The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and USA Football partnered to conduct a summit on concussion in youth sports on Feb. 22 at the ACSM's Indianapolis office, drawing national governing sports bodies and medical experts from across the country.
Summit participants, including US Lacrosse and the US Soccer Federation, discussed common goals in youth sports safety.
"The leadership that was assembled in one room for this meeting holds the makings of something historic and of fundamental importance," said ACSM Executive Vice President Jim Whitehead.
Representing USA Football in Indianapolis were Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck and Stanley Herring, M.D., co-medical director of the Seattle Sports Concussion Program, a joint effort of the University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Children's Hospital.
"This is a youth sports problem affecting multiple sports," Herring said. "No one's tried to organize national governing bodies like this before - there was value to this meeting. This was a good kickoff."
The ACSM invited sports medicine leaders to the full-day meeting while USA Football reached fellow national sports governing bodies to attend.
"Having US Lacrosse and the US Soccer Federation at this summit underscores the attention placed on concussion awareness and education," USA Football's Hallenbeck said. "We commend sports organizations committed to their young athletes' well-being, and we encourage others to join us."
Twenty individuals from 14 organizations participated in the summit, including the Brain Injury Association of Washington, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NCAA, NFL, National Federation of State High School Associations and Sanford Medical Center.
Among the summit's objectives was to discuss common language between youth sports organizations pertaining to concussion. USA Football and the CDC introduced a concussion awareness and education plan for the youth football community in December 2009. The CDC has shared identical concussion language and action-taking steps with other sports' national governing bodies, including those for lacrosse and hockey.
"There was universal praise for the CDC's educational materials," ACSM Senior Director of Communications Advocacy Dan Henkel said. "Youth sports stakeholders are engaged in this issue and USA Football should be commended for helping make that happen."
Attendees also discussed existing youth sports legislation regarding concussion, including the Zackery Lystedt Law, a Washington State law passed in May 2009, which requires parents and athletes to read and sign an information sheet about concussion; the removal of a youth athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion in a practice or game; and written clearance for that athlete to return to play from a licensed health care provider knowledgeable in the diagnosis and management of concussion.
