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19

Dec, 2012

Heads Up Bethesda SC: Bethesda Board Member and Doctor Mario Ortega Featured

Bethesda Soccer Club, In the News

Bethesda Soccer Club offers concussion testing

A Special Thanks to Doctor Mario Ortego for conducting and facilitating the baseline concussion testing.

GAZETTE.NET LINK http://www.gazette.net/article/20121219/SPORTS/712199820/0/gazette&template=gazette
by Jennifer Beekman Gazette Staff writer

Concussion awareness reached new heights in 2009 when the National Football League admitted publicly for the first time that the brain injuries can have long-term effects.In 2010, the NFL announced it would place posters warning of the dangers of concussions in the locker rooms of each of its franchises.

In the years since, emphasis has been placed on prevention and education of athletes and coaches at all levels in all sports — for the first time in 2010 all coaches employed by Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association member schools were required to undergo concussion training.

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr took another step toward ensuring the safety of student-athletes when he recommended in his budget proposal for fiscal year 2014, presented Dec. 11, that $75,000 go toward funds for a district-wide baseline concussion testing. “As we learn more and more about the long-term impact of head injuries, which includes concussions, it’s important we can do whatever we can, whatever possible to make sure we do whatever we can to keep our student-athletes safe,” said MCPS Director of Public Information Dana Tofig.

On the same day Starr’s proposal was presented, the Bethesda Soccer Club announced its own initiative. “Heads up Bethesda SC” offers baseline concussion testing for its nearly 700 players ages 11 and older, as well as Center for Disease Control and Prevention Heads Up certification for coaches and directors.Bethesda is the first soccer club in the region to offer ImPACT testing, club Marketing and Public Relations Director Deb Warsaw said.

“A lot of athletes, and high-level athletes, have that warrior mentality where they do not want to let their team down and want to get back into the game. Our emphasis is to educate coaches and players, it’s safety first. We want the athletes to feel comfortable to say they have a headache or they feel dizzy or they feel uncomfortable on the field. It’s important for the coaches to promote that environment,” said Dr. Mario Ortega, who is a pediatrician and is on the BSC Board of Directors.

A concussion is a brain injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the head or body, according to WebMD. The brain shakes inside the skull, which temporarily prevents it from functioning normally.The trauma affects the brain’s function as opposed to its structure, however, and therefore cannot be seen on medical pictures, according to sportsconcussions.org.

Baseline concussion testing describes a series of computerized neuropsychological tests that measure memory, reaction times and cognitive processing speed.The differences in pre- and post-injury scores help determine when it is safe for athletes to return to play.Although brain injuries are often associated with contact sports like football, hockey and lacrosse, concussions happen in every sport and are an increasing problem in soccer in particular.

The National Federation of State High School Associations, in conjunction with the Center for Injury Research and Policy, began nationwide injury surveillance in 2005-06.According to the 2011-12 report, concussions accounted for 34 percent of 97,088 sustained in boys soccer competition. Thirty percent of 145,469 girls soccer injuries were concussions.

Long-term concussion effects, which include severe headaches, can prevent people from functioning in every day life, Ortega said.He added that Starr’s requested allotment of $75,000 could go a very long way. Booster clubs have helped some county schools fund baseline testing.

Walt Whitman High School football coach Jim Kuhn said in September that the Vikings have been provided baseline testing for eight years.Equity among county programs is an important aspect of Starr’s proposal, Tofig said.“You can’t put a price on prevention. This is not a lot of money, relatively, for a huge benefit,” Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations Health and Safety Committee Co-Chair and Treasurer Susan Burkinshaw said. “Even though everyone thinks it’s just football, this is for all sports. It is something that will benefit all the kids and it’s something they can take with them when they leave the school system.”

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About Bethesda Soccer Club
Bethesda Soccer Club is a Premier Travel and Youth Development Program based in Montgomery County, Maryland, outside Washington DC, with over 30 years of soccer excellence. Bethesda Soccer Club started as three teams in 1979, competing as the Bethesda Boys Club. Today, they have over 60 boys’ and girls’ teams from ages U-8 through U-19 that compete in various leagues in Maryland, Virginia and Region I. Many of our players have gone on to have successful collegiate or professional careers.

The Club philosophy is to develop our players so that they are prepared to compete at the next level.

Contact:
Jonathon Colton
Bethesda Soccer Club, Director of Coaching Boys
[email protected]

Ellis Pierre
Bethesda Soccer Club, Director of Coaching Girls
[email protected]

Deb Warsaw
Bethesda Soccer Club, Marketing / Public Relations
[email protected]

For more information about Bethesda Soccer Club, www.bethesdasoccer.org
Twitter @bethesdascnews #bethesdasoccer
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19

Dec, 2012

Heads Up Bethesda SC: Bethesda Board Member and Doctor Mario Ortega Featured

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