Back from Camp

DS15 came home from camp, and seemed to enjoy the experience. No (major) injuries and no lost clothes, although we did have to throw out his pillow. It was very hot, though, and sleep was difficult in a noisy cabin full of boys. The counselor assigned to their cabin slept through everything, according to DS15, so some of the boys kept the cabin up way too late. However, he wants to return next year so I'll assume all went well. Detailed information from teenage boys is rare.

Today's New York Times Well blog has an interesting piece on concussions in youth sports. DS15 said there was one concussion at camp, and the boy was brought to the hospital. It turned out to be minor, and he was allowed to return to camp but not allowed to participate in any physical activities for the rest of the week. I'm glad to see this strictness with concussions. I suspect it's fairly new, because when DS12 had his concussion earlier this summer, the emergency room doctor would not rate the severity of it. She said the hospital no longer rated concussions because coaches tended to minimize a minor concussion and pressure a child to return back to sports earlier than recommended. And a second concussion at that point would be dangerous.

Our high school gives a "concussion test" to athletes before the season. It's a computer program that determines a cognitive baseline and can then be used post-concussion to determine readiness to return to play. Although it doesn't prevent concussions, I guess it's a useful tool for schools to have, as long as they abide by its "rules."