At a recent school board meeting, Kevin Trentkowski, director of physical education, health and athletics for the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District, spoke about the sport of football and the safety concerns of running a program with too few players. According to Trentkowski, player numbers have dwindled over the past few years in both the high school and middle school.
“Over the last four seasons, we’ve lost six to eight players from the middle school to the high school level,” said Trentkowski. “That is a rate of about one to two players per team on teams that are in small schools and small programs.”
As of 2014, there were 70 total players on football teams throughout the district, which includes the varsity, junior varsity and middle school level. This is a drop-off of nine players from 2011, when there was a total of 79 players.
Trentkowski said that the sport of football has been on the forefront lately in many school districts because of the recent death of a player in the Shoreham-Wading River School District. Tom Cutinella, a 16-year-old student at SWR, died after suffering a serious head injury after colliding with a player on another team.
In data that he had collected, Trentkowski said that there were a total of four “football related” head injuries in the 2013-14 school year and as of 2014-15 school year there were six football related head injuries where students were removed from the field of play.
“With all of the injuries and concussions going on from the NFL down to the high school and middle school level, this has become an important issue. We have to ask ourselves if we’re doing something hurtful to our kids.”
In a few recent rule changes to make the sport of football safer, “targeting” above the shoulders is now illegal and “defenseless player” rules are now in place at all levels of the game.
At the end of the presentation, Trentkowski concluded—with the support of the board, parents and students—that the football program would continue for another year in the district.
“Through my findings and compiling data, I’ve found it interesting what’s going on and learned a lot about the history of the football program,” said Trentkowski.
The board instructed Trentkowski to explore the possibility of combining the OBEN football program with another small school or having the team play in a lesser developmental division.
Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Dr. Laura Seinfeld and the board, the Board of Education will sign a contract with Neurocognitive Diagnostic & Treatment Clinic, LLC to provide 600 base line tests and up to 300 post-injury tests and professional neuropsychological consulation for all concussions for the 2014-15 school year, at a fee of $1,750.
