WEST ORANGE, NJ – Seton Hall Preparatory School takes academics, athletics, and the health and the well-being of its community members very seriously. The Prep has more than 950 students, of which 70 percent participate in Varsity, Junior Varsity and Freshman sports teams. With the vast participation in these programs, a harsh reality is that injuries will inevitably occur. “Our athletes’ health has always been, and will continue to be our number one focus,” stated Larry Baggitt, SHP Director of Athletics.
The SHP athlete needs to take ownership of helping to keep their peers healthy. Because of this, SHP will join the mission of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, (http://concussionfoundation.org/) with founder Chris Nowaski, who is a former Harvard football player and WWE wrestler, on Team Up Day, Tuesday, Sept. 13, with the core message that athletes have a responsibility to report to a team leader if they notice concussion symptoms in a teammate.
All 950 students will hear this message together on Team Up Day, and then again when the team captains reiterate the message that day at each of the team practices. The message is three-fold: 1. We’re a Team. Teammates look out for one another on and off the field. 2. A teammate with a concussion is a teammate that needs your help. They may not be able to recognize their own injury, putting them at risk, and an athlete with a concussion will be mistake-prone and ineffective. Getting them off the field is good for your teammate, and good for your team. 3. The expectation to speak up if you think your teammate might have a concussion. A team leader’s attitude sets the tone for how the entire team responds to concussions. All members of the team are expected to speak up to the coach, team captain or athletic trainer if they see something.
Junior Ryan Martynowicz leads the charge for SHP learning about the Concussion Legacy Foundation mission. Ryan sustained a concussion prior to attending Seton Hall at a swim meet. He said that his concussion was life-altering and that he did not fully regain his memory for almost 11 months. Ryan is proud that his high school, Seton Hall Prep, takes concussions seriously and holds the health of its athletes as the paramount concern. “The support I received from the SHP swim coaches and teammates when I returned to the pool was invaluable to allowing me to continue to swim,” stated Ryan.
The ultimate goal of Team Up Day is to improve concussion reporting rates and strengthen team bonds – Team Up, Speak Up.
In 1905, Harvard University Head Football Coach Bill Reid wrote a diary of the season. He documented the team doctor’s annual safety speech to the team, in which the doctor said: “In case any man in any game gets hurt by a hit on the head so that he does not realize what he is doing, his teammate should at once insist that time be called and that a doctor come onto the field to see what is the trouble.”
A speech from a person of authority to his team members instructing them to report concussion symptoms in teammates has been lost to history. Without these instructions, many players still think they are being a good teammate by covering for a peer with a concussion. That sort of sentiment is not, and will not be acceptable at Seton Hall Prep. “We are one team, and we will always look out for our brothers!” Team Up, Speak Up.
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