BOOMERRANG

~ADAM ROBINSON'S MOTHER SAYS CONCUSSIONS TOOK TOLL - The Uncut Letter Sent To The Des Moines Register -

 

 

 

 

                                           Letter to Editor   (Feb 2011)

                                            Second Chance for AROB

 This is in response to Brett Walderbach’s Feb 8, 2011 letter “Second Chances OK, but there is a limit.”  Mr.Walderbach attempts to outline Adam Robinson’s “multiple chances to prove his commitment to his coach and his teammates, and summarizes that he didn’t value those chances”.  Mr. Walderbach presents his opinion as though he had inside information and was privy to the sequence of events that unfolded during the 2010 football season.   I did not see Mr. Walderbach along that journey.  What was taking place behind the Game Day scenes that would lead to suspension for academic indigestion and then again for the Insight Bowl.?

The average college football player will sustain a breathtaking 950 to 1,110 sub concussive blows per season – hits that are enough to do cumulative damage to brain tissue, but not enough to cause immediate symptoms.  This is what is called a “dose response”, or in other words after a certain number of hits, the damage starts to show.

Studies have been conducted to determine the force of the hit by placing accelerometers in the helmets of player’s.  The unit of measure used was the “g-force”. The liftoff of the Saturn V moon rocket exposed its crew to a maximum of four g’s.  A roller coaster can exceed 6 g’s.  College football players collide with each other with an impact of nearly 23 g’s – which is the average hit. 

It’s not necessary to be hit in the head to have concussive damage.  When the head snaps back and forth, the brain sloshes with it – hitting the skull.  Part of the dilemma is that a player whose brain has been jolted on a sub concussive level is more likely to stay on the field and return there week after week.  When the brain is shaken too hard, nerve fibers are torn and a protein called tau is released.  The brain does try to clean up the mess and if given enough time it could.  If there is no recuperation time and the hits keep coming, the protein accumulates and becomes like a sludge in the brain.    The damage is impossible to see without a postmortem exam.

40% of players who experience a concussion are back on the field before their brains have fully healed.  Sometimes two mild injuries can do more damage than one severe one. Players who return to the field before they have fully recovered may even suffer what is known as Second Impact Syndrome (SIS). In this case, another blow to the head leads to fatal brain bleed.

Individuals who suffer head trauma will be fine if they don’t do anything.  But the moment they try to do something like read a book they will get a headache.  Functioning neuro-imaging experiments show that more of the brain is used to accomplish easy tasks in the days after a concussion.  Like an ankle sprain, the best cure is rest.  Mental exertion – like the daily grind- can prolong the symptoms of a concussion.

A concussion is the invisible injury that affects the memory and neurological function of the brain. The brain is more than a joint or a limb.  It is the seat of the self.  The cognitive functioning is the sum of all thinking, planning, and problem solving within the brain.  Brain injury has the potential to alter cognitive skills such that these “automatic” processes no longer work as efficiently as they once did.

Adam was awesome on the field as he spun, juked and struggled for a second and third effort, dragging defenders with him – doing what he loves most. As the accumulation of the hits and the concussions took control of his body and mind, effecting his academics, his problem solving skills, his performance on the field, his ability to cope with the demands on his time, and his health – he began to flounder.  The second chance that Adam really needed was guidance and direction. He was told he was fine – his brain was healed - but he wasn’t.    He didn’t understand what was going on – why some symptoms continued when he should have been back to a pre-concussed state. 

The first thing we need to do is become smarter about the damage from the cumulative hits and the concussions.  Understanding the danger also means learning to recognize the post-injury symptoms.  Had there been a collective effort in several different areas to monitor him medically, academically, and psychologically, they would have been able to determine that Adam needed help not because he didn’t value his team -  not because he didn’t value his chances - but because he was suffering mentally. 

 

 

Sally Robinson

Des Moines, Iowa

IOWA SENATE FILE F153 ~ NFL~ IHSAA ~ Sports Concussion Bill ~ GOOD NEWS FRIENDS OF ADAM ROBINSON ~SAYS SENATOR ROB HOGG~

 

 

Senator Rob Hogg says :

"I wanted to give you the good news that we did pass SF153 out of Senate Education Committee today, and I hope it gets support to be passed by the full Senate and House."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BY BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION - Iowa Chapter

 

            

 

 

February 28, 2010

 

NFL JOINS IA LAWMAKERS IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION ON CONCUSSION PREVENTION AND EDUCATION

Iowa athletes in youth sports from girls basketball to boys soccer or football could be affected by new legislation proposed to prevent early return to competition after a brain injury.

SF 153 and HF 385 will set new standards for student-athletes suspected of sustaining concussions and require parent/guardian and athlete education.

DES MOINES—This morning the National Football League joined with Iowa State Senator Tod Bowman (D-Maquoketa), the Brain Injury Association of Iowa, and the Iowa High School Athletic Association to support Senate File 153, new legislation to prevent and properly respond to sports-related concussions and other brain injuries in student-athletes across Iowa’s youth sports programs.

The State Capitol press conference featured NFL Executive Kenneth Edmonds who serves the league as Director of Government Relations & Public Policy, Retired Minnesota Viking linebacker and former ISU Cyclone Matt Blair, youth athletes, brain injury awareness advocates, as well as high school coach and bill sponsor, Senator Tod Bowman.

“We thank Senators Bowman and Ragan as well as Representatives Koester and Lofgren for their leadership on what we in the NFL consider important legislation on a crucial subject,” said Kenneth Edmonds of the NFL.  “Today’s NFL players and coaches are better educated on the dangers of concussions and we believe youth athletes – both male and female – should be better educated and protected. SF 153 and HF 385 do just that.”

 
Senator Bowman, a high school coach himself, stated, “Increased awareness and diagnosis of concussions are changing sports – from the professional ranks to the youngest sports leagues.  Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our student-athletes on and off the field.  I’m pleased to have the support of the NFL for comprehensive legislation that ensures we are putting the health and well-being of our young people first with new, meaningful education and prevention standards for sports-related brain injuries.”

SF 153, and its companion bill HF 385, will require for youth in grades seven through twelve: 1) a student-athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion in a game be removed from competition until they have been seen by a licensed healthcare provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and other brain injuries; 2) that student-athlete obtain written clearance from a trained and licensed healthcare provider before returning to play and 3) a parent/guardian and student athlete must read, sign and return a concussion awareness fact sheet prior to enrolling a child in youth sports activities.

“Iowa is proud to have a long and storied tradition of sports excellence, especially in youth sports,” said Senator Bowman.  “But it’s critical we adopt better and clearer guidelines for protecting our student-athletes from sports-related brain trauma and ensure our parents, coaches, officials, athletic trainers, and other health care providers are all on the same page.”   

In addition to support from the NFL, the Brain Injury Association of Iowa and the Iowa High School Athletic Association is in support of the legislation.

Individuals participating in the press conference included:

• Matt Blair, a former NFL linebacker who played for the Minnesota Vikings for all twelve seasons of his career from 1974 – 1985, starring in two Super Bowls (1974 and 1976) and who is also a former Iowa State University Cyclone Defense Star / ISU Hall of Fame - Class of 1999
  
  
• Kenneth Edmonds, Director of Government Relations & Public Policy for the National Football League
  
  
• Geoffrey M. Lauer, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Iowa
  
  
• Alan Beste, Assistant Executive Director with the Iowa High School Athletic Association
• Tate Jensen, 9th grade student athlete at Adel Desoto Minburn (ADM) High School, Adel Iowa
  
  
• Brianna McAninch, Junior student athlete at Norwalk High School, Norwalk, Iowa
  
  
• Donald D. Vaughan, Board Member with the Brain Injury Association of Iowa and father of a son with traumatic brain injury
  
  
• Senator Tod Bowman (D-Maquoketa), sponsor of Senate File 153 – “An act to protect student athletes from concussions and other brain injuries”
  
  

“The Brain Injury Association of Iowa is pleased to help coordinate this effort at increasing both prevention and awareness of brain injury among Iowa’s youth”, shared Geoffrey Lauer, BIA-Iowa Executive Director  “Brain injury is the last thing on your mind until it is the only thing”, Lauer noted.  The Brain Injury Association of Iowa is the voice of help, hope and healing for the more than 95,000 Iowans with long-term disability from brain injury. 

In May of last year, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote to 44 Governors encouraging action be taken similar to Washington State’s Lystedt's Law, to protect young athletes from concussions.  Zackery Lystedt was a young Washington athlete who in 2006 returned to a middle school football game after suffering a concussion and subsequently suffered a brain injury.

Concussions are caused by a blow or motion to the head or body that disrupts the normal functioning of the brain and can cause significant and sustained neuropsychological impairments.  According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur every year.

For more information about concussion or brain injury contact the Brain Injury Association of Iowa at 800-444-6443 or via www.biaia.org

 

For More Information:

 

Geoffrey Lauer 

Brain Injury Assoc. National Football League

319.466.7455                                                                               

319.621.7078 (cell)                                                                        

glauer@biaia.org  

Dan Masonson                     

212-450-2081

dan.masonson@nfl.com 

###

 

IOWA SENATE FILE 153 ~ Sports Concussion Bill ~ TELL THEM YOU ARE A FRIEND OF Adam Robinson

 

 

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!!
We need help getting our Youth Sports Concussion Legislation" through the Iowa Senate Education Committee.

Please help us prevent brain injury in our high school athletes!

<><><><><><><>

 WE  NEED  YOUR  ACTION  TODAY!  JUST SEND AN EMAIL~ addresses provided below

 

Iowa Senate File 153, the "Youth Sports Concussion Bill" needs to come out of the Senate Education Committee by March 4 (funnel date) or it is dead for this session.  Call or write to one of the Senators listed below and urge a YES vote on SF 153:  Youth Sports Concussion bill.

1.  Give your name and connection to brain injury and concussions....a family member, a survivor, a nurse, a doctor, etc.  If the Senator represents you, be sure to indicate where you live and that you are his/her constituent.
 
2.  Urge him/her to vote YES for the bill and move it to the full Senate
 
3.  Tell him/her the major components of the bill.

    a.  Give information on concussion to all student athletes and their parents at the beginning of a sports season;
    b.  Identify student athletes who suffer a concussion in games or practice and remove them from play immediately,
    c.  Not allow the student athlete to return to play until evaluated by a licensed health professional and given written clearance to play.
 
4.  Remind Senators that...
     a.  A concussion is caused by a blow or motion to the head that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull, resulting in                neurobiological dysfunction.
     b.  Concussions can occur without loss of consciousness.
     c.  The real danger is not with the first concussion but with the successive concussions that often result because of the altered state of the brain from repeated blows.
 
Time is of the essence with this effort -   So we have to ACT NOW.  Write to your own Senator if on this list.  If none are yours, write to them anyway!
 
Here are the senators on the Senate Education Committee:
 

herman.quirmbach@legis.state.ia.us     Boone, Story

 brian.schoenjahn@legis.state.ia.us         Black Hawk , Buchanan, Clayton, Delaware,
                                                                                                                        Fayette

Shawn.hamerlinck@legis.state.ia.us         Clinton, Scott

 daryl.beall@legis.state.ia.us                         Calhoun, Greene, Webster   

 nancy.boettger@legis.state.ia.us                  Adair, Audabon, Cass, Guthrie, Shelby
                                                                                                                    Pottawattamie
 tod.bowman@legis.state.ia.us                       Clinton, Dubuque, Jackson

robert.dvorsky@legis.state.ia.us                   Linn, Johnson

randy.feenstra@legis.state.ia.us                   Lyon, Plymouth, Sioux

rob.hogg@legis.state.ia.us                             Linn

david.johnson@legis.state.ia.us                    Clay, Dickinson, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux

roby.smith@legis.state.ia.us                           Scott

 steve.sodders@legis.state.ia.us                    Franklin, Hardin, Marshall

mary.jo.wilhelm@legis.state.ia.us                     Allamakee, Chickasaw, Howard, Winneshiek

On Feb 24, 2011, at 10:44 PM, SallyRobinson wrote:

Iowa Senate File 153, the "Youth Sports Concussion Bill"    YES vote on SF 153:  Youth Sports Concussion bill

  

As the mother of the Iowa Running back Adam Robinson - I am asking that you vote yes on SF153. 

 I am not asking you  to take away the love of the sports or to keep athletes from playing - but to help protect all athletes- There must be mandatory guidelines and medical testing and comprehensive monitoring to provide parents and athletes with the most accurate medical information to make the best informed decision.  We can not wait until the athlete reaches the professional level.

  

  

Here is our story:

  

                                                              Second Chance for AROB

 Brett Walderbach’s Feb 8, 2011 letter “Second Chances OK, but there is a limit”  ran in the Des Moines Register.  Mr.Walderbach attempted to outline Adam Robinson’s “multiple chances to prove his commitment to his coach and his teammates, and summarized that he didn’t value those chances”.  Mr. Walderbach presented his opinion as though he had inside information and was privy to the sequence of events that unfolded during the 2010 football season.   I did not see Mr. Walderbach along that journey.  Two concussions in three weeks.  Little did I know as I relied upon the team staff for their expertise, the danger that my son was in.  The standard medical clearance test was not based upon scientific evidence.  I did not understand then what I do now.  What was taking place behind the Game Day scenes that would lead to suspension for academic indigestion and then again for the Insight Bowl?

The average college football player will sustain a breathtaking 950 to 1,110 sub concussive blows per season – hits that are enough to do cumulative damage to brain tissue, but not enough to cause immediate symptoms.  This is what is called a “dose response”, or in other words after a certain number of hits, the damage starts to show.

Studies have been conducted to determine the force of the hit by placing accelerometers in the helmets of player’s.  The unit of measure used was the “g-force”. The liftoff of the Saturn V moon rocket exposed its crew to a maximum of four g’s.  A roller coaster can exceed 6 g’s.  College football players collide with each other with an impact of nearly 23 g’s – which is the average hit. 

It’s not necessary to be hit in the head to have concussive damage.  When the head snaps back and forth, the brain sloshes with it – hitting the skull.  Part of the dilemma is that a player whose brain has been jolted on a sub concussive level is more likely to stay on the field and return there week after week.  When the brain is shaken too hard, nerve fibers are torn and a protein called tau is released.  The brain does try to clean up the mess and if given enough time it could.  If there is no recuperation time and the hits keep coming, the protein accumulates and becomes like a sludge in the brain.    This condition is known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).  CTE is often seen among dementia patients and NFL players with a lifetime of concussions behind them.  The tau protein and nerve fibers are impossible to see without a postmortem exam.

40% of players who experience a concussion are back on the field before their brains have fully healed.  Sometimes two mild injuries can do more damage than one severe one. Players who return to the field before they have fully recovered may even suffer what is known as Second Impact Syndrome (SIS). In this case, another blow to the head leads to fatal brain bleed.

Individuals who suffer head trauma will be fine if they don’t do anything.  But the moment they try to do something like read a book they will get a headache. Functioning neuro-imaging experiments show that more of the brain is used to accomplish easy tasks in the days after a concussion.  Like an ankle sprain, the best cure is rest.  Mental exertion – like the daily grind- can prolong the symptoms of a concussion.

A concussion is the invisible injury that affects the memory and neurological function of the brain. The brain is more than a joint or a limb.  It is the seat of the self. The cognitive functioning is the sum of all thinking, planning, and problem solving within the brain.  Brain injury has the potential to alter cognitive skills such that these “automatic” processes no longer work as efficiently as they once did.

Adam was awesome on the field as he spun, juked and struggled for a second and third effort, dragging defenders with him – doing what he loves most. As the accumulation of the hits and the concussions took control of his body and mind, effecting his academics, his problem solving skills, his performance on the field, his ability to cope with the demands on his time, and his health – he began to flounder.  The second chance that Adam really needed was professional guidance anddirection. He was told he was fine – his brain was healed - but he wasn’t.    He didn’t understand what was going on – why some symptoms continued when he should have been back to a pre-concussed state. 

The first thing we need to do is become smarter about the damage from the cumulative hits and the concussions.  Understanding the danger also means learning to recognize the post-injury symptoms.  Had there been a collective effort in several different areas to monitor him medically, academically, and psychologically, they would have been able to determine that Adam needed help not because he didn’t value his team -  not because he didn’t value his chances - but because he was suffering mentally. 

 

Sally Robinson

 

 

 

HAWKS VS ARIZONIA ~ Part II

 

 

 

My brother's flight arrived and we headed to the hotel the Hawks were staying at.   We decided to have dinner there .  This Marriott  was exquiste ~ from the bottom of the mountain it looked like the hotel was carved out of the mountain. 

The JW Mariott Starr Pass Resort and Spa

 

pictures courtesy JW Mariott  Starr Pass  Resot and Spa

 

You drive up a long winding road. . . you come upon this sign. . . and you drive another 2000 feet or so to the 1st entrance of the hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We valet parked our vehicle and entered at the ground level unto this. . .

 

As you go down the stairs that takes you to the lower patio - or across to the patio that overlooks the ground level patio.

 

 

 

 

 

We ate on this patio that overlooks the ground level patio . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The food was unbeliveable.  I had the Sea Bass, Pat has Short Ribs and my brother a New York Strip.  We finished the dinner with a 1921 Coffee.    What a treat!  Why we sat on the outside patio is beyond comprehension. . .  my brother said for the view.  I had a steady stream of sweat that trickled down the side of my face carefully tracing my hair line.  I don't think I have ever sweated so much as I did in the two days I was in Tucson.  HOT AND DESOLATE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We must have set on the patio for about 2 hours.  We got a text stating the team had gone to a movie - they should be back around 9:30pm.  We went back up to the Lobby that we first entered and sat back on the leather furniture and waited.  The Lobby overlooked the lower level patio.

Around 9:50 the buses came up around the winding road.  They went past the first entrance - the lobby we were at.  They went on around to the second entrance.  The text read we have meeting at 10:00pm and in our rooms at 10:30.  We texted back - we will come back over in the morning- let us know when you have some free time.

We headed back to our hotel - our Mariott- that was clean and nice in it's own right- but it failed in comparison to the JW Mariott.

 

 

 

The pool

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GO HAWKS!

HAWKS VS ARIZONA ~ Arizona Daily Star Says it ALL

On Friday September 17, 2010 the Arizona Daily Star said it all.  The headline on the front page read . . . ARIZONA IS NOW NUMBER 2 IN POVERTY!! . . .

The day before, as a dear friend and I drove across the country from Iowa, I did not have a clue what was ahead.  As the scenery changed from green and fertile to dry and brittle  - I did not know that the attitude of my fellow Americans would change so drasticlly as well.

I think the last time I had been to Arizona was some 30+ years earlier as I hitchhiked to California.  I didn't make a stop there, didn't visit anyone there.  I remember the interstate was not the same. This was basically a new adventure for me.

We left Des Moines at 5:30 am on Thursday morning.  The sun had not yet made an appearance. We seemed to leave Iowa behind so quickly and pass  through the State of Missouri before we realized it.  Highway UW  54  was perhaps the longest portion of our trip - which was about 500 miles of it- 54 ran catty corner from one side of the Kansas to the other.  It seemed like days upon days going through Kansas.  My friend Pat had no trouble sleeping in the car as I was driving enjoying the satellite radio and its endless collection of Pop Music.  I swear I knew the words to each and every song.  

At one point I thought we had left Kansas and gone thru both Oklahoma and Texas - only to find out that we were still in Kansas.  Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is dead!  Finally we hit Oklahoma and the land was more barren than Kansas. I think it was about 90 miles through the Oklahoma panhandle and another 70 miles through Texas.  It was a very long 2 lane highway.  With that being said we arrived into Albuquerque around 12:30 pm Thursday night.  It was dark~ pitch dark and with the city lights glittering in the darkness - I  lost my satellite and my connection on my "World Phone"   I don't have an Apple phone - maybe its not the Apple phone but the service provider...??? How do you lose you service in the middle of the desert?

 

 

When I regained connection to the outside world I had a friend find the nearest Walmart.  We were getting tired and the rest areas were uncertain at best.    I have to tell you that IOWA has the best rest areas! I mean what kind of rest area has a picnic table , couple trash barrels and no bathroom???  I mean not even a porta potty or an outhouse???????  HELP!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well the next Walmart we came upon was in Deeming, New Mexico.  It was about another hundred miles- and as we rolled into Deeming at 2:30 am we saw 5 or 6 border patrol cars zipping around - like they were looking for someone.  Bars on the windows.  Pat says - "This is not looking like a good neighborhood. . ."  I am thinking - we are pretty close to the Mexican border - not sure any neighborhood is a good neighborhood if that is the case.

We were too tired to continue on in  this dark dark night. . . it is a little bit scarier when you are going down unkown streets and highways.  You can't see what is out there.  So we rolled into Walmart.  There were a couple of vehicles with their human occupants fast asleep.  We rolled on over where the truckers were parked side by side, pulled up under a samll tree that provided us some refuge from the parking lot lights - grabbed our pillows, our blankets and snuggled down.  The Walmart security cop rolled up beside my door - I rolled my window down and he bellowed "How you all doing?'' 'Tired" I responded.   "You might be better off going to the other side of the parking lot - these trucks will keep you awake" he pointed to the other side of the parking lot.  "Will you be here all night" I asked.  "Yea I will be here all night long" he answered.  "Okay" I replied.  We were too tired to even move the car to the other side of the lot.

The last time I looked at the clock on the dash of the car it was around 3:15 am.  I drifted off into a deep sleep. . .  I did not hear the trucks. . . I did not feel the discomfort of the car seat. . . reI could not feel the parking lot lights burning my closed eyelids.  Reality was lost to the warm embrace of REM sleep. 

The noise startled me. . . I heard my friends voice. . . it was 5:30 am and Pat's sister calling to see what she was doing???  OMG!!  The conversation lasted about 3 minutes. . . it was too long I couldn't go back to sleep.   Well we were up before the truckers , throwing our pillows and blankets over our seats - pulling our composure together  and heading on down the road through the desert to Tucson.  Atleast it was the final piece of our roadtrip.

 

We stopped in Tucson for breakfast - where else but at McDonalds.  While the outside of the building always looks the same  and the food on the menu is the same -  it was not the same - it was different - the atmosphere was different.  There on the table was the Arizona Daily Star Newspaper - left by a previous customer.  The headline "ARIZONA NOW 2nd  IN POVERTY would be the one variable that had not occupied my thoughtsbefore now. The State of Arizona had made recent national  news headlines - with its controversial pespective on illegal immigrants and it's newly passed illegla immigrant law that was being hotly debated and challenged.   I guess my perception of Arizona had been -  hot weather - lots of retires- coupled with glitz and glamour and money - the place to be during our cold winters -  but this very morning upon our arrival I was not feeling the glitz and the glamour part at all.  It just seemed to get hotter and more desolate than it had been the day before.   Maybe I was just beyond tired - maybe a hot shower and nap in the air conditioned hotel room would make me feel better not just physcially but mentally as well.. .

 

 

 

 

We headed to the hotel - The Marriott Courtyard" right across the street from the airport.  Yes was the answer when I asked if we could check into our room early. 

 

 

 

 OMG the cool water felt good - it never really got hot - but just the water pushing the dirt and grime from my skin left me feeling like the darkness had made way for the light.  I collapsed on the bed - I didn't have not even one tiny spark of energy left to check for bed bugs.  I texted my brother .. . in hotel taking nap see you when you get here. . . I was swallowed completly by the darkness of the sleep that I yearned for. . . 

 

 

 

Right here on the right side - my bed - the place I sought refuge from the heat and the exhaustion. . .

 

 

. . . stayed tune for part two of our road trip to Arizona to be with our Beloved Hawkeyes. . .

 

GO HAWKS!