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Michigan Athletic Trainers Making football safe

In the wake of seven high school football players, who suffered fatal injuries during games in seven weeks, families of players naturally worry about their sons.

 Fenton Area Public Schools (FAPS)follows the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA)guidelines to ensure all student athletes, including football players, are safe while playing sports.

 “Injuries have always been a problem,” said Athletic Director Michael Bakker.  He said the MHSAA changed a few football guidelines last year that aimed to limit the amount of hits players take during practice.

 “We also continue to impress upon our trainer and coaches the importance of quality tackling and techniques, and making sure they know the warning signs of concussion,” Bakker said.

 They aim to reduce the amount of hits during practice as opposed to games, because tackling happens more during practice.

 Football players who regularly sustain brain injuries can develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a brain degeneration, according to forbes.com.

 “We have a full-time athletic trainer, who is at all practices, contests and away football games,” he said. “Coaches have gotten to that point of ‘when in doubt, they sit them out.’”

 Only 37 percent of high schools have athletic trainers on the sidelines, according to profootballtalk.nbcsports.com.

 Mitch Smelis, the Fenton High School athletic trainer of 19 years, specializes in assessing injuries, providing care, and connecting student athletes and parents with specialized physicians when necessary. He works with Fenton schools on a contract with Physiotherapy Associates in Fenton.

 Smelis said athletic trainers are a valuable resource and he loves having relationships with kids, coaches and parents to do what is best for the player.

 When students tell him ‘I don’t feel good’ it’s hard to figure out the point of ailment because it encompasses so much. “You have to know the right questions to ask,” he said.

 Not only do some people have a tough old-school mentality regarding concussions, symptoms can take a while to appear.

 “It takes time trying to figure what doesn’t feel good, what does, if they are responsive,” Smelis said. “Unfortunately, the easy ones to pick are the ones that go in a bad direction.”

 Smelis said a few of the seven football players who died had pre existing conditions that contributed to their deaths.

 “It’s important to look at players’ pre-existing conditions and encourage them to say something if something’s not right,” he said. “Having an athletic trainer on staff is wonderful, but unfortunately we can’t stop everything from happening.”

 Another factor is following the guidelines.

 “We have to rely on officials to make sure they’re enforcing those rules. Our officials do a pretty good job across the board,” he said.

 Smelis stressed the importance of kids speaking up when something doesn’t feel right to “make sure they’re aware of little things so they don’t become big things. In sports, especially with football, we have the societal push of ‘we have to play through pain.’”

 Although, that’s not always what’s best for the kids. “We know the benefit of athletics from a physical standpoint. They get so much physical benefit,” he said.

 Smelis has treated about 10-15 concussions that occurred in all Fenton sports this school year, which he said is average. They try to stay ahead of the curve with head injuries.

 Most of the injuries he treats are sprains, strains, and contusions.

 “We know injuries are going to happen,” he said, adding that it’s important to identify those injuries, treat them, and do follow-ups. “There’s risk in everything we do but we want to minimize that risk.”

Michigan High School Athletic Association and Fenton improvements

 Last year, the MHSAA published these guidelines for football practices aimed to limit helmet-to-helmet contact.

• During the first week of practice, players can only wear helmets the first two days, shoulder pads can be added on the third and fourth days, and full pads cannot be worn until the fifth day.

• Prior to the first regular game of the season, schools cannot schedule more than one collision practice in a day, which is defined as live, game-speed, player-versus-player contact in pads.

• After the first regular game of the season, teams cannot have more than two collision practice days in a week.

• Football practices cannot exceed three hours.

• Players are restricted from targeting opponents and illegal helmet contact with defenseless players, which is a player not involved in a play, a player receiving a kick, and a player on the ground.

Fenton schools follow these guidelines:

 Fenton Area Public Schools Athletic Director Michael Bakker said they have “extensive” testing for students when an injury is suspected.

 “We work with a number of doctors who have more extensive training. We’re communicating with them to find the best course of rehab for those student athletes, and not letting them back on the field until they’re 100 percent,” Bakker said.

 Student-athletes must have one physical a year, which can be a normal doctor physical or a sports physical.

 Bakker said there hasn’t been an increase in injuries.

 “I think we know more now. We know the signs and the symptoms of certain injuries that weren’t diagnosed before,” he said.

The seven who died in seven weeks

 Seven high school football players have died in the past seven weeks. Injuries sustained while playing football contributed to their deaths.

Andre Smith — In Chicago, Smith suffered a blow to the head while playing football during a kick return play, according to usatoday.com. He was blocked, fell to the ground, and walked to the sidelines. He was taken to the hospital and died early morning of Oct. 23.

Cam’ron Matthews — In Texas, Matthews collapsed on the sidelines after suffering an aneurysm during the game. He died Oct. 17 in East Texas Medical Center, according to nbcnews.com.

Roddrick Williams — This tuba player and lineman in Georgia collapsed on Sept. 22 shortly after a football practice, according to cnn.com. His death was heart related according to the coroner.

Kenny Bui — In Seattle, Bui suffered a traumatic brain injury sustained during a football game on Oct. 2. He died Oct. 5 at the hospital, according to theguardian.com.

Evan Murray — In New Jersey, Murray sustained a hit during a football game on Sept. 25. He walked off the field and went to the hospital where he died from massive internal bleeding due to a lacerated spleen, according totheguardian.com.

Ben Hamm — In Oklahoma, Hamm died Sept. 19 from injuries he sustained during a game on Sept. 11. He suffered a bad hit and was in a medically induced coma to lower the pressure in his head, according to usatoday.com.

Tyrell Cameron — In Louisiana, Cameron played in a game on Sept. 4 when he had a collision with another player during a punt return and collapsed. He died in a hospital the next morning, according to cnn.com.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.tctimes.com/living/features/safety-on-the-football-field/article_c096b5d6-7fd8-11e5-ab7d-ff7cdd568141.html