InTouch with Southern Kentucky March 2020

In the past, football players were taught to target the sternum with their face mask, neck bowed, on a head-on tackle. If you approached the ballcarrier from the side, you were instructed to get your head in front of him, rather than behind him, using your head as a blockade. “You just can’t use your head anymore,” Hines said. “The key is to find a safer way to tackle — so that you don’t have as many direct hits to the head. We teach shoulder con- tact, and you don’t get your head in there. When I played, that would’ve been the polar opposite of what we were taught. “But ballcarriers are coming at you fast and you can’t eliminate all the direct head to head contact,” Hines added. “It’s football; it’s a contact sport. We know we can’t eliminate all head injuries. But we want to make the game as safe as possible.” Bart Williams, the Commissioner and Chairman of the Board for the Somerset Youth Football League, says a player’s equipment — espe- cially his helmet — is the key to his safety. “The sizing of the helmet — the way it fits on a player’s head — makes all the difference in the world,” Williams said. “The last six or seven years, we’ve had represen- tatives from the helmet companies come here and talk to the coaches about the proper sizing of helmets.” Williams said former Somerset High running back Brandon Brooks acts as a league equipment manag- er, as well as a coach, to oversee the “Football today is a lot differ- ent from when I played. We have a different approach to teaching tack- ling techniques and we have a much different way of handling athletes who might been suf- fering from a head injury.” John Hines fitting of helmets for every player in the Somerset Youth Football League. “With youth-age players, they want everything to feel like a cap on their head — they’re not used to anything being that tight on their head,” Williams said. “It has to be comfortable, but it also has to fit tightly enough that you can’t grab the face mask and move the helmet from side to side while it’s on their head. We want to make sure there’s a proper fit, because that is the key to the helmet protecting a player’s head.” The Somerset Youth Football League’s fifth and sixth-grade play- ers use the same helmets local high school players wear. The younger players use the Schutt A3, which Williams described as a “high end youth helmet.” “All of the helmets in our league are less than two years old,” Wil- liams said, “and all of our helmets are replaced after 10 years, whether they’ve been used every season or have set on the shelf. Keeping up with improvements in equipment is crucial — and helmets have come a long way just in the past five years or so.” Hines concurred. “No helmet in the world is 100 percent concussion proof, but the helmets we use today are so much better than what we used in the past,” Hines said. “The helmets we’ve been using the last few years are much more protective.” Concussion protocol is now a household sports term, thanks to the NFL and College Football making brain safety a priority. That’s no dif- ferent on the high school and youth level. Bluegrass.org is Hiring Licensed Clinicians Join our team of solution-focused, caring Professionals at our NEW Outpatient location in Somerset, KY Supports for Community Living NOW HIRING FULL-TIME DIRECT CARE STAFF 2nd & 3rd shift. Requirements: • High school Diploma or GED • Dependable • Experience in working with persons with intellectual disabilities preferred We offer competitive wages and benefits. Apply in person at 176 Enterprise Dr., Somerset, KY 42501 M arch 2020 Bluegrass.org is Hiring Licensed Clinicians Join our team of solution-focused, caring Professionals at our NEW Outpatient Therapy Clinic in Somerset Qualiﬁcations: • Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, or closely related ﬁeld • KY license as CSW, LPCA, LMFTA, LPA, LCSW, LPP, LMFT or LPCC • Valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, proof of insurance Outstanding Incentives & Beneﬁts • Company paid clinical supervision • Monthly incentive for meeting and exceeding targets • Generous and ﬂexible Paid Time Oﬀ (PTO) leave plan • Company paid continuing education in today’s best practices • Health, Vision & Dental Insurance w/HRA, HSA and ﬂexible spending account options • 5% company match for 401K plan; immediately vested upon participation eligibility date • Company paid Life and AD&D insurance at 1.5 times your annual salary • Educational reimbursement • Employee Assistance, Wellness, Perks and more! If you are a mission-driven, professional with a passion for working with adults, children & families in mental health and substance use, we a have place on our team for you! If you are a mission-driven, professional with a passion for working with adults, children & families in mental health and substance use, we a have place on our team for you. Find out more and apply at www.bluegrass.org Find out more and apply at www.bluegrass.org I n T ouch with S outhern K entucky • 17

InTouch with Southern Kentucky March 2020 | Page 17