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705 22nd St. W. • 802 Circle Dr. E. • 519 Nelson Road • 3330 8th St. E. • 1204 Central Ave.
Volume 10, Issue 20, Week of May 20, 2013
Saskatoonʼs REAL Community Newspaper
Concussions: Life or
Death
Katie Miyazaki has had five diagnosed concussions during her sports career (Photo by Joelle Tomlinson)
Head injury game-changer for star football player Joelle Tomlinson Saskatoon Express
has experienced headaches, dizziness and nausea, and only stopped playing tackle football last year after her worst atie Miyazaki is all too familiar concussion ever. with what being hit in the head “This last one was in our Prairie feels like. It’s not pleasant, it’s a Conference final against Regina, and I danger in sports and it can have lasting knew exactly where the hit was, and that consequences. I most likely had a concussion, but I just “Diagnosed concussions? I’ve had didn’t want to come out of the game. So I five that put me out for a few weeks each kept playing and I got hit again later in the time,” said Miyazaki, all-star alumni of same game,” said Miyazaki. “I was pretty the University of Saskatchewan women’s sure I was concussed, but then the next day basketball team and a former Valkyries I woke up and was like, ‘Oh, I feel good!’ football player. “The first one I got was Then, the following day I woke up and I when I was 12 and playing hockey. I ran had never felt that sick before. I couldn’t into a girl. I got up, saw stars and had no leave my room, everything felt like it was idea what was happening, so I just kept spinning, I was nauseous, but yet part of playing. The next was one was about two me still wanted to play that week. If my years later in net, the third one was playing trainers hadn’t said no, and if my coach dodge ball in physical education. I got hadn’t said no, I would have played, which blindsided by a ball . . . and the list goes is a pretty bad idea in retrospect.” on.” Dropping out of the game wasn’t an Miyazaki almost always kept playing easy decision for Miyazaki. A star athlete, after the constant hits to the head. She Miyazaki led the Huskies to a second-
K
place finish in the CIS championships in 2011 and a sixth-place finish in 2012. After that, she transitioned into football, where she shone as a defensive back with the Valkyries, helping them during undefeated runs to the 2011 and 2012 Western Women’s Canadian Football League championships. Miyazaki also was picked as one of 92 players to attend the training camp for Team Canada. Those selected at the camp will represent Canada at the 2013 women’s world tackle football championships in New Brunswick. “That’s definitely what hurt the most, and what I cried over the most. I had debated not playing football last summer, but then there was the whole Team Canada thing,” said Miyazaki. “When I found out about Team Canada, that’s what my whole summer was geared toward. I wanted to make it to that camp and make that team for this summer. It bummed me out when I knew I couldn’t play at the first camp
and I thought that dream was over. Then, I was invited to the second camp, and I was still wasn’t quite better by then. It sucks because it feels like you’re giving up on a dream, but at the same time you’re like ‘This is real life. I have a lot of other things.’ As cool as it would be, it’s life or death.” Sometimes it is death. Last week, 17year-old Rowan Stringer, a female rugby player in Ottawa, died after receiving a severe head injury in a game. Miyazaki says that lack of awareness is one of the biggest issues for young athletes, parents and coaches in cases like this. “Athletes, they just want to play. The kids I coach, they always want to play and unless you tell them no, they’re going to keep going,” said Miyazaki. “Now, looking back at it, I think about how dumb it is, but in the heat of the moment you don’t think about it.” (Continued on page 4)