Writing Feature Articles - Step 1 - Lesson 1 | Page 62

Writing Feature Articles - Lesson
Writing Feature Articles - Handout . a

Experienced

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ___________________

. a: Feature Articles Packet

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of

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“Special report: The dangers...” continued
“Now,” Victor says, “if I ask Zackery to say, ‘My name is Zack Lystedt, I’m 15 years old, and I’m the second-best
looking guy in this room’ ... “
“Hi, I’m Zack Lystedt,” Zack responds. “And correction: I am the ?rst-best looking guy in this room.”
Brandon Schultz, Anacortes
Brandon Schultz is 31 now, and he doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him. He can hit a golf ball 300 yards. He
can bowl a 200. He can belt out karaoke at the neighborhood bar.
But 15 years after a second-impact syndrome injury, Schultz lives under the care of his father, Robert. And though
he has become more independent in the last 10 years, he’ll likely never live alone. He has permanently lost
peripheral vision to his left. His short-term memory is spotty.
“You have to remind him to take his medication,” Robert Schultz says. “He’s got six or seven that he takes in the
morning and the evening. You have to remind him to brush his teeth.”
Doctors have described Brandon’s condition as a “state of permanent adolescence.”
“I still love football,” he says. “If I could get on the ?eld and play today, I would.”
He has no memory of his sophomore year of football at Anacortes High School. Schultz played right guard and left
end, and he swung between the junior varsity and varsity teams.
Like Ben Zipp and David Bosse, Schultz attempted to play while suffering from the symptoms of a concussion.
Studies have shown that as many as 20 percent of athletes fake being symptom-free in order to play. Many do not
know that only 10 percent of concussions involve losing consciousness.
In Brandon’s case, there was no trainer at the school to evaluate the telltale signs of a concussion. According
to the Washington State Athletic Trainers Association, as many as 64 percent of state high schools do not have
access to a certi?ed athletic trainer, whom Herring calls “the biggest allies” in preventing serious brain injuries. The
average trainer in Washington makes about $42,000 per year, though a part-time trainer — working 20 to 25 hours
per week during the school year — can be available for about $15,000.
“So if you want to ask me what the booster clubs should spend their money on?” Herring says. “A certi?ed athletic
trainer to cover sporting events. Money well spent.”
A week after suffering a concussion, Schultz attempted to play again while he still had headaches. Late in the
second quarter, after a routine hit, Schultz collapsed. He, too, was airlifted to Harborview.
Schultz went through 8 ½ years of counseling and physical and occupational therapy at a rehabilitation center in
Bakers?eld, Calif. During his recovery, he has struggled with the realization that his life will never be the way it was.
His crawl toward independence has required patience.
“And patience isn’t something that I have a lot of,” Schultz says.

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