The boys deserve all of the certificates and then some!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Cougars and Knights my update..Soccer
Ok folks remember how I wrote to these two local indoor soccer teams and asked them to write a letter or make some kind of contact with the boys soccer team for making history?
Well to this date no contact has been made that I know of.
Sorry to see that the local teams that the boys like to watch are not supportive of local HS teams that make history.
Well to this date no contact has been made that I know of.
Sorry to see that the local teams that the boys like to watch are not supportive of local HS teams that make history.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
youth should be Screened
A thickened heart muscle (in HCM, predominantly of the left ventricle) is more sensitive to a lack of blood supply and more irritable than a normal heart. As a consequence of this irritability, the heart is more prone to dangerous forms of heart irregularities, such as ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, which can render heart contractions fatally ineffective, unless treated.
HCM is thought to cause one out of every three cases of sudden death among athletes, and approximately one person in 500 births is affected by HCM. The disease is hereditary in more than half the cases.
Athletes with HCM are at greater risk because the two factors that are thought to trigger a catastrophic event in a hypertrophied heart muscle that characterizes this condition are dehydration and increased adrenaline. Both are common situations during physical exertion.
The good news is that, if detected, even "silent" heart conditions such as HCM can be treated. However, physicians cannot treat what is not diagnosed, and, in the case of young athletes, the longtime standard of pre-sports physical exams may not go far enough to find defects and avert tragedy. In the majority of "regular" exams, the physician listens to the heart's sounds with a stethoscope. This method of examination, called auscultation, has remained unchanged since the invention of the stethoscope in 1819.
Until recently, the technology that allows doctors actually to see the function and structural health of the heart--ultrasound--was not well-suited (by virtue of cost, immobility of equipment, and complexity of a full-scale examination) for screening groups of people, many of whom show no symptoms of a potential problem. Today, there is an option of a different approach, as new forms of ultrasound technology make broader application of cardiac screening practical and feasible from medical, economic, and logistical perspectives.
When ultrasound is used to examine the heart, it is known as echocardiography or an "echo." In this painless, noninvasive diagnostic test, low-power, high-frequency sound waves bounce over the heart and produce a picture that allows a trained health care professional to assess the thickness, size, and function of the organ. The difference between using a stethoscope and an echo to examine the function of the heart is like night and day. With one, you can only listen; with the other, you can actually look inside.
This is not to say that the use of a stethoscope is not important and valuable during physical exams. In a number of cases, cardiac ultrasound screening could be an effective adjunct to "regular" exams to reduce the risk of complications from undiagnosed cardiovascular disease, up to and including sudden death.
In particular, hand-carried devices that offer a lower-cost way to bring exams to groups of people are being used to perform "limited" echoes--a type of exam that allows physicians to look quickly at the heart, but is not as costly as a "full" checkup that doctors would perform on a patient suspected of having a problem, or in a case in which a limited echo showed something that warrants examining further.
A study by Barry J. Maron of the Minneapolis (Minn.) Heart Institute Foundation and colleagues reviewed 158 fatal incidents among athletes and found that sudden death is most common among basketball and football players, the sports with the highest participation levels in the U.S. Together, these two groups accounted for 68% of sudden deaths. The median age of death was 17 years old, and the prevalence was disproportionately higher among males, as well as African-American athletes. Ninety percent collapsed during or immediately after a training session, with 63% of deaths occurring between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. (the time period when most games and practices occur).
HCM is thought to cause one out of every three cases of sudden death among athletes, and approximately one person in 500 births is affected by HCM. The disease is hereditary in more than half the cases.
Athletes with HCM are at greater risk because the two factors that are thought to trigger a catastrophic event in a hypertrophied heart muscle that characterizes this condition are dehydration and increased adrenaline. Both are common situations during physical exertion.
The good news is that, if detected, even "silent" heart conditions such as HCM can be treated. However, physicians cannot treat what is not diagnosed, and, in the case of young athletes, the longtime standard of pre-sports physical exams may not go far enough to find defects and avert tragedy. In the majority of "regular" exams, the physician listens to the heart's sounds with a stethoscope. This method of examination, called auscultation, has remained unchanged since the invention of the stethoscope in 1819.
Until recently, the technology that allows doctors actually to see the function and structural health of the heart--ultrasound--was not well-suited (by virtue of cost, immobility of equipment, and complexity of a full-scale examination) for screening groups of people, many of whom show no symptoms of a potential problem. Today, there is an option of a different approach, as new forms of ultrasound technology make broader application of cardiac screening practical and feasible from medical, economic, and logistical perspectives.
When ultrasound is used to examine the heart, it is known as echocardiography or an "echo." In this painless, noninvasive diagnostic test, low-power, high-frequency sound waves bounce over the heart and produce a picture that allows a trained health care professional to assess the thickness, size, and function of the organ. The difference between using a stethoscope and an echo to examine the function of the heart is like night and day. With one, you can only listen; with the other, you can actually look inside.
This is not to say that the use of a stethoscope is not important and valuable during physical exams. In a number of cases, cardiac ultrasound screening could be an effective adjunct to "regular" exams to reduce the risk of complications from undiagnosed cardiovascular disease, up to and including sudden death.
In particular, hand-carried devices that offer a lower-cost way to bring exams to groups of people are being used to perform "limited" echoes--a type of exam that allows physicians to look quickly at the heart, but is not as costly as a "full" checkup that doctors would perform on a patient suspected of having a problem, or in a case in which a limited echo showed something that warrants examining further.
A study by Barry J. Maron of the Minneapolis (Minn.) Heart Institute Foundation and colleagues reviewed 158 fatal incidents among athletes and found that sudden death is most common among basketball and football players, the sports with the highest participation levels in the U.S. Together, these two groups accounted for 68% of sudden deaths. The median age of death was 17 years old, and the prevalence was disproportionately higher among males, as well as African-American athletes. Ninety percent collapsed during or immediately after a training session, with 63% of deaths occurring between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. (the time period when most games and practices occur).
Trends in Sudden Cardiovascular Death in Young Competitive Athletes
Trends in Sudden Cardiovascular Death in Young Competitive Athletes after Implementation of a Preparticipation Screening Program
Date: Oct. 4, 2006
Why it’s important: The deaths of young athletes is a tragedy that could be avoided in many cases if the athletes, their coaches and physicians knew of heart problems before the youngsters began strenuous physical activity. Understanding the value of screening programs to identify such problems could lead to more systematic screening in nations around the world.
What’s already known: Most young athletes who die suddenly are found to have a previously unknown heart defect with which they were born. A condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is most common cause of sudden death in young athletes in the United States, accounting for one-third of all mortalities. In Italy, one-fourth of such deaths are caused by arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the heart muscle or a change in heart muscle structure such that the heart no longer pumps blood well.
Screening young athletes before they begin competition can identify potentially deadly heart problems. By preventing these youths from participating in such activities, authorities can reduce sudden death. Under Italian law passed in 1982, all youths who take part in competitive sports must undergo a screening evaluation by a physician before they are deemed eligible. In 1982, Italy instituted a nationwide systematic screening program. The screening included a sophisticated electrocardiogram to measure the electrical activity of the heart called a 12-lead ECG or electrocardiogram.
How this study was done: The researchers analyzed the trends in sudden cardiovascular death rates in competitive athletes 12 to 35 years old in the Veneto region of Italy between 1979 and 2004. Sudden cardiovascular death rates were analyzed in the non-athletic unscreened population of the same age range as the control. All deaths among athletes and nonathletes were investigated medically by a local pathologist or medical examiner, who determined whether the death was heart-related. If it was, then the heart was sent to the Institute for Pathological Anatomy for detailed assessment. The medical history, athletic activity and circumstances surrounding the heart stoppage were all investigated. The investigators looked at three periods: prescreening (1979-81), early screening (1982-92) and late screening (1993-2004). The screening consisted of family and personal medical history, a physical examination and a 12-lead ECG. If the athletes had positive findings, more tests were done. The researchers also looked at the causes of disqualification of young athletes in the early and late screening period.
What was found: Over the entire period of the study, 55 cases of sudden cardiovascular death occurred in the screened population of athletes 12 to 35 in the Veneto region. Fifty were male and five were female. Fifty of the cases occurred during the sports activity or immediately after.
They found that the number and rates of sudden cardiovascular death decreased in the population over the 26 years of the study. Between 1979-80, the annual death rate was 3.6 per 100,000 per-years (eight deaths). In 1981-82, there were nine sudden deaths for a 4.0 per 100,000 person-years death rate. The death rate decreased steadily after that. In 2001-04 there was one sudden death per period for a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 person-years — about one-tenth that recorded 1980-81.
During the period of the study, the annual incidence of sudden death from heart-related problems decreased 89 percent in screened athletes. By contrast, the death rate did not change in the unscreened nonathletes.
The authors, led by Domenico Corrado, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Padua Medical School in Italy, noted that there were 14 deaths during the prescreening period. Twelve of those occurred during sports activity. In the early screening period, there were 29 deaths, 27 of them sports related. In the late screening period, there 12 deaths, 11 of which were sports related. By contrast, there was no difference in the death rates in the unscreened population that did not take part in competitive sports. A total of 265 sudden deaths occurred in this population. Two percent of athletes were disqualified from taking part in competitive sport for heart problems during the period of the screening.
“Our trend analysis showed that the incidence of sudden death from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy decreased dramatically over the 26-year period and accounted for much of the change in mortality from cardiomyopathy," the authors wrote. "The downward trend of fatal events from this cardiomyopathy paralleled the concomitant increase in the number of athletes with cardiomyopathies successfully identified and hence disqualified from competition over the screening periods. All these findings suggest that screening athletes for cardiomyopathies is a life-saving strategy and that 12-lead ECG is a sensitive and powerful tool for identification and risk stratification of athletes with cardiomyopathies…These data demonstrate the benefit of the current Italian screening program and have important implications for implementing screening strategies for prevention of sudden death in athletes in other countries.”
In an accompanying editorial, Paul D. Thompson, M.D., of Hartford Hospital and the University of Connecticut, Hartford, and Benjamin D. Levine, M.D., of Presbyterian Hospital and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, wrote: “The study by Corrado et al provides the best evidence to date supporting the preparticipation screening of athletes and provocative evidence for including ECGs in this process. However, cardiologists and other physicians involved in the evaluation of athletes can take a valuable lesson from Corrado et al, and collaborate to develop a rigorous, comprehensive regional or national registry to study the preparticipation screening process prospectively and directly, and to determine how to implement such programs most effectively and how to manage asymptomatic athletes with cardiac abnormalities detected by the screening process.”
The bottom line: Screening young athletes for heart problems provides the best way to identify those for whom competitive sports could prove deadly. A systematic method of insuring that all young athletes receive such screening could save many young lives.
Date: Oct. 4, 2006
Why it’s important: The deaths of young athletes is a tragedy that could be avoided in many cases if the athletes, their coaches and physicians knew of heart problems before the youngsters began strenuous physical activity. Understanding the value of screening programs to identify such problems could lead to more systematic screening in nations around the world.
What’s already known: Most young athletes who die suddenly are found to have a previously unknown heart defect with which they were born. A condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is most common cause of sudden death in young athletes in the United States, accounting for one-third of all mortalities. In Italy, one-fourth of such deaths are caused by arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the heart muscle or a change in heart muscle structure such that the heart no longer pumps blood well.
Screening young athletes before they begin competition can identify potentially deadly heart problems. By preventing these youths from participating in such activities, authorities can reduce sudden death. Under Italian law passed in 1982, all youths who take part in competitive sports must undergo a screening evaluation by a physician before they are deemed eligible. In 1982, Italy instituted a nationwide systematic screening program. The screening included a sophisticated electrocardiogram to measure the electrical activity of the heart called a 12-lead ECG or electrocardiogram.
How this study was done: The researchers analyzed the trends in sudden cardiovascular death rates in competitive athletes 12 to 35 years old in the Veneto region of Italy between 1979 and 2004. Sudden cardiovascular death rates were analyzed in the non-athletic unscreened population of the same age range as the control. All deaths among athletes and nonathletes were investigated medically by a local pathologist or medical examiner, who determined whether the death was heart-related. If it was, then the heart was sent to the Institute for Pathological Anatomy for detailed assessment. The medical history, athletic activity and circumstances surrounding the heart stoppage were all investigated. The investigators looked at three periods: prescreening (1979-81), early screening (1982-92) and late screening (1993-2004). The screening consisted of family and personal medical history, a physical examination and a 12-lead ECG. If the athletes had positive findings, more tests were done. The researchers also looked at the causes of disqualification of young athletes in the early and late screening period.
What was found: Over the entire period of the study, 55 cases of sudden cardiovascular death occurred in the screened population of athletes 12 to 35 in the Veneto region. Fifty were male and five were female. Fifty of the cases occurred during the sports activity or immediately after.
They found that the number and rates of sudden cardiovascular death decreased in the population over the 26 years of the study. Between 1979-80, the annual death rate was 3.6 per 100,000 per-years (eight deaths). In 1981-82, there were nine sudden deaths for a 4.0 per 100,000 person-years death rate. The death rate decreased steadily after that. In 2001-04 there was one sudden death per period for a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 person-years — about one-tenth that recorded 1980-81.
During the period of the study, the annual incidence of sudden death from heart-related problems decreased 89 percent in screened athletes. By contrast, the death rate did not change in the unscreened nonathletes.
The authors, led by Domenico Corrado, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Padua Medical School in Italy, noted that there were 14 deaths during the prescreening period. Twelve of those occurred during sports activity. In the early screening period, there were 29 deaths, 27 of them sports related. In the late screening period, there 12 deaths, 11 of which were sports related. By contrast, there was no difference in the death rates in the unscreened population that did not take part in competitive sports. A total of 265 sudden deaths occurred in this population. Two percent of athletes were disqualified from taking part in competitive sport for heart problems during the period of the screening.
“Our trend analysis showed that the incidence of sudden death from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy decreased dramatically over the 26-year period and accounted for much of the change in mortality from cardiomyopathy," the authors wrote. "The downward trend of fatal events from this cardiomyopathy paralleled the concomitant increase in the number of athletes with cardiomyopathies successfully identified and hence disqualified from competition over the screening periods. All these findings suggest that screening athletes for cardiomyopathies is a life-saving strategy and that 12-lead ECG is a sensitive and powerful tool for identification and risk stratification of athletes with cardiomyopathies…These data demonstrate the benefit of the current Italian screening program and have important implications for implementing screening strategies for prevention of sudden death in athletes in other countries.”
In an accompanying editorial, Paul D. Thompson, M.D., of Hartford Hospital and the University of Connecticut, Hartford, and Benjamin D. Levine, M.D., of Presbyterian Hospital and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, wrote: “The study by Corrado et al provides the best evidence to date supporting the preparticipation screening of athletes and provocative evidence for including ECGs in this process. However, cardiologists and other physicians involved in the evaluation of athletes can take a valuable lesson from Corrado et al, and collaborate to develop a rigorous, comprehensive regional or national registry to study the preparticipation screening process prospectively and directly, and to determine how to implement such programs most effectively and how to manage asymptomatic athletes with cardiac abnormalities detected by the screening process.”
The bottom line: Screening young athletes for heart problems provides the best way to identify those for whom competitive sports could prove deadly. A systematic method of insuring that all young athletes receive such screening could save many young lives.
The death of Antonio Puerta
In August, Antonio Puerta, Sevilla's 22 year old midfielder collapses in a match against Getafe. He lies unconscious for three days in hospital with multiple organ failure and irreversible brain damage. Puerta's death shocks the world and highlights an invisible killer, a type of cardiomyopathy that afflicts athletes in their prime and previously taken the lives of Mark Vivien Foe and Miklos Feher. Tragically, his girlfriend was expecting their first child. His jersey number is provisionally retired only to be used by his son born October 22, in the event he plays for Sevilla.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The New Soccer Ref Uniform
I just received the booklet with the new soccer ref uniforms in them... I must say I am not to impressed with the color green however it may help.
The prices have gone up and for the new refs who just purchased all of the uniforms already and now have to spend the money to get the new ones, it will be costly at 85.00 a pop..........
I will be loading pics of the ref uniforms soon once they are delivered.
The prices have gone up and for the new refs who just purchased all of the uniforms already and now have to spend the money to get the new ones, it will be costly at 85.00 a pop..........
I will be loading pics of the ref uniforms soon once they are delivered.
Are more Letters Coming??? We will see
Ok,
I am still waiting to hear from a few others and waiting to see if they are going to send the SJHS a letter for making history.
1) stockton cougars
2) Sacramento knights
I am still waiting to hear from a few others and waiting to see if they are going to send the SJHS a letter for making history.
1) stockton cougars
2) Sacramento knights
Email arrived from Ryan Yamamoto from 10news
Ok,
It took a letter to the Director of Sports at Channel 10 news to get a email back from Ryan and still the team will not be mentioned.. He did however say he may have missed the boat with this one..
Regardless fair is fair...............
I did say I would keep the blog updated on things.
It took a letter to the Director of Sports at Channel 10 news to get a email back from Ryan and still the team will not be mentioned.. He did however say he may have missed the boat with this one..
Regardless fair is fair...............
I did say I would keep the blog updated on things.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Copin with Loss and Disappointment
Loss touches all of us and death is not the only cause of our losses. Losses and disappointments happen throughout the life span and affect personal and family lives. We lose our health, good friends who move away, jobs and spouses through divorce. We suffer the disappointment of missed promotions, the loss of financial security, loss of our children and grandchildren through family disputes and the list could go on. We may face loss and disappointment regularly and never really stop to consider what is happening to us. Have you ever suffered from a loss or disappointment? Maybe you have and don't even realize it you just thought that was how life was supposed to be.
Learning to recognize your losses and learning to deal with them can help you throughout your life as you face additional losses. You can find meaning in your losses and in spite of the pain, learn from your experiences.
Recognizing Losses
Many research studies have been conducted on the grieving process and handling death, but few studies have focused on managing the change brought about by disappointments and losses. Whenever we experience a change that requires giving up familiar patterns, we suffer a loss or disappointment. In a research study conducted by Family and Consumer Science Extension Agents, over 500 people were asked to tell about their losses and disappointments, rate the severity of them, what feelings they had, and what helped them to cope with or get over them.
Most of us recognize the obvious losses such as death, divorce, or loss of a favorite possession. But it's important to realize that the less obvious losses and disappointments can also be very significant.
Losses
Health: physical and mental illnesses, injuries, chronic diseases
Relationships other than divorce: siblings and family estrangement, unhappy marriages, problems with children, grandchildren, co-workers, friends
Work/financial: jobs (loss of a job, downsizing, changing jobs), businesses, homes (moving, fires, etc.)
Divorce
Death
Pregnancy issues (unfaithfulness, unexpected children, miscarriage, abortion, infertility)
Losses from violence (rape, sexual assault)
Loss of a dream or vision
Loss of independence and self-esteem
The most shocking experiences of loss are those that alter the structure and functioning of our personal and family life. These kinds of losses and disappointments can have lasting impacts.
Much of the grieving we do comes from those losses that are easy to identify. The source of grief is obvious when someone dies, we experience a divorce, or we move away from our family and friends. The not-so-obvious losses and disappointments are more difficult to identify. An exciting event such as the birth of a baby may bring the loss of independence. Or a job promotion may bring the loss of valued clientele.
Grieving Is an Individual Experience
Grieving is an individual experience. A major loss for one person, may be only a minor disappointment to another. The intensity of the loss or disappointment is often dependent on the significance of what was lost. The time span for recovery is also very individualized. For some, recovery may take only a few months, but for others experiencing the same or similar loss, it could take years.
Every person works out his or her own method of surviving or coping during times of loss. Some people turn to friends while others like to be alone. Some seek out support groups and counselors while others stay at home and cry. Physical activity, reading, working, talking, writing, and praying are all coping mechanisms that people use to cope with losses and disappointments.
Healing from a loss or disappointment is a process. All of us know that it takes time to get over something that overwhelms us. Time, together with a change in attitude are the most helpful things to help you recover. Primary support, such as family, friends, and church, along with time are also helpful. It is important to move on, talk with others, and let others help if you are to recover from your loss or disappointment. Give yourself time to grieve and to heal.
Nancy Recker, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, Allen County
References
Berry, M. A., Clark. L., Foote, R. A., Nieto, R., Oliver, K., Recker, N., & Thompson, J. (1998). It will never happen to me, but it did. (Unpublished study). Ohio State University Extension, Columbus.
Reprinted with permission from Ohio State University Extension Service
Learning to recognize your losses and learning to deal with them can help you throughout your life as you face additional losses. You can find meaning in your losses and in spite of the pain, learn from your experiences.
Recognizing Losses
Many research studies have been conducted on the grieving process and handling death, but few studies have focused on managing the change brought about by disappointments and losses. Whenever we experience a change that requires giving up familiar patterns, we suffer a loss or disappointment. In a research study conducted by Family and Consumer Science Extension Agents, over 500 people were asked to tell about their losses and disappointments, rate the severity of them, what feelings they had, and what helped them to cope with or get over them.
Most of us recognize the obvious losses such as death, divorce, or loss of a favorite possession. But it's important to realize that the less obvious losses and disappointments can also be very significant.
Losses
Health: physical and mental illnesses, injuries, chronic diseases
Relationships other than divorce: siblings and family estrangement, unhappy marriages, problems with children, grandchildren, co-workers, friends
Work/financial: jobs (loss of a job, downsizing, changing jobs), businesses, homes (moving, fires, etc.)
Divorce
Death
Pregnancy issues (unfaithfulness, unexpected children, miscarriage, abortion, infertility)
Losses from violence (rape, sexual assault)
Loss of a dream or vision
Loss of independence and self-esteem
The most shocking experiences of loss are those that alter the structure and functioning of our personal and family life. These kinds of losses and disappointments can have lasting impacts.
Much of the grieving we do comes from those losses that are easy to identify. The source of grief is obvious when someone dies, we experience a divorce, or we move away from our family and friends. The not-so-obvious losses and disappointments are more difficult to identify. An exciting event such as the birth of a baby may bring the loss of independence. Or a job promotion may bring the loss of valued clientele.
Grieving Is an Individual Experience
Grieving is an individual experience. A major loss for one person, may be only a minor disappointment to another. The intensity of the loss or disappointment is often dependent on the significance of what was lost. The time span for recovery is also very individualized. For some, recovery may take only a few months, but for others experiencing the same or similar loss, it could take years.
Every person works out his or her own method of surviving or coping during times of loss. Some people turn to friends while others like to be alone. Some seek out support groups and counselors while others stay at home and cry. Physical activity, reading, working, talking, writing, and praying are all coping mechanisms that people use to cope with losses and disappointments.
Healing from a loss or disappointment is a process. All of us know that it takes time to get over something that overwhelms us. Time, together with a change in attitude are the most helpful things to help you recover. Primary support, such as family, friends, and church, along with time are also helpful. It is important to move on, talk with others, and let others help if you are to recover from your loss or disappointment. Give yourself time to grieve and to heal.
Nancy Recker, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, Allen County
References
Berry, M. A., Clark. L., Foote, R. A., Nieto, R., Oliver, K., Recker, N., & Thompson, J. (1998). It will never happen to me, but it did. (Unpublished study). Ohio State University Extension, Columbus.
Reprinted with permission from Ohio State University Extension Service
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