SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH (ABC 4 News) – A new law is now in effect that changes the way students are playing sports in Utah this season.
HB-204 passed in the last legislative session and mandates what happens after a hard hit on the playing field. It is designed to protect athletes under eighteen who participate in armature sports, from the lifelong impact of a concussion.
Football is the sport with most risk of concussions. Research shows there are 300,000 football related concussions every year in the United States every year. 21-percent of those with concussions are high school students.
Brady Lail is a quarterback at Bingham High School. He says the new law is a good idea because it’s not always easy to recognize how hard a hit is, and when there is danger.” "You kind of get caught up in the game."
Kendall Cloward , also a Bingham player, says some athletes require tough guidelines to get them to leave the field. "Kids, they want to stay in the game as long as possible, because they don't want to let down the team."
A concussion occurs when the brain hits the skull causing injury. The symptoms are headache, vision disturbances, dizziness, loss of balance, confusion, memory loss, ringing in the ears, nausea and vomiting, difficulty concentrating, unusual behavior, sensitivity to light, irritability, sleep disturbances, personality change, and fatigue.
Brittney Millet is an athletic trainer for Intermountain TOSH. She also helps train coaches about concussions and the new law. She says the goal is to get children and teens diagnosed early, and treated if necessary. "The biggest key is rest. It's just like any other injury. You want your body to heal fully, otherwise you could return and cause more damage."
Millet says the potential damage from a concussion includes lasting cognitive problems, and a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. She also points out that concussions can cause death.
Bingham High School coaches are taking the new law forcing kids to sit the bench very seriously. As mandated, they have a policy, training, and follow strict procedures. If a player has a concussion, they must be cleared by a medical professional who is properly trained to recognize and manage concussions to get back into the game.
By law, parents are also required to agree to abide by the standards set. Bingham offensive coordinator, John Lambourne, says that leads to additional safety. He says the new law creates awareness and cooperation. "We've got to not only get those that are working in the field but we've got to get the parents, and the kids themselves, as participants on the same page."
Bingham High School and others statewide are also testing young athletes before they begin the season to gather baseline cognitive scores. Those scores can be used as a comparison to diagnose and treat a concussion should one occur.
To find out more about protecting young athletes from concussions visit
www.cdc.gov/concussion/ 
