New concussion rules in High School sports
ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV) – Corey Wessinger is ready for his senior year of football, but as Rock Hill High Schools quarterback last season he got knocked around a good bit.
Corey suffered not one, but three concussions.
“The first one I took in practice on the first day of hitting practice,” said Wessinger. “the second I got hit right up under my jaw and don’t’ really remember too much after that.”
The last game of the season was the third and he says the worst.
“I was dropped on my head and it was lights out from there,” said Wessinger “The best way to describe it is being completely confused the whole time you have no idea where you are you have no idea what you’re doing, who you are.”
Corey’s not alone five percent of high school athletes in the US suffer concussion injuries each year.
Earlier in July, North Carolina signed a concussion law into effect because in 2008 a player died from a concussion injury receive in a football game.
The concussion law requires any player showing symptoms of a concussion to be taken out of play immediately and not to be allowed back in until cleared by a medical doctor, not a coach or even the team trainer.
South Carolina doesn’t have a concussion law but Walt Gainey head trainer for Rock Hill High School says the South Carolina state high school league adopted their own concussion rules for athletes.
“The same law North Carolina has we are instituting here,” said Gainey
Gainey says the safety of players is number one even if the state championship is on the line.
“Just having the bell rung is not something that is simple anymore it is actually a injury to the brain itself the brain has been bruised,” said Gainey.
Coaches have to take classes on concussion injuries before they can coach any athlete.
Wessinger says he’s thankful for the early detection by his coaches of his concussions.
“I know back in the day it was if you got your bell rung you were told to get up it’s not a big deal you just got hit hard, but just that little hit and you take two or three in a game and a good one in practice that’s it,” said Wessinger.
Research has shown that those with concussion injuries can worsen that injury by texting and playing video games.