— The last thing Hilldale junior shortstop Jaycie Cox remembers was the back of her head hiitting the ground after trying to field a throw in an attempt to tag out the base runner trying to steal.

“I saw coach (Darren) Riddle above me and checking up on me,” she said. “I don’t remember a whole lot about it. I was out for a couple of seconds.”

Billie Cox, Jaycie’s mother, arrived a little late to the game and didn’t see the play. But she quickly discovered it was her daughter who was hurt. Jaycie was taken out of the game to check on her condition and did not return.   “Coach Riddle called me over to tell me what happened,” Billie Cox said. “I could tell he was very concerned about Jaycie. He did a very good job.”

As it turns out, Jaycie suffered a mild concussion. Her family doctor confirmed the concussion and after a thorough examination, cleared the younger Cox to resume playing later this week.

All of this illustrates the new state law that went into effect on July 1 that mandates the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Actifvities Association and school districts come up with guidelines to deal with concussions suffered while playing sports.

The law has four requirements including student-athletes and the parent or guardian must read and sign an acknolwedgement statement informing of the signs and symptoms of a concussion, an atthlete must be removed from the game if a concussion is believed to have occured and not allowed to return to participate until a written release is obtained from a “licenesed health care professional” trained in evaluating and managing concussions.

Dr. Kevin Bradley, a chiropractic physician in Eufaula, likes the new law.

“I am happy that the Oklahoma legislature has been proactive in writing and passing this new law,” he said. “Oklahoma is among a handful of states with such a law. The wording of the new law is not perfect, but it is a great starting point.”

The law, Bradley said, takes away the decision of a coach on whether or not to allow the athlete to return and places it on the “health care professional.”

While there is approval from parents and coaches about the new law, a concern comes from the smaller or rural school districts that don’t have such a professional available.

“We don’t have doctors and none of our parents are doctors,” Midway football coach Jeremy Jackson said. “That makes it really tough. Our athlete won’t get checked out until the next day or if the doctor or clinic we send them to isn’t open, we have to wait until the following Monday or Tuesday.

“We’re going to err on the side of the child and hold them out until they get checked out and cleared.”

Jackson and other coaches in his position aren’t the only ones that hope the new law gets revised.

“I am hopeful that the legislature and the OSSAA are both willing to collect data and remain open and approachable to improving the existing language,” Bradley said.

Jaycie Cox is thankful about the new law.

“It’s a good law,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what was wrong until I checked with the doctor.  My neck’s really stiff, but I’m feeling a lot better.”