After years of working her way up the ranks, this season’s anticipated MVP was finally on the starting line of her school’s Varsity soccer team! It was the first game of the season and the entire team was buzzing with adrenaline, ready to start the year off strong with a massive win. She had been playing hard through the entire game and took a moment to catch her breath; within a second she was on the ground clutching her head where the black and white ball had just conked her. She tried to push herself up off of the ground but was unable to see straight, walking to the bench was too much trouble on her own. She sat out the rest of the game watching her team mates run and work the field, wishing she was out there with them. She was waiting for any word from the trainer of her condition. They were almost positive it was concussion and she felt relieved. Concussions aren’t anything serious, she thought; she would be back on the field for the next game. She thought wrong.

A concussion, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions. The effort that is being put into teaching our young athletes on the dangers of concussions is recognizable, but the instances of concussions are still at quite a high level. Year after year team members are taken off the field, court, mat, and track by these infamous injuries.

Junior Nick Stokes, who has played for Kempsville High’s sports teams since his freshman year has suffered a concussion this season while playing on the Varsity football team. Nick has been out of school for nine days and is experiencing physical differences to his vision and other changes after his most recent concussion. “Take it easy. Don’t play through it. You’d rather miss one game than the whole season,” Stokes said.

Another young athlete, Maddy Pearman, is currently out of school with her first concussion caused by an elbow to the head during a Varsity cheer practice. Her concussion has been keeping her out of school for weeks and has been affecting her speech and other basic functions of her brain. She is hopeful to return to school as soon as possible after a full recovery.

Don’t be fooled though, you do not need to be an athlete to suffer from a concussion. Any hard fall or hit to the head can cause the necessary movement of the brain for a concussion. It is extremely important to report any signs of a concussion, especially after a hard blow to the head. An untreated concussion has the possibility of leading to permanent brain damage, and in some severe cases it can turn fatal. They are not something to be taken lightly; whether severe or not the health of your brain comes first to any game, competition, match, or meet. Your brain is the thing that makes you who you are; it gives you the power to function, think and make decisions. Make the right one and work smart!