Rowen’s Law

A new provincial concussion law could be the key to prevent your kid from experiencing the long-term consequences of repeated concussions.

Under their new concussion law, the province does not want athletes to tough it out.

‘Rowan’s Law’ is named after Rowan Stringer a teen rugby player who died in 2013 after repeated hits to her head. Friends say she ignored the symptoms and never told her parents. Five years later, athletes still stay quiet.

While Rowan’s story is rare, repeated concussions can threaten the rest of a young athlete’s life.

Rowan’s law makes it illegal to run a sports group without a proper concussion protocol and certified coaches.

However, these rules are not new for schools. In 2014, the ministry of education required all schools to implement concussion protocols. since then, talking about concussions isn’t so taboo anymore.

When a player is cleared by a doctor, their path back to the field is still a ways away.

Speaking of action, when players return to contact, they’re reminded to practice form tackling instead of leading with their heads.

A normal that soon all young athletes will experience in Ontario.

Coaches told me that everything about contact sports has changed even in the past decade. Hitting during practice has basically been phased out. Besides pre-season evaluations, full-on tackling does not happen often.