From: monan@engin.umich.edu (Michael Patrick Monan)
Subject: Heading: Dain Bramage?? (check this out...)
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 23:31:54 EDT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Distribution: rec.sport.soccer


	Ok, I saw this article in the Detroit Free Press... Whadaya think?

(under the heading "Good For You")

			Heading for Disaster?

	I like youth soccer.
	It's more aerobic than baseball, safer than football, cheaper than
hockey and, best of all, everybody plays - boys, girls, big kids, little kids.
	Soccer is our fastest-growing youth sport. I've coached my son's 
teams for two years and will be an assistant coach this fall.
	But somehting is nagging me, has me questioning my role.  My son loves 
the game so much it was hard.  But finally I broke down and said: "Look, 
there's a part of soccer I want you to avoid."
	Then I told him.  Now I'll tell you.
	Soccer has a dirty little secret. It's about heading, or bouncing the 
ball off the head.
	This dirty little secret doesn't show up in coaching manuals because
it's too new.  But in medical studies, it's there: Those who head the ball 
enough times, hard enough, may suffer minor brain injury.
	I can hear coaches saying, "Rubbish!" and parents saying, "Forget it.
My kid's getting a scholarship."
	I wish I could forget it, but I can't deny the evidence.  The most 
recent is a study of former national team players in Norway, years after they
quit the game.  Eight out of 10 had abnormalities in attention, concentration
and memory.
	Meanwhile, heading is taught throughout youth soccer, from team 
practices to the cover story in this month's Sports Illustrated for Kids.
	I have a radical suggestion: Until more studies are done, let's
eliminate heading in youth soccer.
	Last week I tried it on Burt Haimes, president of the American Youth
Federation.  He said, "If this is a serious risk, we certainly need to look
at it.  Fax that report to me.  I'll make sure we discuss it here."
	I did.  Now it's time for parents and players to speak up.
	We can't afford this secret any longer.

							Bill Laitner

	Now ...I dont know about you all, but even though heading may be
so-called 'dangerous' it would take alot out of soccer in my eyes.  Stupid ??
maybe... what do you think of heading now that this information has come out..
.  :);)  
	Hopefully this will be interesting...
	CYA!!!



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