BC Tough Camp with Moon

Hello Everyone,

 

 

Today, I’m going to write about BC Tough Football Development Camps. I had the pleasure of being at the camp twice to help with player registration, take pictures and post them on Twitter for @Football_BC. These are really simple and easy tasks but I needed some help. Last week, because I had to attend a Korean Soccer Tournament’s Conference right after the camp, my girlfriend, Moon, came to help me out.

 

 

This is my story of my day at the BC TOUGH Football Development Camp on April 25.

When we arrived at BC Lions Facility, there were already a lot of energetic athletes waiting for the camp to start. I could feel their passion for football and I know they were looking forward to meeting Lions players.

 

 

After Kato, the equipment manager of BC Lions, opened the Facility, I began to set up inside and started working. Moon and I divided the tasks as she helped me with the registration process. She tracked the players’ information on Excel and I handed out the new BC Tough Camp T-shirts. The players looked excited about getting the surprise gift and some wore them on the field.

 

 



 

When the registration was finished, the players went to the field and started warming up with coaches. Even though it was only warm-up, you could tell the athletes were very focused and ready to do their best.

You can find pictures by going to Football BC’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/footballbc)

 

 

After the warm-up, the players were divided by their position and start training with coaches and their role models, the BC Lions players. The Lions players were really dedicated to teaching and I could see our players wanting to do their best. It reminded me of my old training days. This camp was well-organized and I really envied the players.

 

 

Even though it was an early Saturday morning, the coaches and Lions players were all working very hard and took their coaching responsibilities very seriously. I’m certain that the kids learned a lot of things from this camp and they will be tougher players because of it!

 

There’s still time to register for a BC TOUGH camp! Register now at: 

( http://www.playfootball.bc.ca/events/view/166 )

 

“Keep going! Do your Best!”

 

‘When in doubt, sit them out’

 

Hello Everyone,

As we all know, sport is very unpredictable especially when it comes to injuries. In North America, concussions are what everyone is talking about especially in sports like football and ice hockey.

 

I know from experience just how serious a concussion can be.

 

A concussion may be caused by a direct blow to the head, face, neck or anywhere else on the body that causes a severe and sudden movement to the head. A concussion alters the way your brain functions and can cause significant impairment. In a sense, your ‘brain is shocked’.

 

As you know, a concussion can be occurred by various reasons. The common reasons are motor vehicle collisions and sports.

 

My blog today, of course, will focus on concussion in sports and I want to tell you about my story.
 

 

Actually, when I started writing this blog I only had one story to tell. Since then, I have two.

 

My first story is about my time playing high school football in Korea. I remember each year we would have a lot of injury teammates. I had one teammate who suffered a concussion every season. I mean, concussions were chronic for him. He was a great tight end and also a bright leader. That’s why our teammates followed him and supported him. I think he had too much pressure from our expectations and coaches’ as well. That’s why he hid his dizziness and headaches when he was on the field.

 

Unfortunately, his concussions became worse and finally he had to give up playing football which was his dream and his major. (Ed. Note: ‘Major’ refers to a specialty in study similar to a college major. Those that focus on sports in Korea choose a sport to major in).

 

I wish I didn’t have to learn about the seriousness of concussions this way but now I understand it.

 

My second story is a little more personal.

 

A month ago, my soccer team had an important match and I wanted to show my eagerness as a captain. I ran around more than other matches and I was totally focused. Unfortunately, during a concussion, I got a concussion. I could feel something was wrong in my head but I kept playing and continued to do so the next weekend. The reason I kept playing was because I thought I was ‘cured.’ I felt okay afterwards so I thought I could keep going. I was wrong. I should have taken care of myself and stopped playing. My dizziness returned and finally I had to go to the hospital.

 

The doctor told me not to play at least for a week. This time I know that rest is important and not to push myself if I can’t. Fortunately, I feel my concussion is not too serious this time but I was lucky. I learned a lot from this experience.

 

Thanks to Football BC, I’ve had a chance to learn more about concussions especially what the steps to take are when we suspect a concussion how to reduce the risk of concussion as a coach. The “Making Head Way in Football” course is free and mandatory for all coaches.

 

As I mentioned before, not only do I play soccer but I manage our soccer team. Even though it is an amateur team, we are very competitive and games can get very tough. Thanks to this course, I feel ready to take care of my players from now on.

 

According to this course, coaches have to sit players out when in doubt even though they are really crucial player in the team. The reason why we have to sit them out is because a concussion is different than other injuries because we cannot predict the aftereffect. That’s why we have to follow the guide lines and sit players out when in doubt.

 

Football BC has some great resources including a concussion card that you can get by emailing communications@playfootball.bc.ca.

 

 

 

“We have an obligation to protect our players.”

 

Are there any coaches who are reading my blog? If so, I hope you all are aware of the seriousness of concussions. You need to protect your players from more serious injuries and aftereffects. Also, if you haven’t the “Making Head Way” course yet, do it now at http:// nccp.coach.ca.

 

 

 

 

I got 100 points on the test. Isn’t that cool?

 

 

“When in doubt, sit them out”