2026 - 14U Pony Baseball Update

MEDICAL RELEASE - To Whom It May Concern, This is to certify that I hereby grant permission to the adult manager, coach, and business manager of the team to obtain medical care from any licensed physician, hospital or medical clinic, for the player named herein at such time as either parent or legal guardian cannot be contacted in person or by telephone. This authorization shall include all league activities, including the period required to travel to and from those activities; and I do waive, release, absolve, indemnify, and agree to hold harmless Redondo Sunset Youth Pony Baseball and USA Softball, the local Pony Baseball, Inc. & Southern California USA Organization; PONY Baseball, Inc.; Southern California USA: the Board of Directors, the organizers, supervisors, participants, and persons transporting the player to and from those activities, or for any claim arising out of injury to the player, or from any activity related to his or her participation in Redondo Sunset Youth Pony Baseball & Girls USA softball, regardless of the site at which the accident occurs.

What is a concussion and how would I recognize one?

A concussion is a kind of brain injury. It can be caused by a bump or hit to the head, or by a blow to another part of the body with the force that shakes the head. Concussions can appear in any sport, and can look differently in each sport.
Most concussions get better with rest and over 90% of athletes fully recover. However, all concussions should be considered serious. If not recognized and managed the right way, they may result in problems including brain damage and even death.

Most concussions occur without being knocked out. Signs and symptoms of concussions (see following page) may show up right after the injury or can take hours to appear. If your child reports any symptoms of concussion or if you notice some symptoms and signs, seek medical evaluation from a medical doctor trained in the evaluation and management of concussion. If your child is vomiting, has a severe headache, or is having difficulty staying awake or answering simple questions, call 911 to take him/her immediately to the emergency department of your local hospital.

On our website there is a Graded Concussion Symptom Checklist. If your child fills out this checklist after having had a concussion, it helps the doctor, trainer or coach understand how he/she is feeling and hopefully shows improvement. We ask that you have your child fill out the checklist at the start of the season even before a concussion has occurred to document if some symptoms such as headaches might be a part of his/her everyday life. This is called a “baseline” to understand what symptoms are normal and common for your child. Keep a copy for your records, and turn in the original to your league/team. If a concussion occurs, the child should fill out this checklist daily. This Graded Symptom Checklist provides a list of symptoms to compare over time to make sure the athlete is recovering from the concussion.

What can happen if my child keeps playing with concussion symptoms or returns too soon after getting a concussion?

Athletes with the signs and symptoms of concussion should be removed from play immediately. There is NO same day return to play for a youth with s suspected concussion. Youth athletes may take more time to recover from concussion and are more prone to long- term serious problems from a concussion.

Even though a traditional brain scan (e.g., MRI or CT) may be “normal”, the brain has still been injured. Animal and human research studies show that a second blow before the brain has recovered can result in serious damage to the brain. If your athlete suffers another concussion before completely recovering from the first one, this can lead to prolonged recovery (weeks to months), or even to severe brain swelling (Second Impact Syndrome) with devastating consequences.

There is an increasing concern that head impact exposure and recurrent concussions may contribute to long-term neurological problems. One goal of this concussion program is to prevent a too early return to play so that serious brain damage can be prevented.

What is Return to Play (RTP) determined?

Following a concussion, athletes may have difficulties with short and long-term memory, concentration and organization. They will require rest while recovering from injury (e.g., avoid reading, texting, video games, loud movies), and may even need to stay home for a few days. As the athlete returns to normal they may benefit from a reduced schedule, depending on how they feel. If recovery from the concussion is taking longer than expected, they may also benefit by a more reduced activity and may require further assessment by a medical doctor trained in the management of concussion. If the athlete is in school at time of the concussion, the California Interscholastic Federation Return to Learn guidelines should be completed and return to complete school before beginning any sports or physical activities, unless your doctor makes other recommendations. Go to the CIF website (cifstate.org) for more information on Return to Learn.

Concussion symptoms should be completely gone before returning to competition. A RTP progression involves a gradual, step-wise increase in physical effort, sports-specific activities and the risk for contact. If symptoms occur with activity, the progression should be stopped. If there are no symptoms the next day, exercise can be restarted at the previous stage.

RTP after concussion should occur only with medical clearance from a medical doctor trained in the evaluation and management of concussions, and a step-wise progression program monitored by an athletic trainer, coach or other authorized person. (As a guide, California state law AB2127, effective 1/1/15, which deals with schools, states that return to play (e.g., full competition) must be no sooner than 7 days after the concussion diagnosis has been made by a physician.)

Final thoughts for Parents/Guardians:
It is well known that athletes will often not talk about signs of concussions, which is why this information sheet is so important for review with them. Teach your child to tell the coaching staff if he/she experiences such symptoms, or if he/she suspects that a teammate has had a concussion. You should also feel comfortable talking to the coaches or trainer about possible concussion signs and symptoms that you may be seeing in your child.