J.B. Wogan | Sammamish News

In the third quarter of a middle school football game, Zackery Lystedt made a tackle that changed his life. It was October of 2006. Lystedt was 13. Minutes after the tackle, he collapsed on the field."It's obvious now, looking at the footage, that he suffered a concussion," Rep. Jay Rodne (R-5) said.

A concussion is a sudden impact to the head causing a brain injury, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Lystedt never should have played after the concussion, and never should have suffered brain damage, as he did, Rodne said.

In January, Rodne introduced a bill that would require that youth sports programs educate parents and players about concussions before a season begins. It would prevent further tragedies like Lystedt's, he said.

The bill requires training for coaches and it mandates that if a coach or athletic trainer suspects someone has just had a concussion, they must remove the player from the game, returning only with approval from a certified health care provider.

"My daughter plays U-11 soccer and I see it all the time out there: They slip and fall, heads intersect with elbows or knees," Rodne said. "I've got a real personal stake in this as well."

Rep. Glenn Anderson (R-5) and Sen. Eric Oemig (D-45) have co-sponsored companion bills in the House and Senate in support of Rodne's bill.

"I think the key thing is that there's just been one too many sports accidents. It's been questionable as to how they've been handled. I thought the bill was a step in the right direction," Anderson said.

Anderson described the bill as "preventative" in nature - it would protect youth athletes by prohibiting them from returning to the field too early.

Lystedt was a Maple Valley student, but the danger of concussions is something schools across the state are tackling, according to Brent Kawaguchi, Eastlake High School athletic director.

"I think it's good. I think it's a start," Kawaguchi said, adding that athletic directors discussed concussions at their KingCo Athletic Directors meeting in February.

The Lake Washington School District created an athletic trainer position for Eastlake and three other district schools last year, a major help in concussion awareness and prevention, Kawaguchi said.

The district also pays for football helmets to be tested for cracks each season; if a helmet isn't safe, it's thrown out and replaced, Kawaguchi said.

The trouble is, students aren't as careful as they need to be, according to Cheryl Reed, head athletic trainer and sports medicine instructor at Skyline High School. Reed said trainers and coaches must be vigilant because some students won't admit they've suffered a concussion.

"They want to keep playing, so they don't tell anyone that they've got a headache. They just don't have the maturity to say, 'Hey, is this really worth brain damage?'"

Reed said concussions are bruising of the brain. While being knocked unconscious is one type of a concussion, concussions can be caused by minor whiplash, too, she said.

In her experience, football, soccer, lacrosse and basketball were the most concussion-prone sports, though they can happen anywhere, she said.

While concussions are never good, they can have a more severe impact on a young, developing athlete's mind, causing long-term brain damage, Reed said.

This year, Skyline Athletic Director Kevin Rohrich handed out pamphlets to parents, a step in the right direction, according to Reed.

In the future, she hopes to give presentations on concussions at school parent nights.

Rodne said the law wouldn't cost anything, as educational materials on concussions are available for free at the Center for Disease Control's Web site.

But the bill does call for the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association to draft guidelines and pertinent educational material for school districts across the state to use.

The cost of that work, which would be staff time and paperwork, would be minimal, according to Mike Colbrese, executive director of the WIAA office.

If the bill passes, the next annual coaches' update will include new information on concussions, Colbrese said.

If Governor Christine Gregoire signs legislation on concussion awareness, the requirements would take effect by fall 2009, Rodne said.