II: More Brain Injury Prevention & Awareness for Parents & Coaches
During National Brain Injury Awareness month, what do you as a parent or coach need to know about brain injuries that can occur during sports activities? First on the list is that concussions are on the rise in youth sports. Players are more aggressive, hitting harder and playing tougher, sometimes to their own detriment. And I'm not just talking about boys. Concussions among female athletes are soaring, with head injury rates among female soccer players, for example, rising to the level of those in the NFL. The competitive nature of sports, coupled with the competitive nature of parents these days (pushing kids to excel at all costs) and the added lure of college scholarships and lucrative pro contracts, all point to a driving sports culture that is not going to change any time soon. In this culture, injuries to kids are going to continue to escalate.
