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Danielle Nadler
among athletes from little league to the NFL. But Loudoun County Public Schools declined the offer, and after Loudoun Valley parents pushed forward to buy the sensors anyway, school district administrators went as far as to say athletes who wore the sensors could not play. The months-long battle between parents and administrators over whether to put the oneounce, 3-by-1-inch sensors on helmets of Loudoun Valley football players came to a head Thursday during the Vikings’ first full-contact practice. The players took to the Purcellville school’s brand-new artificial turf field under close watch of about 40—considered a crowd for an early morning weekday practice. On the sidelines
stood about two dozen parents, representatives from Brain Sentry, as well as Loudoun Valley High School and school district administrators, including school district Public Information Officer Wayde Byard. About 15 minutes after the helmets with sensors went on, Loudoun Valley Assistant Principal Bill Oblas walked onto the field and stopped practice. He asked the coaches to gather around him and said players wearing the sensors would not be allowed to continue to practice. So the helmets were put on the sidelines, and the parents stripped off the $75 sensors they helped purchase through concession sales and other fundraisers. Continued on Page 10
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hen Dee Howard’s son joined the Loudoun Valley High School football team two years ago she couldn’t help but flinch when she watched him collide with guys 50 pounds heavier. Freshman year was his first year playing football, and now he’s a junior lineman looking to start. “The first year was eye opening for us,” Howard said. “Of course he loved it, so that’s why we let him play.” But this spring, she and several other par-
ents of Loudoun Valley athletes thought their concerns about the risks that come with a sport their kids love might be eased when they heard a Bethesda, MD-company would give them impact sensors. The sensors attach to the back of helmets with double-sided tape and light up when a player takes a hard hit to the head. In March, Brain Sentry teamed with Inova Neuroscience Institute to formally offer to provide sensors at a discounted rate to every Loudoun County high school football and lacrosse player. Inova Neuroscience Institute offered to track the data from more than 2,000 students to determine if the devices are useful in combating head trauma, a growing concern nationally
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Drivers didn’t waste any time Tuesday afternoon taking advantage of the new Sycolin Road overpass that officially opened to traffic at noon following a ribbon cutting ceremony.
tate, county and town representatives gathered under a rain-soaked tent Tuesday morning to celebrate the opening of the Sycolin Road overpass that exposed residents to more than a year of construction, road closures and detours. The $17.7 million project, spearheaded by the Virginia Department of Transportation, eliminated the accident-prone Leesburg Bypass/Sycolin Road intersection and replaced it with a bridge that features two 12-foot travel lanes. Sound barriers were installed on the south side of the bypass to reduce highway noise for residents in the Stratford development. The overpass also features pedestrian sidewalks, bike lanes and a shared use path. Mayor Kristen Umstattd said the project was a collaborative effort of the town, county
and VDOT staff, noting that crews worked overtime to get the overpass completed on time. According to VDOT Chief Engineer Garrett Moore, not only did the project finish two weeks ahead of schedule, but it also came in $2 million under budget. Sen. Dick Black (R-13) said the project speaks highly of Loudoun Board of Supervisors’ Chairman Scott K. York and Umstattd who worked hard to see that the plan came to fruition. Black said he also was impressed with the residents who, throughout the process, put up with a great deal of inconvenience. Their patience will pay off and the overpass is going to make it “easier to get to work, avoid bottlenecks and people will be less channelized on high-traffic roads,” he said. York described the overpass as another step toward improving transportation throughout the county. “I hope that $2 million stays here in Loudoun,” he said to Moore jokingly. Continued on Page 24
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Leesburg Celebrates The Reopening Of Sycolin Road
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