Ask the athlete the following questions:

• What rink is this?
• What city is this?
• Who is the opposing team?
• What month is it?
• What day is it?

Ask the athlete the following questions:

• What happened in the prior quarter/period?
• What do you remember just prior to the hit?
• What was the score of the game prior to the hit?
• Do you remember the hit?

Ask the athlete to do the following:

• Repeat the days of the week backwards (starting with today).
• Repeat these numbers backwards: 63 (36 is correct), 419 (914 is correct).

Goals

• Encourage athletes ages 10 to 17 to take a baseline cognitive test at the start of each season.
• Provide information to help athletes, parents and coaches identify when the risk of a concussion exists.
• Remove injured athletes from activity when the risk of a concussion is identified, and direct them to seek appropriate medical evaluation and care before returning to play.

• Carolina Sports Concussion Program - The staff at the Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates is dedicated to the assessment and management of sports-related concussions.  The goal of their program is to accurately diagnose concussions in athletes 10 years of age and older and determine when and if they can safely return to sports.  Please visit their website to learn more, or contact the practice at:  Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, 800-344-6716, 225 Baldwin Avenue, Charlotte, NC. 28204.  The program pays no advertising or endorsement fees to the Pineville Ice House.
  
• USA Hockey - Visit the USA Hockey concussion management webpage for more information and links.
• Center For Disease Control & Prevention - Visit the CDC "Heads Up to Youth Sports" page for information and helpful downloads.
  

• The Pineville Ice House recommends the Baseline Concussion Test provided by the Carolina Sports Concussion Program for its athletes ages 10 to 17 that participate in travel hockey, house league hockey or competitive figure skating.  A Baseline Concussion Test (or "ImPACT" test) is a cognitive test taken by a healthy athlete at the start of a season.
  
• The online test costs $5.00 and takes about 30 minutes to complete.  Allow an additional 15 to 20 minutes before taking the test to register the athlete and complete a brief survey of his or her sports and medical history.
  
• The test results are stored by the Carolina Sports Concussion Program.  If an athlete subsequently sustains or is suspicious of a concussion, then he or she retakes the test at the clinic, and the results are compared to the baseline test.  The comparison enables the clinic staff to identify the existence and extent of a concussion, manage the concussion recovery and guide the athlete's return to play.