Sports
Is Your School Protecting Your Child's Head?
Listen to a couple of CVHS football players' experiences when getting a concussion.
A special coverage on Huffington Post’s Youth Radio features an audio slideshow of Castro Valley High School football players describing their experiences of getting a concussion during a game, and the pressure of continuing to play or pulling themselves out of the game after being injured.
Watch the video above.
More than one million high school boys play football in the United States. However, more evidence is showing that football can cause chronic brain injury. This has caused some school to change the way their football teams practice and play.
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Only two states, Texas and Arizona, have changed their regulations in order to protect their players on the field and during practice. These rules include:
- No crown of the head hits
- Limited contact in practices
- Baseline Assessments
- Certified Athletic Trainer
- Return-to-play policy
CVHS’ football coach, Nick McMaster, told Youth Radio that it has always been illegal to hit with the crown of your helmet in high school football. McMaster has even scolded a linebacker for leading with his head.
Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Alfaro, that was horrible technique. That’s why you can’t lean and put your head down when you block,” said McMaster.
According to a survey done by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, young athletes in all sports suffer 300,000 concussions each year.
If you want to read the full report, click here.
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