Great LA Times volleyball story re concussions

[User 150927]

Well worth the read.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/stor...e-lawsuit?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true

 

[poindexter]

That was really good.

 

[maumann]

Wow. Back in the Dark Ages (high school in the early 1970s), on rainy days in northern California, the boys would gather in the gym for PE and play "Warball," a version of Dodgeball with a couple of dozen volleyballs in play at the same time. I saw multiple guys take high-speed shots to the head because your peripheral vision can only scan so far. The worst, by far, was getting hit with a partially-inflated one, because instead of a glancing blow, it would wrap around your skin and give you something akin to a rug burn.

After a couple of games of Warball, I had some idea of what it was like in the trenches during WWI in France. It wasn't a matter of skill or reaction time, only luck, that you didn't catch one in the eye socket.

The speed of elite high school and college women's (and men's, for that matter) volleyball is scary dangerous. I hope she lives a normal, healthy life.

 

[I Should Coco]

A good read, and it took courage for her to share the story.
Why does Patrick Hruby's name ring a bell?

 

[MTM]

Wow. Back in the Dark Ages (high school in the early 1970s), on rainy days in northern California, the boys would gather in the gym for PE and play "Warball," a version of Dodgeball with a couple of dozen volleyballs in play at the same time. I saw multiple guys take high-speed shots to the head because your peripheral vision can only scan so far. The worst, by far, was getting hit with a partially-inflated one, because instead of a glancing blow, it would wrap around your skin and give you something akin to a rug burn.

After a couple of games of Warball, I had some idea of what it was like in the trenches during WWI in France. It wasn't a matter of skill or reaction time, only luck, that you didn't catch one in the eye socket.

The speed of elite high school and college women's (and men's, for that matter) volleyball is scary dangerous. I hope she lives a normal, healthy life.

We called it Slaughterball in junior high in Southern California. All three grades, from seventh to ninth, would play at the same time. A teacher would hang back to make sure none of the more frightened kids would get too close to the back wall in fear they would get hit and bang their head.

 

[maumann]

We called it Slaughterball in junior high in Southern California. All three grades, from seventh to ninth, would play at the same time. A teacher would hang back to make sure none of the more frightened kids would get too close to the back wall in fear they would get hit and bang their head.

The worst possible thing to do was hide behind someone. They'd duck and you'd have no chance. Unlike Global Thermonuclear War, the only option was to play. At least you might have a chance of nailing someone else. And 18 year olds against 14 year olds was Lord of the Flies.

 

[poindexter]

Everyone played it. We played it on rainy days in Maryland.

My guess is that a hard hit volleyball smash is much faster than anything my numbnuts gym class counterparts could throw.

 

[Moderator1]

A good read, and it took courage for her to share the story.
Why does Patrick Hruby's name ring a bell?

He was at The Washington Times when I was there but did freelance for a lot of publications.

 

[qtlaw]

Our family friend's daughter, who is now 21, got a concussion in HS during a basketball practice when she was 15 or 16 when a ball hit her in the head and she had to retire then. My wife told me that just recently she had to go to the hospital for a week for some observation and care relating to her concussion. (She's a brilliant student about to graduate with her CS degree and has accepted an offer from a big tech firm). Brutal.

 

[User 150927]

Our family friend's daughter, who is now 21, got a concussion in HS during a basketball practice when she was 15 or 16 when a ball hit her in the head and she had to retire then. My wife told me that just recently she had to go to the hospital for a week for some observation and care relating to her concussion. (She's a brilliant student about to graduate with her CS degree and has accepted an offer from a big tech firm). Brutal.

I wonder about soccer players

 

[Webster]

I wonder about soccer players

There definitely is a discussion about the proper age to allow heading. A number of older players in England for example have died relatively young from dementia and you have to wonder.

When I was in HS in a close hoops game, I went headfirst into a wall after trying to save a pass. I stayed in the game and had no memory as to what happened or going to the hospital after the game to stitch my ear up. Took a couple of months before I could deal well with bright lights and it wasn’t considered to be a big deal at the time.

 

[Fred siegle]

When I was a freshman in high school my hero was a senior basketball star at my school who lived by me and drove to school and used to pick me up to give me a ride. I lived less then a mile away and always walked, it made more sense then going to the big group bus stop a quarter mile away and then waiting for the bus.
Anyway, he had no real reason to give me a ride except he was a nice guy.
He was in a game and got hit in the head by a freak accident - the ball somehow hit the ceiling and came straight down and hit him on the top of his head. Nobody knew where the ball was going to land. He was hospitalized and out for about 2 weeks. These days he’d never play again, but back then I’m pretty sure he finished the season.

 

[qtlaw]

I played HS football during the era of "smelling salts". They weren't concussions, it was just "you got your bell rung; who's the president? Great you're good to go."

 

[Fred siegle]

And the worst case I’ve ever seen was volleyball related. We practice in a facility that had 6 courts. One of our kids was passing under a girls-height net and miss-judged (I would imagine because he thought it was men’s height, which is a difference of about 8 inches.) he hit it in such a way that it snapped him back and he fell backwards and hit his head hard on the floor.
He must have been out cold for a second or two (or more). His friend came and got me, we gave him ice, and their ride arrived a short time later. We could tell he was a little loopy so I told the parent that picked him up that he probably needed to go to the hospital but the kid said no. I told the parent and the other kid to keep an eye on him.
As they were driving home, the friend kept asking the concussion kid if he was ok, and concussion, every time he was asked, replied “why, what happened” . He would be told, then the same conversation would take place 2 minutes later.
They got too his house and the friend went straight in and told his parents they were taking him to the hospital.
concussion kid was in the hospital two weeks, still had memory loss long after that, and missed the rest of the school year.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

I have an alarming number of students (HS girls) who are having multiple concussions that are really affecting them severely. After the first it seems like anything can give you another one and that they get increasingly worse. I don't remember this being such a problem even 5 years ago, let alone 10. I have no theory but will read the article.

 

[outofplace]

It wasn't much better when I played as compared to qtlaw. I suffered one concussion playing high school football. The coaches sent me to the sideline. The trainer never even talked to me. I asked to be allowed to finish practice and they let me return only to try to run sprints. I say try because I tried running in a straight line and ended up stumbling diagonally. The coaches laughed. Again, the trainer didn't even talk to me. I was allowed to practice the next day.

 

[Fred siegle]

This happened to one of my 18 year olds a couple years ago. Our middle blocker drifted too far past the hitters arm, and the kid had an unobstructed swing that blasted one of the defenders. (Back left). Another case where he also hit the floor hard. He was out from playing for quite a while.
I think he’s ok now though, he coaches for my club.
file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/ba/10/9BF5A127-F991-4B0A-A685-117AA3794BFC/IMG_4463.mov

 

[Neutral Corner]

My son took a bad (month in a coma) TBI twenty years ago. My heart goes out to any parent who has to deal with concussions or worse. It's a terrible injury, because to all appearances the person is healthy. Brain damage does not show externally.

 

[Fred siegle]

iCloud
I think I finally got it can you guys see this?
Click on the smaller one

 

[Vombatus]

I wonder about soccer players

And Ruben.