Hunsucker 1 Writers memoI am content with this draft; however, I found this assignment to be a lot more difficult than

anticipated. I found good information, but I found it difficult to put in my paper. Also, I had an arduous time adding my own voice/tone. I love the introduction and conclusion, but I feel like the meat of the paper is only adequate.

Ben Hunsucker Dr. Jones Synthesis Draft 2 4 Oct 2013 Educating Athletes of All Ages There has not been a shortage of news about head injuries in the football realm. Recently, during a New York high school football game, a sixteen-year-old player named Damon Janes was struck in the head by an opposing player with an impact so destructive that it left him dead a mere three days later (Mohney). Janes is not the only person to experience tragedy after a blow to the head; Owen Thomas, a junior lineman for University of Pennsylvania, and Chris Henry, a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, are two others who have passed away due to severe concussions (Neumann). Devastating brain injuries are prominent in football and are occurring in all levels of the sport. As a result, there has been an increase in concussion awareness. The National Football League has added new guidelines for an athletes return to play after they obtain concussion symptoms, such as: loss of consciousness, confusion, gaps in memory, persistent dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness (Neumann). More specifically the

Hunsucker 2 new guidelines say that the player shouldn't return to play until they have had neurological and neuropsychological testing completed and have been cleared by both the team physician and an independent neurological consultant (Neumann). In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), concussion symptoms consist of the studentathlete appearing dazed and confused, forgetting plays and being confused about assignments, while they have a headache, feel nauseated, confused, and are sensitive to light and noise (Neumann). The NCAA has added many revisions to their guidelines, and they are beginning to require brain tests for all athletes as well. With concussion being a consistent part of football at every level, many are starting to provide awareness to youth and high school sports. A study by Nancy Denke states, Approximately thirty million to forty-five million children and adolescents aged six years to eighteen years participate in organized sports, and the Center for Disease Control reports that sport related brain injuries have increased by sixty percent over the last ten years (Denke). These adolescents take longer to recover from brain injuries than adults, so this means that the concussion assessment must be more rigorous. Where as the NFL and the NCAA only have a list of symptoms, youth and high school sports are more descriptive by dividing their symptoms into four distinct categories: physical, cognitive, emotional, and abnormal sleep habits (Denke). As for returning to play, Third International Conference on Concussion in Sport has created a six-step process that begins with no activity or complete rest, moves to light aerobic exercise, then to sportspecific exercise, then noncontact drills, and finally, after medical clearance, the athlete can participate in full contact practices and games (Denke).

Hunsucker 3 Brain injuries are severe and should not be taken lightly. Increased awareness is providing a platform to make this physical natured sport safer. Beginning in youth and high school sports and continuing all the way to the professional ranks, officials are revising guidelines to make sure that players are not returning to play before they are ready. Players such as Janes, Thomas, and Henry will not get a new life, but their deaths have most certainly given a new life to concussion awareness. Football now has the ability become safer because knowledge has become a necessity, and precautions have been placed into practice.

Ben, This feels more like a report on concussions than an overview of new concussion research. I agree that you have a good frame. However, the middle paragraphs switch between pro and high school athletes somewhat randomly. If this is about new research, explain the new research on concussions and then add the results as compelling information. Grade: 82

Hunsucker 4

Works Cited Denke, Nancy J. "Traumatic brain injury in youth athletics: accurate identification, assessment, and evaluation of concussions will allow the clinician to determine when it is safe to return to competition." Clinical Advisor Sept. 2013: SSS34+. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. Mohney, Gillian. "High School Football Team Cancels Season After Player's Death." ABC News. ABC News Network, 28 Sept. 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2013. Neumann, Lindsey. "Raising awareness of the severity of concussions." The Sport Journal 14.1 (2011). Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.