Effective Jan 1, 2012, Colorado's Jake Snakenberg Youth Sports Concussion Act (SB11-040) requires coaches of all youth organized sports complete annual concussion recognition education.  Further, if the coach suspects a youth athlete has sustained a concussion, the coach must immediately remove the athlete from play, and the athlete cannot return to practice or play until evaluated by a licensed health care provider and received written clearance to return to play.  The bill provides limited immunity to volunteer coaches and other individuals who assist as volunteers for youth athletic activities and to members of the board of directors or governing boards of a school district, private club, or recreation facility.  Click HERE to read the full text of SB11-040.

The Parker Youth Sports (PYS) COACHES Concussion Training Program consists of 4 parts:

1. Online training (CDC HEADS UP)

 2. PYS online certification test (important information)

 3. PYS Concussion Reporting/Player Release System
4. Concussion Resources for Coaches, parents and athletes

PYS uses the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) HEADS UP:Concussion in Youth Sports online training program.  The course is FREE and takes approximately 45 minutes.  The course is entirely online and covers the topics required by Colorado law:

• Understanding concussions and their potential consequences,
• Recognizing signs and symptoms of potential concussions and how to respond,
• Steps for returning to activity (play and school) after a concussion, and
• Prevention and preparedness to help keep athletes safe season-to-season.

The CDC training includes certification testing at the end of the course and allows you to print a certificate documenting course completion.  Concussion training provided by other organizations (e.g., NFHS, ACTive, CHSAA) may be substituted for the CDC online training.  However, the PYS CONCUSSION CERTIFICATION  IS REQUIRED FOR ALL COACHES AND ASSISTANT COACHES.  Hard/electronic copies of CDC or other training will NOT be accepted.  Please see the PYS CONCUSSION CERTIFICATION section below for IMPORTANT information on documenting your training for PYS purposes.

PYS CONCUSSION CERTIFICATION (IMPORTANT)

PYS has replicated the CDC certification test as an online form on our website.  Test results are maintained in an online database in order to simplify documentation and tracking for all coaches in all sports.  You are free to complete the CDC online test and generate the certificate for your personal records.  However, for PYS tracking purposes, hard/electronic copies of CDC or other concussion training certificates will NOT be accepted. 

When you take the CDC training, you can skip the final test by simply closing the page.  You can then go directly to the PYS Concussion Certification Test.  Upon completing the test, you will receive a confirmation email with a link that will also allow you to print the CDC certificate for your records.

If you complete concussion training provided by another organization (e.g., NHFS, ACTive, CHSAA) you are still required to complete the PYS Concussion Certification Test.

PYS CONCUSSION REPORTING/PLAYER RELEASE SYSTEM

Information on reporting potential concussions and tracking medical releases is currently under development.

 

CONCUSSION RESOURCES

PYS has gathered a variety of concussion management resources for coaches, parents and players including:  

• Coaches Fact Sheet
• Coaches Clipboard Quick Reference
• Parent Fact Sheet
• Athlete Fact Sheet
• Quiz for Coaches, Parents and Athletes

Links to these resources can be found on the CONCUSSION MGMT RESOURCES tab in the COACHES CORNER menu on the left.