Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
My name is Nathan Wilmes. I am the Director of Outreach Athletic Training Services for Excel Sports and Physical Therapy. We provide the athletic trainers for the Francis Howell School District. I am contacting you today about ImPACT, a computer-based, neurocognitive examination used in the assessment and care of concussions/brain injuries.
During athletic competition, your child could experience a concussion. A concussion is a brain injury that if not managed carefully, could lead to permanent disability, a life-altering injury or even death. During the 2016-2017 school year, the Francis Howell School District will continue the ImPACT brain injury testing program with the assistance of Excel Sports and Physical Therapy. The ImPACT assessment is being used in the National Football League, NCAA Division I, and numerous high school programs around the country to manage brain injuries/concussions before and after they occur. ImPACT testing is not the only tool that will be used to assess your child’s safe return to play status, but it is the sporting industry gold standard. The Missouri State High School Activities Association (www.mshsaa.org) has placed a great deal of emphasis on educating coaches, athletes and parents on the severity of brain injuries over the past several years. ImPACT testing supports MSHSAA’s commitment to this issue. More information can be obtained from the following website: www.impacttest.com.
The key to the success of the program is testing athletes before they receive a brain injury. This pre-injury testing is vital to prevent the student participant from returning to play too soon and risking the chance of a second brain injury called Second Impact Syndrome.
All students participating in football, softball/baseball, boys/girls volleyball, girls lacrosse, boys/girls soccer, boys/girls basketball, wrestling, baseball, color guard/winter guard, cheerleading, and all athletes planning on competing in Pole Vault and High Jump only in Track and Field will need to be assessed as mandated by the Francis Howell School District Activities Handbook. All incoming freshmen and returning juniors in the activities mentioned above must be pre-assessed before being allowed to practice. Attached to this letter, I have provided a Parent/Guardian Consent form that must be completed prior to your child being pre-tested. Please sign and return this consent form to the Activities Office. The coaching staff and the school’s athletic trainer will work together to pre-test athletes. Thank you for your cooperation, and if you have any questions about these dates, please feel free to contact the school’s activity office, or your school’s athletic trainer.
Sincerely,
Nathan J. Wilmes, M.Ed., ATC, EMT-B , CSCS
Excel Sports and Physical Therapy