Concussion risk prompts Pa. town, others to move against youth league tackle football
Published 11:30 am Tuesday, July 12, 2016
- Tony Campitell
WINDBER, Pa. — Next to a coal miner’s pickax, the pigskin might come in close second as a timeless symbol of a western Pennsylvania town about a half hour from Johnstown.
For generations, Windber, Pennsylvania has been a true-blue football town.
So there was a lot of enthusiasm 7 years ago when organizers of the Windber Youth Football League shifted most of their third- through sixth- grade programs to a tackle league.
Six seasons — and a low but steady string of concussions later — organizers have seen enough, league President Tony Campitell said.
“The one thing we learned is that with tackle football, you can’t avoid it; there’s always the risk of getting a concussion,” Campitell, who estimated the league’s players saw approximately two “known concussions” per year, said.
“There’s risks in every sport, but we think shifting back to flag football was the right thing to do for these kids.”
More and more, parents have been questioning whether the fast-paced, contact-heavy tackle game is right for 9- or 10-year-olds, he added.
“This way, when these kids head to junior high to play, they’ll have clear slates,” Mash said.
Windber Youth Football has fielded a flag football team for grades 1 and 2, in addition to teams playing tackle football in the older grades.
The organization boasted more than 100 youth football players in 2010, he said.
The league is projecting 70 or so for this year, Campitell said. That compounds the problem. Lower numbers create an environment for more injuries, he said.
“The lower the numbers, the more you play. The more you’re on the field, the more tired you get, and that’s when the risk for injuries goes up,” he said.
‘Heads Up,’ numbers down
Windber’s situation isn’t unique.
In an age of increased concussion awareness — and a high-profile battery of tests NFL players must now take to strap on a helmet for an NFL game after suffering head injuries — there are signs it’s having an impact nationwide on youth tackle football programs.
While high school football participation figures have been steady by comparison, Enrollment in Pop Warner football — the nation’s largest program for children 6 to 14 years old and an established incubator for future NFL stars — fell by nearly 10 percent between 2010 and 2012.
USA Football’s 2015 stats show its nationwide participation at 2.16 million players across the country, according to a news release this spring.
But those figures, which include area youth football programs, are far below participation estimates of 3 million athletes back in 2010, according to ESPN.
Within youth leagues that remain, it has prompted a mindset change in many cases.
USA Football — youth football’s national governing body — introduced “Heads Up Football” in 2012, requiring safety certifications, concussion recognition and treatment protocol and a shift to tackling with the arms and upper body instead of the helmet.
The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine endorsed the new methods.
A Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention study showed the new “Heads Up” guidelines resulted in a 76 percent injury decrease during the first two year’s the program was in place.
In a separate 2015 study, the independent research firm also found that concussions sustained by “younger kids” are harder to spot on the sideline because health effects can be delayed and children often struggle to explain their symptoms.
Mergers and minimizing risks
Across the region, several local youth tackle football leagues have merged in recent years to overcome dwindling participation numbers, forming larger leagues as a result.
In the area, the Laurel Highlands Developmental League has become a fundamentals-first league, league Commissioner Tom Feichtel said.
He said the league goes above and beyond the “Heads Up” guidelines.
Cushioned “crash pads” are used during practice to absorb falls during tackling drills.
Upper-body, “rugby-style” tackling is taught, with a focus on wrapping up ball-carriers rather than trying to drill them with the helmet or shoulder.
The young athletes repeatedly are schooled on how take a hit and fall, “because at this level, the biggest risk for a concussion now is after the tackle is made and the kids hit the ground,” Feichtel said.
“We don’t put the emphasis on wins and losses,” he said.
“My measuring stick for success is getting good, healthy kids returning to play year in and year out.”
No need for tackle football
Football will always have its risks, Feichtel said.
The Laurel Highlands league has a safety committee and consistently evaluates how it can better protect its athletes. But serious injuries are always a possibility no matter the precautions, he said.
He doesn’t blame parents for choosing to enroll their children in a flag football league.
“If your kid is in first through sixth grade, you don’t need to enroll them in tackle football for them to do really well in this sport later on down the road,” said Feichtel, a former Robert Morris University lineman.
Campitell said he sees it that way, too.
Windber Youth Football League will stress fundamental football that will prepare future Ramblers on the gridiron, he said. Even the act of securing an opponent’s flag will be taught as a movement that resembles a two-armed tackling move, Mash said.
Players will wear foam, rugby-style helmets for protection, he said.
“We’re hoping these kids are going to learn valuable fundamentals and have fun at the same time.
“Hopefully, switching to flag will lure more kids to sign up and we can increase our numbers,” Campitell said.
Hurst writes for the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Tribune-Democrat.