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ANTON MEDIA GROUP • SEPTEMBER 23 - 29, 2015
CAMPS SCHOOLS AN ANTON MEDIA GROUP SPECIAL
SEPTEMBER 23 29, 2015
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New Courses For The New PSAT, ACT
Concussions: How To Prevent Them BY JOE SCOTCHIE
JSCOTCHIE@ANTONMEDIAGROUP.COM
Football season is in full swing and a downside to all of the great action is the threat of concussions being suffered by the young athletes. Sports fans are aware of concussions sustained by NFL stars and the likelihood that it shortens or ends a promising career. However, concussions can happen on any level—and not just in football. Physicians estimate that up to 300,000 concussions happen every year. Most of them come from football, but they also occur in other contact sports, namely ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse and soccer. All of these sports are popular among Long Island athletes. Physicians and former athletes spend a great deal of time studying concussions and how to both recover from them and more importantly, how they may be prevented. All of the above sports, except for soccer, also come with protective head gear. Such helmets remain the first line of defense. According to Alvin Grier, a former player and current director of Midwest operations at Elite Sports Agency, certain brands rate among others. Grier cited a Virginia Tech study that found that the Riddell Revolution
Speed helmet was tops in protective head gear. Other helmets that rated high in proper protection include the Xenith X1, the Schutt DNA Pro+, the Schutt ION 4D and the Riddell Revolution IQ. Once the helmet is on, the games begin. Here, sportsmanship and plain common sense matter. Coaches instill sportsmanship in their athletes, but there are also proper methods of playing the game, especially football, where most concussions occur. All levels of football activity have long banned spearing tackling, where the defensive player uses his helmet as a battering ram. So when tackling, defensive players, according to Grier, need to tackle with their shoulders. Grier admits that “sometimes helmet-to-helmet contact is downright unavoidable.” Still, in all instances, lead with the shoulder. Furthermore, players should make sure that the chin snap is used at all times, especially during practices, a place where many concussions occur. Other preventive measures include making sure that the goalposts are padded and that the playing field is free of holes or choppy turf areas. Hockey players always lead with their shoulders. Such athletes can prevent concussions by always skating with their heads up, especially
when they are positioning themselves for a board check. Preventive measures are not confined to the playing field. A healthy, nutritious diet can both assist the body in fighting off brain injuries and help speed up the recovery process in case one does occur. All prospective athletes take extensive physical exams. In addition, baseline testing for cognitive skill levels has proven to be helpful. Such testing allows physicians to proceed with accurate diagnosis and treatment. In case a concussion occurs, athletes are advised to take a day-byday approach, including light bouts of walking or swimming, exercise and participation in non-contact drills before moving onto full contact practice. Recurring concussions spell big trouble and usually mean the end of contact sports altogether. Athletes should eat and train properly, while equipping themselves with the safest headgear possible and avoiding deliberate head-to-head contact. Athletes also need to be on guard at all times. Practices are just as important as the games themselves. Players need to stay on their toes to prevent concussions from taking place during seemingly light practice sessions. —Submitted by Elite Sports Agency and PreventConcussion.com
Dr. Ira Wolf has rewritten the Barron’s SAT and PSAT books to reflect the new version of both tests. He has also revised the curriculum for PowerPrep’s courses for the PSAT and SAT. All of the fall PSAT courses are for sophomores and juniors who will be taking the new PSAT that is being given for the first time this October. The old format of the SAT will still be given through January. Consequently, PowerPrep’s SAT courses this fall are for that version of the test, which will be taken by all seniors who are retaking the SAT, as well as by some juniors. Courses for the new SAT, which will be given for the first time in March 2016, will begin in January. In the meantime, any junior who wants to get a head start on preparing for the new SAT should take one of the courses for the new PSAT—the types of questions on the PSAT and SAT are exactly the same. There are also some changes to the ACT—much less drastic than those for the SAT—and, of course, PowerPrep’s ACT courses reflect those changes. Juniors who are unsure as to whether to take the ACT or SAT should take an ACT course before taking an actual ACT and, of course, take the
see COURSES on page 18A