Donate
MIAA_Logo_VRSpot288_091714.jpg

8.31.17 - ThinkTaylor Partners with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association on Concussion Awareness Week 2017 for its Third Consecutive Year

Schools All Throughout Massachusetts are Encouraged to Take the #TTpledge and Show Orange Displays of Support for the Week-long Concussion Education and awareness Program from September 11 – 15, 2017

Boston, MA (August 31, 2017) – ThinkTaylor and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) are proud to announce their partnership for the third annual Concussion Awareness Week from Monday, September 11 – Friday, September 15, 2017 with support from the Massachusetts Concussion Management Coalition (MCMC).

Throughout the week, over 90,000 student athletes from various sports teams throughout Massachusetts high schools will feature ThinkTaylor large orange banners prominently displayed on their fields and in gymnasiums, reminding themselves and others about the dangers of not reporting a concussion, and pledging to take the #TTpledge in 2017. The ThinkTaylor team will make appearances at select schools who showed tremendous support of the program in 2016, and will also host Concussion Awareness Night at the New England Revolution vs. the Orlando City Lions game at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, September 2, 2017.

“We launched Concussion Awareness Week three years ago with the MIAA to educate athletes, parents, coaches and athletic directors about concussion education and awareness, and encourage them to speak out when a concussion related situation occurs,” said ThinkTaylor Founder, Taylor Twellman. “As important as it is to let people know if one is experiencing concussion symptoms, it’s just as important to be supportive, observe established concussion protocols, and hold each other accountable if an athlete discloses he or she thinks they have a concussion.”

“The ThinkTaylor/MIAA Concussion Awareness Week is an outstanding vehicle to bring focused attention to this very important topic, while also educating about the short-term and long-term effects when concussions go untreated,” said MIAA Associate Executive Director Richard Pearson. “Year after year, we see more schools taking the #TTpledge, and it’s only a matter of time before we reach our goal of every school in the state placing an emphasis on their student athletes being educated, honest and supportive of one another regarding concussion safety.”

ThinkTaylor will kick off Concussion Awareness Week 2017 at Marshfield High School on Monday, September 11 as a result of the entire school fully embracing the ThinkTaylor mission last year. Student athletes are required to attend and wear orange to show support. Taylor Twellman, along with post-concussion survivor Sarah Lepsevich will address the crowd and take the #TTpledge as a group.

ThinkTaylor is asking everyone to take the #TTpledge and support the week by wearing their signature color orange, sharing photos and video on their social media platforms, and including @ThinkTaylorORG and #TTpledge in their posts; pledging to be honest and supportive with his or her coaches, teachers, parents and teammates about getting a concussion. For those interested in taking the #TTpledge:

·       I pledge to be EDUCATED on the signs and symptoms of concussion

·       I pledge to be HONEST with my coaches, parents, teachers and teammates

·       I pledge to be SUPPORTIVE of anyone with a concussion

Proud sponsors of Concussion Awareness Week 2017 include Boston 25, m2 Marketing, DCU, New England Revolution, Massachusetts Concussion Management Coalition, DPA Communications, Gatorade and Gauntlet Films.

About ThinkTaylor:
ThinkTaylor was founded by former Major League Soccer all-star and current ESPN Lead Soccer Analyst, Taylor Twellman. Twellman retired from professional soccer in 2010, due to complications from multiple concussions. In 2008, Taylor suffered a concussion that many believe ended his storied career and as Twellman later realized, this brain injury was far more than a career-ending injury; rather, it was a life-changing event. ThinkTaylor is driven and dedicated to changing the culture in the world of concussions. As a leader in the social change for concussion safety, ThinkTaylor’s positive message emphasizing awareness, recognition, education and putting the health of kids first helps create positive social change and in return a safer, healthier and smarter environment. ThinkTaylor is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. More information can be found at thinktaylor.org.

About MIAA:
The mission of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association is to serve member schools and the maximum number of their students by providing leadership and support for the conduct of interscholastic athletes, which enriches the educational experiences of all participants. The MIAA promotes interschool athletics that provide lifelong and life quality learning experiences to students while enhancing their achievement of educational goals. www.miaa.net.

###

DA_primary_2color.png

8.3o.17 - RECOGNIZE TO RECOVER, PRESENTED BY THORNE, AND THINKTAYLOR PARTNER FOR CONCUSSION AWARENESS WEEK DURING DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY OPENING WEEKENDS (PRESS RELEASE)

More Than 20,000 Athletes in Girls’ and Boys’ Development Academy Will Take Pledge from Sept. 2-10

 CHICAGO (Aug. 30, 2017) – Recognize to Recover, presented by Thorne, and ThinkTaylor are partnering during the opening weekends of the U.S. Soccer Girls’ and Boys’ Development Academy to educate more than 20,000 players about handling concussions in the sport.

As part of U.S. Soccer’s continued effort to promote safe play and reduce injuries in soccer players of all ages, the Concussion Awareness Week will take place from Sept. 2-10 and all member clubs will take part in the campaign.

Players will be encouraged to take the #TTPledge, which is an oath from athletes to be educated on concussion symptoms, to be honest in their self-evaluation and to be supportive of anyone with a concussion.

After watching the #TTPledge video, players and coaches will take the #TTPledge via an online form. Each club will share that their teams have taken the pledge on social media using the hashtag and special ThinkTaylor filters. Clubs will also receive Recognize to Recover/ThinkTaylor wristbands and bag tags with the #TTPledge that will be a season-long reminder about concussion awareness. 

“We’re looking forward to this partnership between Recognize to Recover and ThinkTaylor as we continue to connect with youth players across the United States about their health and safety,” said U.S. Soccer Chief Medical Officer George Chiampas. “An important part of managing concussions is making sure that players are educated on how to identify when a possible head injury occurs, and are empowered to inform their parents and coaches. We want to change the culture within the game around reporting concussions and that needs to start at an early age.”

Recognize to Recover, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive program dedicated to safe play and reducing injuries, was launched by U.S Soccer in 2015. The program was developed with the help of medical experts to provide coaches, players, parents, referees with information, guidance and educational materials to improve the prevention and management of injuries.

Concussion and head injury awareness and prevention are a core part of the program, and in 2016 U.S. Soccer released a new video designed to raise awareness of this important issue and will be used in coach and referee continued education.

WATCH: Recognize to Recover Concussion Awareness Video

ThinkTaylor was founded in 2011 by former Men’s National Team player Taylor Twellman after he was forced to retire from professional soccer due to post-concussion syndrome (PCS). ThinkTaylor is dedicated to changing the culture of traumatic brain injuries and aims to dispel the notion of concussions as something to “shake off” or play through, and establish protocol of handling brain injuries with the utmost seriousness.

“There were times in my career I wasn’t honest with my coaches, my parents, my teammates, and it only made things worse,” said Twellman. “When you recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion and you do something about it, you are already on the road to recovery. That’s why it’s so important to me that athletes are educated and honest about concussions. We only have one brain and it needs to last a lifetime.”

As the 2017-2018 Development Academy season is set to kick off, Concussion Awareness Week is part of the Academy and U.S. Soccer’s continued commitment to the long-term health and safety of its players.

The Girls’ Academy begins its inaugural season on Saturday, Sept. 2 and opening weekend is highlighted by the Girls’ Academy’s first-ever live stream feature game- a contest between Sky Blue – PDA (Somerset, N.J.) and Virginia FC (Chantilly, Va.) streamed live on the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Facebook Page from Somerset, N.J. at 11 a.m. ET.

A week later, the Boys’ Academy kicks off with a feature match on Saturday, Sept. 9 in Columbus, Ohio between Crew SC Academy (Columbus, Ohio) and Crew SC Academy Wolves (Wixom, Mich.). The match will also be streamed live on Facebook.

ThinkTaylor Partners with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association on Concussion Awareness Week 2016 for its Second Consecutive Year

Week-long Concussion Education and Awareness Program Spearheaded by ESPN Soccer Analyst and Former New England Revolution Forward Taylor Twellman and MIAA, Team Up with Concussion Legacy Foundation and MCMC from September 12 – 16, 2016

Boston, MA (August 23, 2016) – ThinkTaylor and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) are proud to announce their partnership for a second year in a row on Concussion Awareness Week from Monday, September 12 – Friday, September 16, 2016 with support from new partners, the Concussion Legacy Foundation and the Massachusetts Concussion Management Coalition (MCMC).

Throughout the week, over 86,000 student athletes from various sports teams throughout high schools in Massachusetts will feature ThinkTaylor wrist bands, concussion awareness (#TTpledge) bag tags for players and more to remind themselves and others about the dangers of not reporting a concussion. The ThinkTaylor team will make appearances at select schools as well, in addition to hosting Concussion Awareness Night during the New England Revolution vs. Colorado Rapids game at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, September 3, 2016.

“It is imperative we educate athletes, parents, coaches and athletic directors about concussion education and awareness, along with traumatic brain injuries that can happen as a result, at the youth level,” said ThinkTaylor Founder Taylor Twellman. “We launched Concussion Awareness Week last year with the MIAA for that very reason. Through our partnership with them, and help from the Concussion Legacy Foundation and MCMC this year, we’ve been able to expand on last year’s inaugural efforts and impact more and more students throughout the state of Massachusetts to hold each other accountable in observing the established concussion protocol.”

The weeklong concussion education and awareness program will kick off with a press conference on Thursday, August 25, 2016 at MIAA offices in Franklin, MA at 1 p.m. The Concussion Legacy Foundation will also host Team Up Day: an educational program designed to help better identify concussions by encouraging athletes to ‘Team Up: Speak Up’ to fight concussions. Coaches across the country have pledged that on Tuesday, September 13, 2016, they will give their team a speech emphasizing that teammates look out for one another, and should speak up if they see a teammate who may have suffered a concussion.

“The MIAA is once again pleased to partner with ThinkTaylor to help educate and inform all student-athletes about concussion,” said MIAA Associate Executive Director Richard Pearson. “The ThinkTaylor/MIAA Concussion Awareness Week is an outstanding vehicle to bring focused attention to this very important topic. The #TTPledge focusing on students being educated, honest and supportive is a profound and pointed objective for all.”

ThinkTaylor is also asking for everyone to take the #TTpledge online at thinktaylor.org, encouraging them to post photos and videos online showing their support and pledging to be educated on the signs and symptoms on concussions; pledging to be honest with his or her coaches, teachers, parents and teammates; and pledging to be supportive of anyone who gets a concussion.

Proud sponsors of Concussion Awareness Week 2016 include DCU, FOX25, New England Revolution, Robert C. Cantu Concussion Center at Emerson Hospital, Bag Tags, Gatorade and Gauntlet Films.

About ThinkTaylor:
ThinkTaylor was founded by former Major League Soccer all-star and current ESPN Lead Soccer Analyst, Taylor Twellman. Twellman retired from professional soccer in 2010, due to complications from multiple concussions. In 2008, Taylor suffered a concussion that many believe ended his storied career and as Twellman later realized, this brain injury was far more than a career-ending injury; rather, it was a life-changing event. ThinkTaylor is driven and dedicated to changing the culture in the world of concussions. As a leader in the social change for concussion safety, ThinkTaylor’s positive message emphasizing awareness, recognition, education and putting the health of kids first helps create positive social change and in return a safer, healthier and smarter environment. ThinkTaylor is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. More information can be found at thinktaylor.org.

About MIAA:
The mission of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association is to serve member schools and the maximum number of their students by providing leadership and support for the conduct of interscholastic athletes, which enriches the educational experiences of all participants. The MIAA promotes interschool athletics that provide lifelong and life quality learning experiences to students while enhancing their achievement of educational goals. www.miaa.net

About Concussion Legacy Foundation:
The Concussion Legacy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Boston. It was founded in 2007 by Robert Cantu, MD, and Christopher Nowinski to solve the concussion crisis by advancing the study, treatment and prevention of the effects of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups. The Concussion Legacy Foundation is a collaborator with Boston University’s CTE Program.  For more information, please visit ConcussionFoundation.org. For more information about Team Up Day, visit TeamUpDay.org.

About MCMC - Massachusetts Concussion Management Coalition:

The Massachusetts Concussion Management Coalition (MCMC) is a group of individual stakeholders who are dedicated to the health and safety of our students.  The broad range of groups like the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), Massachusetts School Nurse Organization (MSNO), Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts (ATOM), Department of Public Health (DPH), Brain Injury Center of Boston Children’s Hospital, and the NHL Alumni Foundation are represented and whose top priority it is to prevent and manage concussions. MCMC is a pioneer in concussion research and education outreach.  For more information on our program or how to get involved, please visit our website at: www.massconcussion.org.

###

Taylor Twellman became the first supporter to join the Revolution’s Season Membership Program on Friday. Twellman, in association with his ThinkTaylor Foundation...
As part of ThinkTaylor Concussion Awareness week, Chelmsford high school hosted the man himself, Taylor Twellman, as the Lions took on Haverhill in boys’ soccer.
Taylor Twellman, the former Revolution All-Star and ESPN’s lead soccer analyst, is teaming up with the MIAA and Inaria Apparel to produce the inaugural Massachusetts Concussion Awareness Week, centered on Twellman’s concussion awareness organization THINKTaylor.