Because of the significant health concerns posed by the risk of concussions and because of the Return to Play laws enacted by the State of Ohio, the OSYSA board of directors has passed the following rule (OSYSA rule 19.0) that is applicable to all players, their parents/guardians, coaches, referees and league officials who participate in or organize any OSYSA sanctioned or sponsored activity, including tournaments, or in any sanctioned or organized activity of any of the member leagues or associations of OSYSA.

Please click here to review the new concussion rule 19.0. If you have any questions you may contact the Ohio South office at [email protected] or 513-576-9555.

Below are the current steps if one of your players exhibited signs of a concussion.

1)      They are to be removed from all activities for the day.

2)      HOSA should be informed that the child has exhibited signs of a concussion.

3)      Parents should obtain a doctor’s clearance to being the return to play steps.   The coach should see the doctor’s original signature on the document. It is the responsibility of the parent to get a copy of the clearance form to HOSA.  Once the doctor’s clearance has been received, the five-step process to return to games can begin.   Each step should be separated by one day.  Steps  1 through 3 may be done at home.  If a child experiences any symptoms they should drop back to the previous step.  Parents need to confirm they have completed the steps.

4)     Step 1: Light Aerobic Exercise
The Goal: only to increase an athlete’s heart rate.
The Time: 5 to 10 minutes.
The Activities: exercise bike, walking, or light jogging.
Absolutely no weight lifting, jumping or hard running.

5)     Step 2: Moderate Exercise
The Goal: limited body and head movement.
The Time: Reduced from typical routine
The Activities: moderate jogging, brief running, moderate-intensity stationary biking, and moderate-intensity weightlifting

6)     Step 3: Non-contact Exercise
The Goal: more intense but non-contact
The Time: Close to Typical Routine
The Activities: running, high-intensity stationary biking, the player’s regular weightlifting routine, and non-contact sport-specific drills. This stage may add some cognitive component to practice in addition to the aerobic and movement components introduced in Steps 1 and 2.

7)     Step 4: Practice – Coaches should confirm that HOSA has received the doctor’s clearance prior to beginning this step.
The Goal: Reintegrate in full contact practice.

8)      Step 5: Play
The Goal: Return to competition