According to a published 2019 study by the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), “concussions are common in high school football athletes and can have short and long-term health impacts.” Omaha South student athletes are no different; a concussion is when a brain injury is caused by a blow to the head or a violent shaking of the head and body. A quick self-diagnosis that one could do is to see if you have a headache, confusion, dizziness or even vomiting.
Assistant athletic trainer at Omaha South Nicole Porter said that the sport with the most concussions this school year has been soccer. Porter also added that South athletes are required to have a rest period while concussion symptoms are present. When symptoms subside, athletes engage in a five-day return-to-play protocol to treat the condition.
South freshman Ximena Garcia, a member of the girls’ soccer team, said she first experienced a concussion in the team’s first-round game of the Metro soccer tournament against Gretna East High School. Garcia said that she remembers being fouled and hitting the back of her head on the ground. While off the field, the athletic trainer asked her certain questions and after five minutes, informed her that she would not be able to get back in the game that day. After two more days, Garcia went to the doctor where they informed her that she had a minor concussion.
“It just affected me, the days I could not play. I took those personally because I didn’t want to be sitting on the bench,” Garcia added.
Garcia also said that her biggest supporters during that time were her teammates because they helped cheer her up on days she was bummed out about not being able to play. Overall Garcia said that her advice to other athletes who are facing the same issue is to speak up and not hide the injury, because ignoring a minor concussion could lead to an even worse medical condition.
South senior Sergio Martinez, a member of the boys’ soccer team, said that he cannot remember when he first had a concussion because of the memory loss associated with the condition. Martinez also said that he felt out of focus at the time and could not concentrate on basic things. Martinez added that the concussion affected him drastically because he was not allowed to engage in any of the sports in which he was involved at the time.
“It got to a point where I was spaced out at the most random times of the day and wouldn’t notice until someone pointed it out,” Martinez said.
Martinez said his advice to students not being able to play due to a head injury is to simply take a deep breath, “because if you want to be your best again, you’re going to have to wait.”
