Tips for talking to youth about football, first-aid offered at DeKalb library’s after-school program

DeKALB – The emergency response prompted by NFL player Damar Hamlin’s sudden cardiac arrest has not deterred viewers of the recent Monday Night Football matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals from working to help find age-appropriate ways for those who are parents to share a lesson with their kids about the importance of promoting a healthier lifestyle.

The monthly lecture series dubbed, Teens and Family STEM Cafe, made its return to the DeKalb Public Library thanks, in part, to Northern Illinois University.

Programming is typically designed to help area youth connect STEM concepts to current events.

The topic of the monthly lecture series focused this time around on, “The Science Behind America’s Football.”

“It was perfect timing because people have been thinking about how do you stay healthy to play this sport that could potentially be dangerous,” said Judith Dymond, educator and director of development for NIU STEAM. “How do you keep yourself ready? You have to eat properly, which is one of the things we’re teaching kids. How you set goals for yourself? That’s another thing we’re teaching the kids. So, all of those things tie in with what we’re teaching.”

NIU STEAM Director Kristin Bryntenson said there are a few lessons that program organizers wanted students to take away from the lecture.

“Hopefully, they did gain a little bit of insight on how to take care of themselves, what they can do to condition and prepare for whatever sport they play,” Bryntenson said.

The program consisted of two presentations followed by a question-and-answer session, an interactive activity and pizza.

Brandon Male, instructor of the kinesiology and physical education department at NIU, said he believes what took stage during the recent Monday Night Football game has magnified the importance of CPR training.

“My feelings on it are it’s absolutely critical,” Male said. “Everybody should have it. I’ve been certified in CPR for over 20 years. I’ve never had to use it, thankfully, but it’s one of those skills that I take a lot of pride in having, that I hope everyday I never get to use it. Unfortunately, with the pro football incident that took place there, the importance and the need for CPR training, the importance of it was literally put on television live.”

The 24-year-old Hamlin – who tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, got to his feet and fell shortly thereafter – has been discharged in recent days from both the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute to begin recovery at home with his family.

In his presentation, Male spoke of how it’s one thing to be strong, fast, quick and in good condition, but none of that matters if one doesn’t have their health. He said it’s impossible to fully prevent injuries and that the best anyone can do is mitigate or minimize the risk.

“We try to have our athletes as physically prepared as they can possibly be for the impacts, for the collisions so that they can ultimately withstand that wear-and-tear, and try to stay healthy and in one piece and on the field and have long careers playing,” Male said. “That comes from offseason preparation as well as highly skilled and very diverse group of sports medicine staff – everything, from the athletic trainers to orthopedic surgeons, to strength and conditioning coaches to dietitians.”

Male acknowledged that it can be a challenge for parents to start discussions about matters such as what transpired during the recent Monday Night Football game with kids in an age-appropriate way. He said it’s important to be prepared should one engage in talks with their child.

“You got to educate yourself, learn the facts,” Male said. “There’s obviously a lot of information out there that’s not the best. But find truth in information out there. When it comes to talking to kids about it, just be very clear and honest and upfront with them. It’s reality that what happened to him was very real. [It’s] very rare but very real, but we do need to be aware of that.”

Michael Eads, associate professor of physics at NIU, said he enjoyed the challenge of working to make his presentation on the physics of football digestible and accessible for a wider audience made up primarily of kids.

“It’s a fun challenge for me because I’m a college professor,” Eads said. “I’m used to teaching physics. But the level of physics I teach in my classes at NIU are very different. … For me, it’s a fun challenge to see can I sort of communicate physics principles to a bunch of middle schoolers.”

Eads said he’s glad he decided to deliver a presentation as part of the program.

“It’s a fun opportunity to get to share my interests and the stuff I get excited about with a broader audience,” he said.

Dymond hopes the program helps open students’ minds to career pathways that they may not already be familiar with.

The next installment of the Teens and Family STEM Cafe will focus on the science of the steelpan, a percussion instrument that originated in Trinidad and Tobago. Programming will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at the DeKalb Public Library.