Beech Grove High School athletes recently participated in the Athletes Saving Athletes program, which harnesses the power of peer-to-peer communication and the value of educating athletes in basic sports safety. 

Taught by certified athletic trainers, the initiative is a unique educational program that teaches the recognition and understanding of signs and symptoms of sports-related injuries and chronic medical conditions. 
The curriculum covers concussion, head and neck injuries, heat illness, sudden cardiac arrest, diabetes and asthma and stresses the importance of notifying an athletic trainer or coach when a teammate is in trouble. In addition to learning to recognize and understand signs and symptoms, participants learn compressions-only CPR and are introduced to the function and purpose of the AED (automated external defibrillator).

The program, whose motto is “What you know may save someone you know,” includes the compelling video stories of the program’s founding ambassadors: Tommy Mallon, a lacrosse player who suffered a catastrophic head and neck injury; Brittan Sutphin, a nationally ranked tennis player who had a heart attack while swimming; and Will James, a football player who nearly died due to heat stroke. 

The students met Cody Lehe, a second impact syndrome survivor, and learned his story regarding continuing to play while suffering from a concussion.
Graduates, who become program ambassadors, are committed to sharing the value of learning sports safety education and using that knowledge on and off the field.