Story 1
Researcher discusses the traumatic future of athletes and soldiers after a concussion
Researcher discusses the traumatic future of athletes and soldiers after a concussion
September 3, 2014
By: Reese Miller
This past Wednesday, researcher
Steven
Kornguth led a seminar discussing his three-year study on the
effect of a traumatic brain injury. The research focused on young athletes and
soldiers between the ages of 18 and 30. Researchers can monitor these subjects
in the present day and revisit them in the future if they receive any long term
effects.
“Receiving traumatic brain injuries is a process; you go from a relatively good functioning system, to developing short-term deficits, and for the most part, that will resolve itself,” Korguth said.
There are around three million cases of traumatic brain injuries per year in the United States, equal to about one percent of the U.S. population. Ten percent of the 3 million are athletes. The goal of the research program is to prevent and predict if an athlete or soldier will receive future impairments, such as the inability to make quick decisions. One can even suffer from dementia years down the road.
Kornguth said the solution
is to find “an algorithm that will enable us to say yes, they will have severe
consequences.”
Studies show that when
strong impact is made against a head, an excess amount of proteins are released
into the bloodstream. The number of these proteins in the bloodstream before
and after a concussion can be used for detection as a part of the algorithm as
well.
According to Kornguth, “How
much impact [did the athlete receive] and how susceptible to future injury” are
the two most important factors in deciding whether an athlete should continue
on the playing field.
In recent years, the
study of concussions and the long term effects they present to athletes have
come to the forefront of the minds of athletes and doctors everywhere. NFL
greats such as Brett
Favre, Tony
Dorsett and Dan
Marino have all documented memory loss along with other impairments
that surfaced long after their last NFL play. Just one week ago, Texas junior
quarterback David Ash suffered his third documented concussion in the past year,
which put his playing career in question.
Kornguth’s research shows
that women soccer players are more susceptible to concussions than other
athletes because of their thinner and longer neck structure. Soccer players are
also at a disadvantage when it comes to measuring concussion impact, unlike football
players who have modern helmet-technology that can measure the speed and force
of an impact. Graduate student and former collegiate soccer player Missy Lewis
has suffered concussions in the past and felt the effects. Lewis expressed concern
when it came to high school athletes.
“[High schools] only have
one trainer for all of the sports, and often rely on parents who want to push
their kid,” Lewis said. “I have had several concussions and I did not even
remember going to school.”
Ph.D. student Jack Sears
believes the problem starts with children even in pee wee leagues. Sears feels
preventive measures should be taken from a young age.
“Coaches and physical-education
teachers should hold kids out for at least two weeks after their symptoms have
subsided,” Sears said.
Another problem that
doctors and coaches face is the will of the athlete to continue playing the
game. Kornguth documented that “often times, the desire to play and compete
overrides the pain and concern for their future, if you ask them if they can
play, they say of course and head back [to the playing field].”
The athletes want to be on
the field for their team, and often bear the responsibility of their teammates,
coaches and fan base. For collegiate athletes, the decision to continue could
come down to if the athlete has a future playing career or not. This
predicament could make them feel like they have to continue playing, even if
that means putting their future well-being in jeopardy.
For professionals, the decision
to play may be affected by the monetary benefits they can collect if they were
to continue playing. When an athlete receives a traumatic brain injury, they
may not feel the effects until several days later, making it difficult for the
athlete and coach to determine a player’s ability.
Korguth ultimately wants to
have access to a test that the athlete takes immediately after suffering a blow
to the head. This test ideally would give a definite indication to the
possibility of the athlete receiving a concussion, and a possible brain injury.
“If you knew what you
were looking for, you could know when it was proper to pull an athlete from a
game,” Korguth said. “There needs to be a definitive answer you can make to
pull a player or put them back in, either red or green, that’s the kind of
decision making that needs to happen.”
Story 2
Jeff Rhoads
attempts to transform, build football program at Anderson
September 24, 2014
By: Reese Miller
The game clock on the House Park scoreboard strikes
zero. It reads 33-23 in favor of the Anderson Trojans over the McCallum Knights
in the opening Thursday night game of the 2014 Texas high school football
season. The Trojan band bellows its fight song as the players valiantly raise
up the Taco Shack Bowl trophy. With their singular triumph, they have equaled the
number of wins for Anderson each of the past two seasons. And, it is the first
victory for Jeff Rhoads in his inaugural game as a head coach.
Rhoads, 46, grew up in Katy, Texas. His father, Jack,
coached the Katy Tigers from 1972 to 1980 and was the athletic director for
years after that. Jack hired Mike
Johnston to coach the Tigers starting in 1982. Johnston coached
them for 22 years, transforming the Katy program into what is now a premier
program in Texas. Jeff Rhoads was Johnston’s quarterback for his junior and
senior seasons, both resulting in 1-9 records. The same record Anderson has
posted the past two years. Katy now holds 28 district titles, and 13
championship game appearances to its name.
“We chose to
build a foundation,” said Johnston, who is now retired from coaching. “You have
to have a vision for what you’re doing. Eventually, we had a winning effort on
and off the field, and everyone believed in it, but it took years to get that
going.”
Rhoads played at Blinn College before walking on to
Texas Tech in 1987. His father, who wanted Rhoads to coach, advised him to
learn under a new regime of coaches at Tech led by Spyke
Dikes and Dick Winder. Rhoads had coaching stints at
Andrews, Cypress Falls and Brownwood before returning to Katy, where he helped
three teams to state finals appearances. After a two-year break from coaching,
and another campaign as a Brownwood assistant coach, Rhoads became Westlake’s offensive
coordinator, helping the team to the state finals in 2009.
Rhoads was the unanimous choice out of 91 applicants
for the Anderson head coaching vacancy this past offseason, according to
Anderson Principal Donna Houser. Since taking over at Anderson last spring,
Rhoads has made significant changes to the culture of the Trojans.
“Coach Rhoads brought a winning mentality, he has
devoted more time to our strength and conditioning program and changed our
schemes,” Houser said. “He and his staff have also gone to our feeder school,
Murchison, every day to teach the fundamentals of our program.”
One of the reasons Anderson is not a perennial
contender is because of the lack of players that sign up to play. Forty-five
players are on roster this year which is up from 33, last year. In comparison,
2013 district champion Lake Travis has 59 athletes on roster this season. Rhoads
hopes that these numbers will increase as a result of his hands-on involvement
with Murchison. While he is facing an uphill battle, Rhoads has witnessed and
been a part of a program in Katy that transformed from a district doormat into
a title contender.
“You’ve got to win every moment of every day. That’s
what we did at Katy, we expected to win, classroom, community, on the field,
fill in the blank,” Rhoads said. “That’s what has to happen here.”
At Katy as an assistant coach, Rhoads nurtured and
taught Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and former TCU Horned Frog Andy Dalton
the fundamentals he uses on Sundays. While Anderson may not be a powerhouse
program now, Rhoads has had considerable experience working alongside traditional
winning programs like Katy and Westlake. He realizes it takes a year-round
effort committed to winning, which is something Anderson hasn’t experienced
lately.
“We have a bunch of great kids, but you’ve got to
nurture your spirit, you need to eat right, lift, condition, have a good spring
camp, good summer program and a good pre-fall, then you need to crush your
opponent,” Rhoads said. “I’ve got to rekindle hope, you look into a team
without hope, and you’re in trouble.”
Every Saturday, the Trojans will run one mile and
watch tape of the previous game, one of the several traditions Rhoads carried
over from Katy. The Tigers held weekly ‘Sunshine Club’ meetings for players who
are on the fringe of having a spot on the roster, consisting of those players, coaches
and captains. Rhoads described the meetings as an incredibly grueling
punishment that the fringed players did\n’t want to be apart of. The Trojans
held their first Sunshine Club meetings on Wednesday morning. The most crucial
tradition for Rhoads to bring from Katy to Anderson, however, is simple-winning.
Something that back to back 1-9 Trojan teams haven’t become accustomed to.
“I’ve seen it turn. It happened at Katy and I believe
it can happen here,” Rhoads said.
“It’s going to turn.”
Story 3
October 6, 2014
By: Reese Miller
The University of Texas at Austin campus is considered
a safe, crime-free environment by many of its students-but that’s the problem.
Because students feel so comfortable in this scholastic environment, they
become negligent and naïve to the possibilities of losing their belongings.
Preventative measures are often taken by buildings, dorms and the police department.
However, it’s the students’ responsibility to prevent themselves from falling
victim to crimes.
In January, February, March and April of 2014, there
was a combined four thefts on campus. That number rose to three in the month of
May, seven in June, three in July and a recorded five in August. One of the
most targeted areas where this rise in theft has occurred is residence halls.
“Students who live in dorms feel very safe there,” UT
Police Officer William Pieper said. “So they’re very likely to let people into
their space and leave their stuff out for grabs.”
If students experience theft, they should immediately
contact the police. The quicker someone acts, the better chance officials have
of recovering the lost item. For example, if the crime is an identity theft and
a credit card is stolen, the victim is to contact his or her credit card
company and promptly hold the account or cancel the stolen card. In some
stores, the card will be identified as stolen and can be recovered.
Sometimes students, along with their politeness, are
their own worst enemies. College is a new environment for students. Naturally,
students want to be friendly, forthcoming and trusting in others. But, in
on-campus dorms, this can get them in trouble. Students are only allowed access
inside dorms through their ID that is programmed with the door. One of the
contributing factors that lead to crimes in dorms is students allowing people
through the doors without making them swipe their own card.
“Students always hold the door, often for students
that don’t live there,” Pieper said. “You have to be rude. You can’t let people
into the dorms without their card.”
Major target areas for thieves have become dorm
laundry rooms located at the corner of hallways. Student often turn on the
washer or dryer and frequently leave their belongings unattended for hours at a
time. In other instances, students simply neglect to keep their door locked,
allowing others to come and go as they please, scoping for a hot, new item that
can be quickly stolen and turned around for a profit.
“I feel pretty safe and there are enough measures
taken to not get your stuff stolen,” said Joel Ponce, who lived in Jester East
for two years. “It’s pretty much whether you’re being smart about it or not.
Just keep everything locked, and you’re golden.”
Dorms are often restricted by where they can put
cameras because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. So many burglars
proceed after their crime without any repercussions. Thieves can work fast. Generally, they act on
opportunity. When something is available to them, they take it. Police officers
have shifts and areas they patrol around campus. But oftentimes, the only
person who is consistently close to the situation is the resident assistant on
the dorm floor. Resident assistants’ job is to monitor the dorms and notify
their supervisor if a crime occurs on their floor.
“I feel really prepared [to handle a theft situation].
We go through week-long spring and fall training sessions that last 12 hours a
day,” said Luke Edgemon, a resident assistant at Jester East. “We train with
the cops, and we’re always on the lookout for suspicious activity.”
Electronic items, such as computers and cell phones,
are the most popular stolen goods because of their market and street value.
Officials advise that all tracking devices should be turned on such items
before they are stolen. This way, the police can track down the missing item
using the locator. There also are clinics held by the UT Police Department in
dorms where students can have their devices engraved with their information to
make it easier to recover if it were stolen.
No matter what dorms and police officials do before or
after a crime occurs in on-campus dorms, the only one who truly can prevent it
is the student. Whether it’s locking doors, being aware of who enters and exits
their room, locking things inside their room, monitoring their clothes in the
laundry room, or simply refusing strangers entrance without a key into a dorm.
If students are aware of their surroundings and their belongings, these burglaries
may decrease significantly and perhaps even cease to be a threat on campus.
Story 4
November 4, 2014
By: Reese Miller
The Austin City Council discussed the possibility of
consolidating three distinctly different boards – the Building and Fire Code
Board of Appeals, the Electrical Board, and the Mechanical Plumbing and Solar
Board – into a singular, 11-member board. While this transformation would be
more efficient for the city council, it could complicate board decisions due to
the lack of expertise on individual issues.
These boards are the only three that examine technical
topics such as code violations in public, city buildings and businesses. They
deal with the construction, such as electrical systems, plumbing and mechanical
systems, and the building structure. These are the only boards that examine
building codes and possible violations, as other boards handle zoning or
non-construction issues.
Currently, the separate boards have a wide range of
expertise on a narrow focus of issues. But, that could change dramatically if
the boards consolidate.
“A lot of these boards are specialized,” said Michael
Cannatti, an Austin lawyer and Building and Fire Code board member. “That
combined board would be doing the work of multiple boards. It would need to
meet more often and for longer. I don’t have time to participate in that. This
one fits my workload and we only have to meet one time a month.”
While time and participation in the boards is a
concern, the main issue with the consolidation of three distinctly different
panels is the quality and quantity of different perspective and wisdom, or lack
thereof, which would appear on the 11-member, conjoined forum.
“I think the challenge is our expertise,” said Vice Chair
Frank Haught. “Our expertise is in building and in fire, then you have the
other boards and they have their own expertise.”
Currently, there is a wide variety of knowledge and
real-world experience on the Fire and Building Code Board of Appeals. There are two architects, a former
firefighter, a fire protection engineer, a lawyer and a construction
businessperson.
“The nice thing about our board is we all have a
chance to give our opinion and insight,” Cannatti said. “Sometimes we’ll meet
twice a month until we get these things sorted out.”
There are advantages to combining the separate boards.
The consolidation would directly benefit city officials and employees, as they
would only be responsible for one board as opposed to three and could focus
more of their time on actual city council business. However, the board members
would have more work on their hands and would likely have to delve into
decisions that used to fall on the other separate boards.
While the city council has not yet approved changing
the board format, they did allow a change of the current seven-member board
format to 11 to reflect the number of representatives on the council.
On Oct. 29, only four of the current seven member
Building and Fire Code Board could attend their meeting. The board needs a
majority of the members present to conduct business. This could become
increasingly problematic with an 11-member board because it would require six
present members to conduct business.
“I suspect we’ll have a tough time getting more than
seven members,” said Frank Haught, the vice chair of the board and former fire
protection engineer. “Hopefully we can find enough qualified applicants.”
In terms of transitioning the current boards from
seven to eleven members, there are more complications than simply finding
enough qualified appointees.
“Another challenge is that there are many eligible
people that live outside the district [and therefore cannot be appointed],”
Haught said.
If the three boards consolidate, very few current
board members could partake in the combined board because the new board would
need people with different focuses. In fact, there may be a lack of experts on
certain issues and there would be limited perspective on topics because there
would likely be three or four experts per topic. For instance, there may only
be two solar experts on the conjoined board who could provide proper insight on
solar issues. Meanwhile, the rest of the board might not have the proper
qualifications to give their opinion on board business. If the solar experts
couldn’t attend that meeting, the board wouldn’t be able to make a proper
decision, and the appeal may drag on for months.
Austin would not be the first city to make a major
change in city board format. San Antonio has consolidated into a 17-member
board that handles all technical issues. However, some Austinites are not sure
that type of change would be beneficial in Austin.
“With the amount of business and the exponential
growth in Austin, do you really want to have limited expertise and specific
knowledge in that field,” asked Ben Abzug, who was attending his second board
meeting. “You’re not going to get that. They may have knowledge but it would
just be so random in my opinion. But maybe it works out.”
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