Pilot Club Hosting Free Seminar on Youth Sports and Concussions

If you have child who plays sports or are a coach of one of the may local youth sports programs, you might want to take advantage of a free seminar coming up on the problem of concussions and youth sports.

The Lavonia Chapter of the Pilot Club is partnering with other local Pilot Club chapters to offer the free seminar on Saturday, August 2nd at the Franklin Springs City Hall meeting room.

According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, the number of young people ages 5 -14 and 15 – 24 treated for concussions at hospitals has climbed steadily in the U.S. since 2003.

Elanor Ragsdale is the president of the Lavonia Pilot Club.  Ragsdale said she decided to hold the seminar because it falls in line with the overall mission of Pilot Clubs International.

“One of the focuses of Pilot Club is preventing and educating about brain injuries,” she said. “So that’s the reason we’re doing the program.”

Another reason, Ragsdale said, is the fact that she has witnessed first-hand how bad sports injuries, especially head injuries, can be for young people.

“I was at a girl’s soccer game in Madison County and I saw a girl get  hit upside the head,” she said. “They got her up and off the field, but you could see from across the field that she didn’t look right, that she was injured.  And they did confirm that she did have a concussion.”

Speaking at the August 2nd seminar will be Harold King.

King is a certified, licensed trainer who is the manager of Community Outreach and Athletic Training for Sports Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta.

King will go over the Georgia rules and regulations regarding concussions and youth sports as well what should be done if a child suffers a head injury while playing.

Ragsdale said the free seminar is not only for area coaches, but also for parents of students who play sports and is not

Anyone interested in attending the seminar on August 2nd should contact her at: 706-245-6304.