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Extending The Mission We Turn To A Mobile Classroom

January 18, 2012 By 1 Comment
BrainChampions.org is Building an educational bus to take out on educational trips

At BrainChampions.org we don't spend a lot of time sitting around.  This year was a busy one where we spoke at several classrooms and and 6 Camps where the message was taken to hundreds of Coaches and kids. We started Atalanta's Pride with Tracy Yatsko even while the amazing young woman from Pennsylvania took on the lobbying of a Statewide Concussion reform bill.  And in Oregon Ally Wallace went after the Coaching community in Portland and gained National attention as she got mandatory imPACT Baseline Concussion testing pushed through. Our ability to help is only funded by our time and resources.  Up until now BrainChampions.org has been funded by our founder.  Now we ask for your assistance in completing our mobile classroom project that we call "Building The Bus".  This vehicle had a glorious career as a custom shuttle bus before being bought and used as a Indie Band Bus where it earned its nick-name Bus Van Sant. Now we need your help to get Bus Van Sant back on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Happening Now, Research and Studies, Youth Football Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Remembering The Fallen: Help Us Help Them

November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

November 24, 2011 Dirk Knudsen WashingtonPreps.com Editor Talk about it in The Grid Iron Dirk Knudsen; Washingtonpreps.com       Today before you feast and enjoy the family and friends your with I want you to do me a favor.  Before you watch your favorite team go to war I want you to do something you may have never ever done but I promise it won't hurt. I want you to say a little pray for the fallen. The young boys who have given their lives in pursuit of a game that we Americans just can not get enough of.  And I want you to say a prayer for the guys your watching out on that field.  Because some of them are killing themselves right now so you can enjoy your day. Many of the players you watch have had or will have both short and long term disability from the game they are playing.  Some of them will die of complications from CTE which is a newly confirmed brain disease caused by the game of football. Now … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Happening Now, Meet Our Founders

The End Of The Road Is Just Ahead

October 19, 2011 By 4 Comments
grant ambulance

There are few people reading this by now that do not know of the crisis facing this great game of ours.  This game, this killer of men and breaker of spirits, which so many millions love and celebrate every week in America.  Our youth are dying and our Heroes falling and yet do we say anything?  Or do we just smirk and write it off to bad luck.  It didn't happen to you right?  Not your kid.  Not your problem. But across America as the injuries mount and the death toll rises more and more fans and parents are crying out for change.  Because for those of us paying attention we must realize that this killer that is running wild in the game of football has come to our youth fields and our  Main Streets and our NFL Stadiums.  The Concussion and Brain Trauma Monster is ours...all of ours. The body count and number of broken men and boys is rising daily.  Concussion's and Traumatic Brain Injury suffered on and the practice field and during games seem to visit every region of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Concussion Rules and Laws, Education, Happening Now, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

16 Year Old Dies In New York After Football Head Trauma

October 19, 2011 By 1 Comment

It has happened again.  And again we pray.  This time  for the family and community where 16 year old Ridge Barden was a student Athlete.  Where he suffered a tragic end due to a helmet to helmet blow. ________________________________________________________ Authorities say a 16-year-old high school football player who died after collapsing during a game suffered bleeding on his brain, apparently from a helmet-to-helmet collision. Cortland County Coroner Kevin Sharp says Ridge Barden died from a massive subdural hematoma, a traumatic brain injury. The lineman for John C. Birdlebough High School in the Oswego County village of Phoenix was hurt during Friday night's game at Homer High School, south of Syracuse. Authorities say he was able to sit up after the play but complained of a headache and collapsed when he tried to stand. Sharp says there's no evidence of any pre-existing injury or condition that contributed to Barden's death. He says the fatal injury was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Happening Now, Second Impact Syndrome Tagged With: , , , ,

The End Of Football As We Know It Is Near

October 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

September 22, 2011 Dirk Knudsen WashingtonPreps.com Editor Talk about it in The Grid Iron The End Of The Game As We Know It I will never forget September 27th, 2009 because it was a day that changed my life.  And it was a day that will be a part of a much bigger story.  A story that will change the way we play the most beloved game in this great Country of ours.  It was a day that we lost one of the great young men in America and it was our fault. All of our fault. That was the day that Valley Christian High School student-athlete Andrew "Drew" Swank who was #15 died having lost his life to Second Impact Syndrome; a direct result of him playing in a High School football game with a severe concussion he recieved a week prior and there is little deate over the fact that many of those involved knew he was hurt.  But Drew was cleared to play and was hit again and again that Friday night.  He took a fatal blow in the game and as his brain swelled … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Concussion Rules and Laws, Education, Uncategorized, Youth Football Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Brain Champions Team 7:15 Makes Big Impact

August 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ALOHA, Ore. - About 150 high school football players looking to make that next big step to college ball took to the field during a Friday night football camp, but they were also reminded about the danger of concussions from a man who barely survived permanent brain damage. Max Conradt spoke to the players about what could happen if concussions aren't taken seriously. His story is a reality check for players who think they're invincible, but the reality is students die from concussions. School districts around Oregon and Washington are taking steps to take the injury more seriously, but Conradt says high school players need to do the same. Some of those high school players at the camp were 14 years old while others were a few years older. Many have dreams of college scholarships, national championships and even the NFL. While watching them practice, Conradt remembers his time as a football player. "I was MVP quarterback and defensive end," he says. Ten years ago he was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Concussion Rules and Laws, Education, Meet Our Founders, Second Impact Syndrome, Youth Football Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Football Injuries Top Trauma-Related Deaths Among Young Athletes

July 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Head and Neck Injuries Cause Death on The Football Field

Another study has been released and to no surprise it finds alarming statistics when it comes to the injury and death of high school football players. BrainChampions.org was the first group to cry out for help some three years ago on the issue of Second Impact Syndrome related deaths and permanent impairments. Now in this study Dr. Barry Maron among others are linking these and other neck and head injuries to significant trends that show that more and more High School football players are playing in the Danger Zone. A key finding, author Dr. Barry Maron said in an interview, was a worrisome number of prep football players who died of head and neck blows after they had already sustained concussions a few days to four weeks beforehand. Maron said it comes at a time of growing awareness about concussions, including the dangers of “second-impact syndrome.” Story is here: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Research and Studies, Second Impact Syndrome Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Football’s Survivors Can Not Be Stopped

June 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

June 9, 2011 Dirk Knudsen WashingtonPreps.com Editor Dirk Knudsen; Washingtonpreps.com Randy Newman with his son Matthew Celebrate life at a Seahawks Game 1 1/2 years after Newman nearly lost his life                   This week two very special young men will graduate from their respective High Schools in Washington State.  Albeit both of them are late in doing so and not the same young men that they were when they started out.  Thye are much stronger then anyone could have ever dreamed.  It will be with a full heart that those paying attention will witness Zackery Lystedt and Matthew Newman cross the podium to receive their diploma tomorrow. For Lystedt he will graduate after 5 grueling years of dealing with the damage left in the wake of a severe brain injury he received as a youth football player in the Tahoma school district.  But he will make it and if all goes … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Meet Our Founders, Second Impact Syndrome, Youth Football Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tracy Yatsko Joins BrainChampions In Girls Concussion Effort

May 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Tracy Yatsko is someone you would never guess suffers debilitating effects of her youth sports Traumatic Brain Injury.

We are so pleased that we added a new member to our growing family of founders who have been personally hurt and forever changed as a result of concussion and traumatic brain injury they suffered while pursuing their sport.   Tracy will be working with our Director Dirk Knudsen to develop a hard hitting educational program for Girls in Youth Sports;  a press release is coming soon.  For now it is enough to know that this is the First project of its kind and will be a terrific and much needed effort.   Here  is Tracy in one of the best 2 Minute films on Concussion that you will ever see.  Listen to her story here. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Concussions: Girls Sports, Education, Meet Our Founders Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,