This is a story that aired on OETA Public Television's The Oklahoma News Report in Tulsa Oklahoma as reported by Cathy Tatom and photojournalist Edwin Wilson. For more information or to contact us, please go to the new and improved www.oeta.tv
The verbatim script follows below...
THIS YEAR UNION HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARE USING MORE THAN PADS AND PRACTICE SESSIONS TO PROTECT THEM FROM HEAD INJURIES. THEY'RE ALSO USING A COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT HELPS COACHES AND ATHLETIC TRAINERS DETECT CONCUSSIONS FOLLOWING HEAD INJURIES. THE PROGRAM IS CALLED IMPACT.
tackling HERE'S HOW IT WORKS. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR STUDENTS ANSWER A COMPREHENSIVE SET OF QUESTIONS. THAT FORMS A BASELINE SCORE OF THINGS LIKE THEIR SHORT AND LONG TERM MEMORY AND REACTION TIMES. IF THE STUDENT IS INJURED, HE RETAKES THE TEST. IT CAN DETECT EVEN SMALL CHANGES IN COGNITIVE ABILITY AND REACTION TIME. BOTH SIGNS OF A CONCUSSION.
Dan Newman/Head Athletic Trainer: "That was one of our determining factors with one of our student athletes. He was feeling better but his reaction time was way slow and a half a second is a lot of time especially in a sport like foot ball where everything happens so fast and if you're slowing down that much you could injure yourself worse or get someone else hurt." THE SOFTWARE DETECTED A SLIGHT CONCUSSION AFTER SAFETY AND RECEIVER JAMES ROBERSON SUFFERED A HEAD INJURY.
James Roberson/Suffered Concussion: "I didn't like it 'cause I could never pass it so I had to miss more practice, but I guess it's good in a doctor's point of view. It kinda stinks in a players point of view though." UNION ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SYMPATHESE WITH THE PLAYERS, BUT SAYS THE PROGRAM IS A MATTER OF SAFETY.
Chuck Perry/Union Athletic Dir.: "The kids are wanting to get back in there and participate and play again and this just gives us an opportunity to have a measurement to go off of." THE TEST ALSO HELPS WEED OUT STUDENTS MASKING THEIR INJURIES TO GET BACK IN THE GAME BEFORE THEIR BRAINS HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAL.
Cathy: "Newman tells me for the past three or four years a few colleges and universities in Oklahoma have been offering this technology to their students, but it hasn't been until just recently that any high schools have offered it. Union is among the first."
Dan Newman/Head Athletic Trainer: "This is a free service we provide for our student athletes." BUT ITS NOT FREE FOR SCHOOLS. UNION PAYS ABOUT $750-DOLLARS PER YEAR TO TEST AND MONITOR ITS STUDENTS. THE COST IS BASED ON HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE BASELINE TESTED, AND HOW MANY NEED FOLLOW UP TESTING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. CURRENTLY, UNION ONLY DOES BASELINE TESTING ON STUDENTS PLAYING FOOTBALL AND SOCCOR SINCE THOSE SPORTS HAVE THE HIGHEST INCIDENCE OF CONCUSSIONS.
nats... Football tackling BUT IT IN THE FUTURE IT MAY EXPAND THE PROGRAM TO INCLUDE OTHER SPORTS AS WELL. AT UNION HIGH SCHOOL, I'M CATHY TATOM, THE OKLAHOMA NEWS REPORT.
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