Concussions: Riverbank creates safe environment for football growth

[ThunderRam]

I stumbled across this article in the Modesto Bee tonight and thought I'd share. I, for one, am glad to hear that participation is up at Riverbank and that the community is behind the program. I'll be rooting for them to succeed.

Here are some excerpts authored by James Burns:

His pitch to athletic director John Bartlett and principal Sean Richey: Over the next five years, he would lift the Bruins from the depths of the Stanislaus District. They would turn football into a source of pride in a community renowned for its non-contact sports and endurance athletes.

Over those five years, he would upgrade the uniforms and the equipment, the commitment and the attitude, and ultimately the winning percentage.

Today, the most important piece in that plan is Trisha Ayala, a 46-year-old volunteer, and a laptop synced with 30 cutting-edge impact-monitoring helmets.

Following innovations by Modesto City Schools last fall, the Riverbank Unified School District has purchased gForce Tracker helmets for its active varsity players at a cost of $19,000.

Using a laptop equipped with specialized software, Ayala monitors hits and collisions – both big and small, on the ball and off – and alerts the coaches to any possible head injuries.

“This shows that football is no longer the stepchild in this community,” Jory said of the school district’s investment. “It shows that it’s a legitimate program and they’re taking it seriously.”

The controls have been placed in the hands of Ayala, who stood at the 50-yard line watching Friday’s game against the California School for the Deaf unfold in streams of data.

She’s been given very strict instructions: If a hit registers above a threshold of 115 G-forces, that player must be immediately evaluated by coaches and a physician. If a player’s activity level suddenly drops, regardless of the G-forces, he must come off the field immediately. If a player has sustained multiple hits to the same part of the head, Ayala must flag a coach immediately.

To date, no Riverbank player has required immediate attention.

“I feel safer,” said junior running back and middle linebacker Allen Brown, clutching a gForce Tracker helmet.

In December, Jory approached administration with a proposal. He wanted to secure 80 state-of-the-art helmets through gForce Tracker, which would help protect and educate the program about head trauma.

Bartlett was familiar with the advancements in helmet technology. His daughter attends Gregori High, where senior linebacker Dominic Barandica spearheaded the purchase of impact-monitoring helmets for a seven-school district.

“As a struggling team in the Trans-Valley League, we had kids getting hurt all the time. It was like musical ambulances out there,” Bartlett said. “Our student safety ... to make it as a safe environment, I was 100 percent on board.”

In April, Jory facilitated a meeting between a gForce Tracker representative and Daryl Camp, Riverbank Unified superintendent.

Two months later, the district authorized the purchase of 30 helmets.

One year after finishing the season with 15 “semi-healthy” players, the Bruins began the season with 32 on the roster. The team is 2-2 with a greater presence on campus and in the community.

Jory believes there is a correlation between the turnout and the technology, and the technology and success.

 

[smashmouthrick]

Thanks for sharing. Very interesting. I'm all for technology if it improves the overall game starting with safety. This technology is not yet dialed in for prime time but if you research this topic they have made huge strides improving the technology over the past 4years. Something like this, I hope, will encourage players and parents. This impact measuring technology can take the guess work out of concussions, help dispel fact from fiction and help to improve the protective level of helmets. Interesting test video of one of the helmets:


The company I work for, Intel Corp(across the street from Folsom High School), has been developing the base compute part of this technology for years. You are going to hear a lot more about technology in sports over the next few years.
http://www.networkworld.com/article...oncussions--drew-brees-backs-intel-s-r-d.html