A new joint Virginia Tech-Wake Forest study finds that, unlike in high school and college football, the hardest hits for youth football players typically occur during practice.

The findings of the study, published online in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, raise questions about what drills coaches should expose players to during practice.

The researchers placed accelerometers in the helmets of seven football players, ages 7 and 8, and examined a total of 748 impacts that they endured over the course of one season. Roughly 60 percent of all head impacts occurred in practice.

Of the 38 high-level impacts (40 g's or more of force) examined, 29 of them happened during practice.

Preliminary findings from the study were released back in October, and suggested that the frequency of the most severe hits was substantially lower than in adult football.

According to the latest findings, however, youth football players did endure "high head accelerations in the range of concussion-causing impacts measured in adults."

This was the first-ever study to examine the impact of head hits in youth football, as opposed to high school or college football. Based on the finding that most of the severe head impacts occur in practice, the study authors suggest changing the structure of youth football practices to eliminate "high impact drills that do not replicate the game situations."

Instead, they suggest youth football coaches focus on "practicing fundamental skill sets needed in football at these young ages."

On the heels of this study's release, the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences announced that they'd be conducting a new, wider-ranging study on concussions in youth football.

The new program, called the Kinematics of Impact Data Set (KIDS), will equip six youth football teams across Virginia and North Carolina with 240 accelerometer-laden helmets. Players in the study will be from ages 6 to 18.

"In 2011 we collected the first data on one team of youth football players. This new study for 2012 allows for dramatically increased sample size and head exposure mapping for all age groups," said Virginia Tech professor of biomedical engineering and project director Stefan Duma in a statement.

The researchers anticipate collecting data on over 50,000 head impacts in 2012 as a part of the new KIDS program.

Photo: Football players practice last year at Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Ariz. (Pat Shannahan/The Arizona Republic/AP-File)

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

A bill that advanced to the Wyoming Senate floor Monday would expand the provisions of the state's youth-concussion law to nonschool sports, including requiring coaches to undergo concussion training.

Wyoming initially passed a youth-concussion law last year that only applies to junior high and high school sports teams. That law prohibits coaches or athletic trainers from allowing a student-athlete to participate in an athletic event on a day when he or she exhibited symptoms of a concussion.

Notably, the law does not include language specifically requiring coaches/trainers to pull players out if they're suspected of a concussion during a practice or game. It only addresses players not being allowed to participate if they're exhibiting symptoms of a concussion.

The proposed bill doesn't change that aspect of the state's youth-concussion law, but it would expand the law's reach to nonschool sporting events, too. Each organization sponsoring youth-athletic events would be required to provide concussion training to coaches and athletic trainers under the proposed bill. Coaches and trainers would also have to follow the return-to-play protocol established by last year's law.

Only a handful of states, including Louisiana and Maryland, have youth-concussion laws that expand past school sports.

The Wyoming Senate Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee passed the bill unanimously yesterday, sending it to a full Senate vote.

As for a few other youth-concussion law updates:

In Florida, a bill was introduced last month that would require student-athletes to be removed from play if suspected of a concussion. It's currently awaiting action in the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education Pre-K-12 Appropriations.

In Georgia, a bill requiring the state board of education to develop a concussion policy—including criteria for removing student-athletes from play—has been withdrawn from the state House and recommitted to the Health & Human Services Committee. The bill was pre-filed in November.

And in Kentucky, the state House unanimously passed legislation that would set a policy regarding student-athletes' return to play after a concussion back on Feb. 2. The bill would also require coaches to undergo concussion training. It's been moved to a state Senate committee for the time being.

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

What do the secretary of education, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Washington Post all have in common?

They've all recently spoken or written about lessons that students can derive from the unlikely success story of Jeremy Lin, the undrafted New York Knicks point guard and Harvard grad who's taken the nation by storm the past two weeks by helping his team win seven straight games.

And here you thought Linsanity was reserved for just the National Basketball Association.

In a phone interview with ESPN.com's Henry Abbott, Arne Duncan said:

"I'm so thrilled that someone of his character is so successful. I'm thrilled for him, and I'm thrilled at the example. Not the talk, the walk that he has walked for a long time, and the example it sets for kids. That's the thing that I'm happiest about. We need a lot more Jeremy Lins having these kinds of opportunities."

Duncan, a former Harvard basketball player himself, called himself "the head of [Lin's] cheerleading team" in his interview with ESPN.com. Remember, Duncan hasn't hung up the old basketball shoes for good. Last year, he was limited by back pain that started from a sports injury.

Meanwhile, the Chronicle of Higher Education published an article this week that largely echoed Duncan's praise of Lin's work ethic.

"There's a whole lot that's appealing about Lin, but I'll finish with this: Lin was looked over, turned down, persevered, had a little bit of luck, and then landed at the top. We all love a story where a Harvard reject makes it big in the end."

While I can't think of too many Harvard grads struggling to get job auditions off the top of my head, it's certainly true that America tends to love underdog stories. (Take one look at the "Rocky" movies and try to argue otherwise.)

Finally, Fred Bowen of the Washington Post suggested one lesson that all children can learn from Lin's sudden success story:

"Lin is a good reminder to kids that just because you don't look like a player doesn't mean you can't play. There are lots of examples of athletes who don't look typical for their sport but are terrific players. ... If you like a sport, play the sport. Don't let people say you're too small or don't look like a player. Practice hard, have fun, and see how far your talent takes you."

What has Lin's meteoric rise to success taught you? What lessons do you hope your kids derive from Lin's incredible story? Share your thoughts down in the comments, along with any other education-related Linsanity you can find.

Photo: New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) celebrates with Jared Jeffries after Lin scored a game-winning 3-point shot in an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto on Feb. 14. The Knicks won 90-87. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press/AP)

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

As part of its Whole Child Initiative, ASCD has created a petition lobbying for the creation of a President's Council on the Whole Child, which would address students' social, emotional, physical, and academic needs.

Included in the "whole child" initiative, as noted by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education: physical education and health education.

ASCD needs a total of 25,000 signatures by Saturday, Feb. 18—it's still about 22,500 signatures short, as of today—to have the White House staff send the proposal to the respective policy experts.

"The true measure of student success is more than just a test score, and such success requires support well beyond effective instruction," the petition says. "The demands of the 21st century require a new approach to education to fully prepare our nation's youth for college, career, and citizenship."

ASCD created the petition through the Obama administration's We the People initiative, which allows anyone to submit a request to White House staff. If a petition gets 25,000 signatures within 30 days, the White House staff will issue an official response after hearing back from policy experts.

In a blog post announcing the launch of the petition, Walter McKenzie, director of constituent services for ASCD, says the president deserves "expert counsel to coordinate the education, health, and social-service sectors in support of our nation's youth."

For those interested, you can sign the petition here.

It may look like a longshot for ASCD to get 22,000+ signatures in the next few days, but it's not like the odds favored an undrafted, unheralded Harvard graduate leading the New York Knicks to seven straight wins, either.

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Can't get enough high school sports?

Starting this fall, you're in luck, as PlayOn! Sports will be launching the first-ever nationwide, 24-hour high school sports network on TVs, mobile devices, and the Internet, the company announced Monday.

PlayOn! Sports currently holds partnerships with a number of state high school associations, making it currently the largest producer and distributor of high school sports content in the U.S. A 24-hour nationwide network was the next logical step for the company, according to David Rudolph, CEO of PlayOn! Sports.

"High school sports is a rapidly emerging market and this network will provide an incredible opportunity for distributors and advertisers who want to reach this coveted audience at the national, regional and local level," said Rudolph in a statement.

What's actually going to appear on the network? The organization estimates airing over 15,000 hours of content annually, including varsity contents in 20 boys' and girls' sports. To round out the network, PlayOn! anticipates airing studio shows, documentaries, and original series.

Currently, PlayOn! works with schools and state associations in 21 states, but hopes to expand its reach to over 30 states in the coming year. After launching the network in the fall, the company will work on providing high-definition content and multi-screen applications.

But what happens when summer rolls around and school sports teams aren't producing fresh video highlights?

"Maybe we could show Tim Tebow's high school games," Rudolph suggested to USA Today.

At this rate, Jeremy Lin's high school games will be must-see TV by this summer, too.

Here's a short video announcing the launch of the PlayOn! High School Sports Network:

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

At the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day this past Saturday, two separate teams of researchers presented studies about how anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in youth athletes could hinder or end their sports careers.

One study, based out of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, examined how often youth football players returned to the field after suffering ACL injuries. Based on their findings, the authors asserted that fewer football players may be resuming their careers than might otherwise be expected.

The researchers contacted 145 football players who suffered ACL injuries about whether they ever resumed their athletic careers. Of the 145 surveyed, 96 players were considered eligible for the study—68 high school players and 28 college players.

In total, 62 percent of the high school athletes in the study returned from their ACL injuries and resumed their career. However, 29 percent of those players said they never returned to their pre-injury level of performance. (For the sake of comparison, 42 percent said they did fully recover and return to their pre-injury level.)

Another 29 percent of the high school players never returned from their ACL injuries. More than half of them listed fear as a reason they decided against playing again.

"While return to play may be perceived as the central concern for a competitive athlete recovering from an injury, it is easy to ignore psychological factors keeping a player off the field," said the study's senior author, Dr. Kurt P. Spindler."Fear of re-injury and concern over decreased performance may hinder even the most physically capable athlete."

Overall, between college and high school, the return to play rate after undergoing an ACL reconstruction was roughly 64 percent, according to the study.

A second study presented at Specialty Day focused on the importance of scheduling reconstructive surgery soon after a youth athlete suffers an ACL tear.

The study suggests that youth athletes who wait to undergo ACL reconstruction 150 days or more after their injury are significantly more likely to suffer another knee injury later.

"In our research, children who had delayed treatment of an ACL injury more than 150 days, tended to have an increased chance of also having a medial meniscus or chondral injury in their knee," said lead researcher, Dr. Guillaume D. Dumont of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "These additional injuries may increase recovery time, inhibit return to play, and worsen long-term functional outcomes of the knee."

Recent research suggests that there's been a dramatic increase in the rate of ACL injuries in youth athletes over the past decade, at least partially attributable to the growth of year-round sports programs.

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Starting next school year, the nation's top male soccer players will be forced to choose between playing for their high school teams or participating in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, due to a change to the academy's schedule announced Friday.

The Development Academy was launched in 2007 by U.S. Soccer, the nation's governing body for soccer of all ages, in an effort to provide a premiere training environment for the best U.S. youth players.

As of Friday, that development effort will be taking the next logical step forward: expanding to a 10-month season that runs from September through June (or July, for the postseason). The move to a 10-month season "creates a format similar to those followed by the elite soccer-playing nations around the world," the organization says.

"If we want our players to someday compete against the best in the world, it is critical for their development that they train and play as much as possible and in the right environment," said U.S. men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann in a statement. "The Development Academy 10-month season is the right formula and provides a good balance between training time and playing competitive matches. This is the model that the best countries around the world use for their programs, and I think it makes perfect sense that we do as well."

According to a FAQ about the new schedule, expanding to a 10-month season will provide academy players with anywhere from 32-40 weeks of active training—far more than the regular 12-week high school soccer season.

However, starting this coming school year, youth athletes that participate on academy teams will no longer be allowed to play for their high school soccer teams as well. U.S. Soccer says it doesn't want to discourage players from participating in high school soccer, but instead wants to help aid the development of the truly elite youth players through the academy.

The organization estimates that academy players, in the new schedule, can focus on training sessions three or four times during the week, saving the weekends for games against fellow academy clubs. After launching with 64 teams in 2007, the academy now includes 78 elite teams across the U.S., divided into conferences based on geography.

The 10-month schedule "provides the ideal platform to combine an increase in the amount of high-value training on a regular basis with the opportunity to play in quality, competitive games throughout an extended season," said U.S. Soccer youth technical director Claudio Reyna in a statement. "The addition of as many as 50 extra training sessions per year will greatly enhance the ability of players to work on individual skills and receive advice and instruction from coaches. "

If you're a subscriber to author Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule—that it takes 10,000 hours of practice for someone to truly become elite in a given field—the idea of a 10-month Development Academy likely appeals to you.

Currently, only 1 percent of active high school soccer players participate in the Development Academy, according to U.S. Soccer, so this change will affect a small fraction of the total number of boys playing high school soccer.

Photo: A youth soccer team practices last summer in Moreland Hills, Ohio. (Amy Sancetta/AP-File)

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced yesterday eight rule changes that were recently approved by its board of directors, including one that requires high school football players to leave the field for at least one down if their helmet comes off during a play.

The change does not apply to players who lose their helmet as a direct result of a foul from an opponent, however.

"The committee made this rules change after reviewing data from multiple states regarding the frequency of helmets coming off during live-ball play," said Julian Tackett, the commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and chair of the NFHS football rules committee, in a statement. "It is the committee's hope that this serves notice for schools to properly fit players with helmets to reduce the incidence of these situations and remind the players not to take steps that alter the fit."

Speaking of which... Tomorrow, at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's "Specialty Day" in San Francisco, researchers will be presenting their findings about how proper-fitting helmets can reduce the risk of concussion in youth athletes.

According to their abstract (Paper 17), athletes wearing properly fitting helmets were 80 percent less likely to experience loss of consciousness stemming from hits to the head. Based on their findings, "helmet fit is an important and easily modifiable risk factor for severe concussion injury," the paper says.

The new helmet rule wasn't the only notable change for high school football programs. Another new policy, Rule 1-2-3l, will now allow schools to open their football fields to corporate advertisements, so long as the ads don't block the yard lines, hash marks, or nine-yard marks on the field.

Previously, schools could only display advertisements in the end zones and outside the field.

For schools already dealing with tight budgets, on-field advertising may end up being another boon to keeping their athletic programs up and running. Many people, though, complain that the commercialism hampers schools' academic mission.

Roughly 57 percent of 360 high schools said they've accepted money to keep their K-12 sports programs afloat, according to The National Survey of Interscholastic Sport Sponsorship, published last year in the Sport Management International Journal.

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

First lady Michelle Obama was in a dancing mood today to celebrate the two-year anniversary of her "Let's Move" campaign, which aims to reduce obesity in U.S. youths.

Roughly 14,000 Iowa students from grades 6 through 9 joined in on the festivities with Ms. Obama today, according to the Let's Move Twitter account.

To commemorate the two-year anniversary of "Let's Move," Ms. Obama and the students in attendance all did the "Interlude Dance," created and popularized by students at the University of Northern Iowa. (There's a video of Ms. Obama's "Interlude" performance at the bottom of this post, via the Des Moines Register. It's a must-watch.)

Also on hand at today's event: A birthday cake made entirely of fruit.

Today marked the first day of a three-day trip to promote "Let's Move" across the country for Ms. Obama. She kicked off the celebration in Iowa due to the state's commitment to become the healthiest state in the U.S. by 2016, as measured by Gallup.

"I am so proud of what you all are doing to make this the healthiest state by 2016," she said at the event. "We want every single state in this country to do exactly what this state is doing. You are the model."

In the two years since the launch of "Let's Move," considerable progress has been made in terms of raising awareness about the childhood obesity epidemic, experts say. In a blog post today, the Let's Move blog details a number of the changes enacted, including the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in December 2010, the Clear Calorie Initiative from the American Beverage Association, and the launch of MyPlate, which replaced the trusty food pyramid as a guide for good nutrition.

Due to "Let's Move," childhood obesity is "getting into people's conversations in ways that it would not have been if someone had not taken it on," said Robert Blendon, a professor at Harvard, to the Associated Press.

And changes are continuing to be made, as evidenced by the recently released school lunch rules from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that call for more fruits and vegetables, less salt, and less fat.

Now, as promised... here's footage of Ms. Obama getting her "Interlude" groove on today, via the Des Moines Register:

Photo: First lady Michelle Obama and Bob Harper of Biggest Loser, right in blue shirt, do the Interlude dance during a Let's Move event with children from Iowa schools on Feb. 9 in De Moines, Iowa, during her three day national tour celebrating the second anniversary of Let's Move. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

The controversial "Tebow Bill," which would allow homeschooled students in Virginia to participate in public school sports, passed through the state House of Delegates on a 59-39 vote on Wednesday.

The legislation earned its moniker from current Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who played football at a public high school in Florida despite being homeschooled.

As you may remember, Tebow became infamous for a pose this season... a pose which Del. Robert B. Bell, who introduced the bill, struck on the floor of the House after the vote yesterday.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell recently said he'd support the bill (assuming it passes the Senate), according to the Washington Post.

"Homeschool parents pay taxes like everybody else," Gov. McDonnell said, according to the paper. "It's just fair."

Opponents to the bill argue that homeschooled students aren't necessarily held to the same academic or disciplinary standards as public school students. In the Virginia High School League's 2011-12 Handbook and Policy Manual, an athletically eligible student is defined as "in regular attendance and is carrying a schedule of subjects which, if successfully completed, will render him/her scholastically eligible for league participation the ensuing semester."

Over 25 states have laws governing what public school activities homeschooled students are allowed to participate in, according to a a brief from the Home School Legal Defense Association.

Back in November, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association approved rule changes that allow homeschooled students to participate in public school sports, provided they prove to their local board of education that they meet the same eligibility standards as a typical public school student-athlete.

The Virginia bill now moves onto the state Senate, where passage remains uncertain, according to the New York Times. The VHSL opposes the bill, along with the Virginia Association of School Superintendents and the Virginia Education Association, the paper reports.

Photo: Del. Rob B. Bell, III, R-Albemarle, left, imitates the "Tebowing" pose of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow after Bell's HB947 bill allowing homeschooled students to participate in interscholastic sports passed the Virginia House of Delegates at the State Capitol in Richmond, Va. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch/AP)

Want all the latest K-12 sports news? Follow @SchooledinSport on Twitter.

Posted by Bryan Toporek at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend