I remember a day that lives in my mind, not by the score, but the fact that paramedics had to saw the helmets off of two kids in the same game due to possible head and spinal injuries. It was a scary day, but at least we had an ambulance, and a second ambulance later in the game. It only happened once in my career as a football coach, and I probably coached 100 games, but it can happen.
And for the kids, what happens if a player is down on the field, and has numbness in his extremities, is the game over, or do coaches take on the role of Doctor's and remove the player from the field, "because the game must go on?'' I am happy in my retirement from coaching, but it is chilling to think about being a coach with no medical support.
Tim Connolly |
