FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[polbear73]

Can any of the Polar Bear faithful provide an update on the renovations at Whittier? Was thinking there might be photos around- love to see the finished product. Should be a real emotional boost for the Black and White this week.

I'm away from a computer but if you have access to Twitter, go to @bowdoinfb for a shot of the new grandstand in progress.  Looks great

[westcoastDad]

I think I witnessed more concussions handed out via the merry go round and the monkey bars. Seriously!

CTE may have origin in contact sports.  Many of us have played multiple contact sports and seem to be fine.
I think its a witch hunt. 

Does a 9 year old need 35 carries in a game to make Daddy happy?  Hell no.  Does a freshman playing JV need to take 9 sacks?  Hell no. 
Much of the damage to many of the kids can be avoided with just common sense.

We monitor pitch counts in baseball.  Maybe football players should have monitored hit counts up to a certain age or grade.

Just give me some numbers on the merry go round first.

AMH63, I was in my hotel room was the game.  I avtually stayed thru Tues.  A professor who taught my late sister 24 years ago (at Princeton) is faculty at Amherst.  I wanted to meet her and hear some stories I knew would be priceless. 

[NESCAC.Football.Observer]

In fact, their rink is the Travis Roy rink, named after the graduate who became a paraplegic after being checked hard into the boards during his first shift in college.

PolarCat... No offense... but your revisionist history - to back up your argument - is not correct.  Travis Roy's injury was a tragedy, but he did it to himself.

"Travis lost his balance while trying to put a little something extrainto a check. He hit the end boards with the top of his helmet and fell to the ice like a rag doll, utterly inert."

https://www.si.com/vault/1995/11/20/208360/eleven-seconds-boston-university-freshman-travis-roy-had-just-fulfilled-his-dream-of-playing-division-i-hockey-when-a-terrible-accident-on-the-ice-changed-his-life-forever

[PolarCat]

Oh for God's sake.  The point was other sports cause injuries, not who checked the kid into the boards. 

I would gladly admit to "revisionist history" if I made the whole thing up, and Travis wasn't in a wheelchair.  He is an absolutely delightful young man, whose life was shattered by a sport other than football.  Whether he was checked, or slipped trying to check someone else is splitting hairs.

[NESCAC.Football.Observer]

Oh for God's sake.  The point was other sports cause injuries, not who checked the kid into the boards. 

I would gladly admit to "revisionist history" if I made the whole thing up, and Travis wasn't in a wheelchair.  He is an absolutely delightful young man, whose life was shattered by a sport other than football.  Whether he was checked, or slipped trying to check someone else is splitting hairs.

Travis Roy's situation was/is a tragic accident. 

Maybe next time, then, you get your facts correct if you are going to use someone else's tragic accident to bolster your own argument.

THAT is my point.  It's about accuracy, and not drama (which is why you used Travis' tragedy....)

But Travis Roy's situation has NOTHING to do with the previous argument about brain damage et al from 300 lb guys hitting each other. 

[AlDavisStill]

Hey FourMoreYears thanks for the call out. Sorry with best regards to leave everyone here friend and foe hanging going into the 2014 season. I am in information overload catching up on all things important. I really enjoyed the banter here. Let me tell you for real that banter can get you hurt and killed in prison. As with education in Florida , the Florida prison system is very draconian. I did get away with calling others Buzzards and Farm Animals. I am going to write a book in a Leo Toldtoy fashion for sure now with my diverse attributes and experiences. My brief experience with NESCAC schools and football where some of the best. I am very jealous and saddened to have missed out on the full experience.

[PolarCat]

THAT is my point.  It's about accuracy, and not drama (which is why you used Travis' tragedy....)

But Travis Roy's situation has NOTHING to do with the previous argument about brain damage et al from 300 lb guys hitting each other.

Color me dense, but I am not following your argument.  My comment about 300 lb guys hitting each other was made in response to the theory that 50 pound kids in Pop Warner hitting each other is somehow the root cause of the CTE problem.  And my comment about Travis Roy (along with my comments about Taylor Twellman, lacrosse concussions, ski racing concussions, dinghy racing concussions, etc.) was to illustrate that concussions / serious injuries don't just happen in football.

Which statement(s) of mine are you taking exception to?  Are you saying that 50 lb. Pop Warner contact is, in your mind, as dangerous as 300 lb. D1 or NFL contact?  Or setting aside the debilitating injury to Travis Roy (which happened during a hockey game, regardless of whether or not it was self-inflicted), are you taking issue with my statement that debilitating injuries happen in other sports?

[ColbyFootball]

This youth football article is a perfect example of why so many people do not trust media reporting. The headline screams out "Study links youth football to greater risk of later health problems". The study reached no such conclusion.

The article did correctly point out the "The study stopped short of recommending policy or rule changes for youth football, stating that additional research is necessary."

And stated, "But, Robert Stern...one of the study's seniors authors said, 'I'm at a point where I feel comfortable saying that, based on logic and common sense and the growing totality of the research, I don't think kids should be playing tackle football'."Now I've heard everything. He's not relying on science, but on logic and common sense.

Well I rely on over 20 years of experience coaching but mostly heading up youth football. And as the organization leader I was directly involved in player safety, with safety at the top of my list. I dealt with over 2,000 kids through the years, many of them now out if college and professional schools, and have not heard of one instance of any cognitive dysfunction remotely related to football.

People are entitled to be caution, and ask for further research. But, they are not entitle to a witch hunt. And Polarcat is right, that's what this is.

[PolarCat]

Looks like Whittier Field isn't quite ready for Saturday's game: "The initial phase of a two-part renovation project for historic Whittier Field and Magee/Samuelson Track is nearly complete, with more work to follow Saturday's home opener against Middlebury."  http://athletics.bowdoin.edu/general/2017-18/releases/20170919mprosm

Are the current Bowdoin seniors the last class recruited by Dave Caputi?  Fitting, in a way, that he will be there (on the "old" home sidelines) for the game that opens the new field.

[quicksilver]

. . .
Are the current Bowdoin seniors the last class recruited by Dave Caputi?  Fitting, in a way, that he will be there (on the "old" home sidelines) for the game that opens the new field.

JB Wells recruited the current Bowdoin freshmen and sophomores. IIRC, he was hired in the spring of 2015 but too late to play a role in recruiting for the class of 2019.

[hamgrand]

Sitting in airport and just caught up on posts related to concussions.  I side with PolarCat on this.  It is a serious subject and requires comprehensive scientific study to include all sports related head injuries and not just football.  Actually heard on Mike and Mike the other day that women's soccer was actually worst than football for concussions.  (And if Golic says it you know it has to be true!) But serious subject and Hopefully more comprehensive studies are in the works.

On a lighter note, my first year of pop Warner B team (1975, age 11, weight limit 95lbs) half the team had the old 1960's style helmets with ears (we called them mickers) and the rest had the Newer style.  All had the hard plastic Staubach type face mask as there were no cages, etc. 

The next year we got new Riddells with new style rubber coated steel face masks many different varieties.  Thinking back to the day, makes me wonder why no one is wearing the face mask with center bar anymore.  Then I did some research and found that there was a little known class action suit over the center bar of football face masks causing permanent eye damage from eye crossing.  Seems that it came right on the back of the big Opti-Grab lawsuit involving Steve Martin's popular Opti-Grab invention providing stabilization and easy on and off to those who wear eye glasses.

I guess everytime there is progress made to improve life, there are also often more and different kinds of risks.

Here's a link to some old style helmets - enjoy!

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F03%2F9c%2F0e%2F039c0e0edf84c6b022e733147f8cb587--football-s-school-football.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F56013589085205578%2F&docid=1RwAtx1saeCgJM&tbnid=vHBW92P73mFWHM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwivuMTmi7XWAhVhrVQKHZIZDZQQMwhqKB4wHg..i&w=236&h=236&bih=653&biw=1024&q=1960%20football%20helmets%20old%20style&ved=0ahUKEwivuMTmi7XWAhVhrVQKHZIZDZQQMwhqKB4wHg&iact=mrc&uact=8

[Nescacman]

Nescacman

Don't think it has anything to do with being a tough guy or hurt feelings. I know you have strong feelings and opinions on the issue but this is nothing more than a case of someone with a differing opinion and he's documented his position very well.

I wouldn't take sarcastic comments about cheetos and video games out of context.

I think Polarcat makes very strong points relative to that "study" and the nature of the problem in general.
The whole tobacco thing is a miss.

I'm sure will see a lot more on this issue but if anyone is running for the exit based on this study I think that's a mistake.

Lumber, please get your poster correct correct before calling them out. Wasn't us this time....save it for later when we comment.

[lumbercat]

Sorry Nescacman - my error. Obviously was responding to NESCAC 1.

Ironic that former Polar Bear HC Caputi will be on same side of venerable Whittier Field that was home for him for several years.
He's gotta walk into the new facility and wonder why the renovations took so long.

The ultimate irony would be rain on Saturday leaving the Panther followers high and dry under the covered grandstand while the relocated Polar Bears fans deal with the rain....... No worries, the forecast is warm and sunny for Saturday.

Best of luck to Bowdoin with the christening of their renovated facility. I've seen it during construction and it will be absolutely beautiful!

[polbear73]

Can't help thinking about Dave Caputi's return to Whittier Field on Saturday.  While I think he's been back previously to watch his daughter Lydia play an important role on the Polar Bear women's basketball team, he must be having pretty intense mixed emotions relating to a football Saturday.  Dave's won-loss record does not reflect his contributions to Bowdoin over his 14 year tenure during which he earned the respect of many Bowdoin people, including football alumni.  I join a lot of those alumni who wish Dave and his family well on Saturday and beyond. 

[amh63]

Awaiting all the previews/ predictions for this week's games.  Will be heading up to NY early on Fri.
Some random thoughts.  Agree with WCD' s fear that the Hamilton game maybe a "trap" one for Amherst.....overlooking the Conts and looking ahead to the Midd game at Pratt.  Confident that HC Mills will get his team ready mentally.
The posts wrt the new facility at Bowdoin is similar to the posts on the Amherst facility.  The home stands at Pratt is now on the SUNNY side!  The visitor stands is in the shade.  I posted awhile back that I meet some older Williams fans sitting on the Amherst side in the last Williams game at Pratt.  One fan was the great Williams former HFC....that seemed to always beat Amherst while coaching on the sunny side at Pratt.