Hits on the gridiron can turn into something worse

Concussions more harmful for kids than first thought, local trainers say

October 18, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

Jammell Felder watches her son LaKell, 9, carefully whenever he gets hit playing football.
The Greenwood County Parks and Recreation player’s worst conk only knocked the wind out of him, but Felder closely examined the way her son got up off the field.
“I’m watching with the eagle eye,” she said.
Felder, a pediatrician at the Children’s Center, knows the signs of a concussion — nausea leading to vomiting, wobbly legs and possibly unconsciousness.
She treats concussions seriously, even if the patient isn’t LaKell.
Pediatricians and local athletic trainers consider concussions to be more of a threat to athletes than a few years ago.
Medical journals such as Pediatrics now recognize the head injury as a critical medical issue, according to the Washington Post.
A juvenile brain might be more vulnerable to harm and slower to heal after a big hit or fall. Further injury to the brain can cause more trouble, the Post reports.
Felder said concussions are handled differently depending on the child’s age. Toddlers are usually watched to make sure they don’t vomit or lose balance.
Children between a toddler’s age and a teenager’s age are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, Felder said.
Some athletes can suffer from second-impact syndrome if not healed completely from their first concussions, said Brian Bishop, athletic trainer for Emerald High School.
If an athlete attempts to play too soon after his/her injury, the second time the player receives a concussion could be fatal.
Athletes sometimes feel the effects of a concussion long after receiving one, Bishop said. Symptoms of post-concussion syndrome include loss of motor skills and memory that can possibly last from six months to a year.
Bishop said coaches normally examine players for signs of concussions after big hits. They check eye pupils for irregularities, such as one being bigger than the other, as well as memory and coordination loss.
Bishop said Emerald has a policy about athletes and concussions. If an athlete loses consciousness after a concussion, he/she can’t play for at least a week.
Players can only return to the game once they’ve been without symptoms for at least three days, Bishop said.
Severe cases, like unconsciousness or loss of coordination that lasts longer than 35 minutes, automatically get athletes sent to the hospital for a CT scan.
Sometimes Emerald coaches have to keep a close eye on players, Bishop said, because many athletes don’t want to spend any long period of time off the bench.
Andrew Petersen, head athletic trainer for Greenwood High School, said the coaching staff considers an athlete’s health a primary concern.
Greenwood has the same policies for players sitting out games after concussions as Emerald does.
Treatment for a concussions is pretty limited.
“There’s not much you can really do,” Petersen said.
Greenwood’s coaching staff warns parents to watch children for symptoms.
The more the medical field learns about concussions, the more problems arise because of them, Petersen said.

Church official: Beware of scam artists

October 18, 2006

By JOSEPH BUTLER
Index-Journal Intern

Two women claiming to be with a Greenwood church are collecting money in local neighborhoods and the Wal-Mart parking lot, though church officials said Tuesday that the women appear to be scam artists.
David Johns, a board member at Greenwood Wesleyan Church, said the church has received several phone calls from Greenwood residents saying they were solicited by women claiming to be with the church.
The women are asking for money to help with a leukemia patient in the church, and sometimes they claim to be helping a family move to another town, Johns said.
Johns said the women are in no way connected to the church, and anyone wishing to make donations should make them directly to Greenwood Wesleyan.
Two residents who called the church described one of the women as thin with blonde hair and about 30 years old. Another said he thought the woman was driving a red car.
Residents who think they have been duped by the women can contact the Greenwood Police Department at 942-8405.

Obituaries

Shirley J. Byrd

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “Birdie” Shirley J. Byrd, of 7916 Falcon Street, Jax., FL 32244, born Jan. 3, 1950, left this earthly life on Oct. 7, 2006.
Birdie is survived by her life partner, Janice D. Young, her 4 children, and 10 grandchildren, who reside in Florida.
She is survived by her sisters Bonnie Holliday and Pam Higdon, her brother Jim Sullivan, 4 nephews and 2 nieces of South Carolina.
Services will be held on Oct. 20, 2006 at 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 5752 Blanding Blvd., Jax., FL with Father Anthony G. Sebra presiding. Live plants are welcomed and/or donations may be made in her honor to Haven Hospice, 8301 Cypress Plaza Drive, Ste. 119, Jax., FL 32256.

Clifford ‘Boot’ Dean

Clifford “Boot” Dean, 52, of 140-B Circular Ave., died Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006, at his home. The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.

Mildred Drennon Tate

McCORMICK — Mildred L. Drennon Tate died Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006, at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood.
The family is at the home of her mother, Mary Drennon, 1522 Old Troy Road.
Services will be announced by Walker Funeral Home.

Lander showing its youth

Men’s hoops team starts practice with new faces mixed with veterans

October 18, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

While many area sports fans use this time of year to focus on the stretch runs of football and cross country, it’s also time for the start of the area’s premier winter sport: basketball.
Preparations for the 2006-07 basketball season are well under way at Lander University. Practice for the men’s and women’s teams opened Sunday, the first official day NCAA Division II teams are able have full practices with coaches present.
For Lander men’s coach Bruce Evans, who is entering his third year at the helm for the Bearcats, the opening of practice signals one of his favorite times of the year.
“There’s certainly a great deal of excitement,” Evans said. “There always is when you get to that official start date for practice. In general, we have a lot of enthusiasm right now, especially with all the new faces we have right now.”
The Bearcats indeed do have a number of new faces. Five freshmen dot Lander’s roster of 11. In fact, Lander’s roster is a strange mix of rookies and experienced players. Along with the five freshmen, the Bearcats also have four seniors and a junior, Scottie Smith, who played in nearly every game a year ago.
“We just have to be a little bit patient right now,” Evans said. “We have bunch of young kids who have a lot to learn.
And it looks like they are really responding to the upperclassmen. Sometimes that happens, where the upperclassmen are able to get the freshmen up to speed even faster than we can as coaches in certain instances.”
While last Sunday marked the first “official” day of practice, the Bearcats have been hard at work since the end of last season. Evans said the NCAA allows eight hours per week for teams to practice out of season. Within that, coaches are only allowed to work with four players at a time on the court.
As such, Evans said weight lifting and conditioning become important keys to offseason training. The Bearcats will continue to focus on weight training as the season progresses.
Now that full practice has arrived, the Bearcats are allowed to practice 20 hours per week, with a mandatory day off.
All this is leading up to the Bearcats’ first game Nov. 15 at Presbyterian. Lander also has a notable exhibition before the regular season, traveling Nov. 6 to Charleston to take on The Citadel.
On Nov. 7, Lander will host the Bearcat Basketball Clinic for kids. Since many local kids will be out of school that day for the general election, Evans said it will be a good opportunity for youngsters ages 6-17 to hit the hardwood.
“That will be a great opportunity for young people to meet our players and see what it’s like to be a collegiate athlete,” Evans said. “It will also serve as a good kickoff to kids who are playing in youth leagues and Upward Bound basketball.”

Opinion

How can we ever forget what 9/11 means to U. S.?

October 18, 2006

There is no one around Greenwood - or anywhere else - who remembers the sinking of the United States battleship “Maine” in the Havana harbor in Cuba. We do know from history, though, that it propelled us into the Spanish-American War.
Every South Carolinian, even though he was not there, has heard about the Alamo and how it played a major role in the history of Texas and the nation.
There are, however, a good many people hereabouts who remember that “Day in Infamy” when the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked by Japanese warplanes. It was a terrible blow to our naval forces and forced us into a war with an Imperialistic Japan.

WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN there at the time. However, most of us are familiar with the rallying cries they brought about: Remember the Maine, Remember the Alamo, and, of course, Remember Pearl Harbor.There’s no telling how much of a positive effect those slogans had on the determination of Americans to stand tall and tough ..... and persevere.
Now, though, we need a new slogan to constantly remind us of the terrorist attack on the U. S. on September 11, 2001.
Nothing memorable rolls off the tongue like the other three “remembers.” Something like “Remember the Twin Towers” is long and cumbersome.

MAYBE OUR RALLYING cry should be “Remember 9/11.” It’s short and to the point.
Whatever it is, though, it should never be forgotten that on that date we were deliberately attacked by Muslim terrorists who slaughtered almost 3,000 innocent people. Somehow, though, it seems this terrible tragedy is being forgotten with every passing day ..... and that’s a shame.
We cannot allow that to happen. We need the horrible images burned into our minds to constantly remind us that the world we used to know no longer lives. It’s more dangerous than ever, and unstable dictators and religious zealots make the consequences too terrible to ignore.
Remember. Innocence, if there was any left, died on 9/11. That changed the world forever, and unless we are vigilant it will continue to get worse. What might be is too horrible to even think about.