Concussions are not occurring more than before, in fact they were and are surprisingly common in sports. Concussions are just being given much closer scrutiny and this can help athletes in the long run, but change some sports coaching methods and the way athletes play. Concussions are a part of sports and have occurred to people that you know. Most often these concussion happen in athletic competition.Senior Rachel Van Sluys has had some encounters with concussions. “Concussions come in different severities,The worst type of concussion is one that prevents you from doing everyday activities with symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, nausea and unclear vision.” Van Sluys stated Concussion can affect you in multiple different ways depending on your diagnosis. Van Sluys also commented that trying to make it through a school day is one of the worst things she has every dealt with. For Senior Benjamin Johnson concussions changed his life. Johnson received so many concussions he was told by multiple doctors that he could not continue playing contact sports. “My high school career could have been completely different, who knows what sports I could have done and what I could have accomplished if it wasn’t for concussions.” Johnson stated Concussions are the bruising of the brain, usually caused by force bouncing it against the skull. Journal of the American Medical Association defines a concussion as any damage to the brain caused by a blow to the head that results in temporary loss of normal brain function. Sandra Lee Loften, Nurse Practitioner for Aurora said , “A concussion is any injury to the head that is caused by trauma. There may be a loss of consciousness. There can be bruising at times, but more commonly no gross abnormalities are seen .” The Center for Disease Control estimates that 300,000 sports related brain injuries occur in the United States each year. Not all of these head injuries are the “knock out” variety or make one lose consciousness. Some are just mild, with milder symptoms. Margret Bauer, licensed athletic trainer for Prevea Sports Medicine, commented, “Concussions cause chemical reactions to occur in the brain altering the way it functions until healed. Concussions are usually not life threatening, and can come from a bump, or a jolt to the head. Even so the effects can be serious.” The concussion is a scary thing. People have them and have time lapses, blurred visions, stuttering, loss of balance, problems with concentration, and memory loss. Also headaches, confusion, nausea, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound, changes in reaction time, and changes in judgment. Individuals do not have a loss of consciousness to have a concussion. With mild levels of concussion, symptoms can disappear in a few minutes. Coach Mike Rank, South High Head Basketball coach and former football coach and health teacher said, “Concussions should be taken seriously because of the numerous symptoms that can occur to athletes. The concussion topic is considered high alert for all stake holders.” Chris Hein, South High athletic director and Head football coach, added, “The amount of concussions has increased significantly since I started coaching 12 years ago. I really do not think the game has changed much and truly helmets continue to get better. I think the reason that there are more diagnosed is the increased awareness of athletes, coaches, trainers, doctors, and parents. There is also more media attention given to concussion over the past couple of years.” Concussions are more prominently affecting athletes now more than ever before because of safe guards for athletes. Hein, stated “The difficult part with concussions is diagnosing the degree of the concussion. It is not as simple as taking and X-ray or an MRI and viewing a fracture or a tear. On the other side, I think we also need to keep in mind that it is possible for an athlete to hit their head and not suffer a concussion at all.” Sports leagues across talents and levels have always known about head trauma. An athlete is diagnosed with CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy after several concussions. This syndrome is something all parents, coaches, and athletes want to avoid. After being diagnosed with a concussion, the athlete is at the greatest risk in the next ten days. Story by Sara Schrank This is the first part of a three part series.