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Father’s Day: Fighting for a daughter
THE SUNDAY
Tribune
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Gilbert Edition
INSIDE THIS WEEK BUSINESS | 20
Pottery
Creativity blossoms as students learn how to throw pots
EAST VALLEY
Friends, family remember Orlando victim
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Sunday, June 19, 2016
To play or not to play
As season looms, East Valley parents weigh repercussions of football
SPORTS | 22
Prep football
New coach is back where he starred at Mesa High
NEWS...........................12 COMMUNITY............14 OPINION.....................18 FAITH . ........................28 CLASSIFIED ...............30
(David Jolkovski/Special to the Tribune) Caroline Ranger, a 2016 graduate, spent a recent day shadowing the staff at the Banner Concussion Center in Mesa. She underwent a balance and sway test on the center's the computerized dynamic posturography machine. Ranger plans to pursue a career as an athletic trainer.
EVENT | 24 Ringling Bros.’ ringmaster is living his dream under the big top
FILM | 25 ‘The Music of Strangers’ is about what unites people around the world
COVER STORY BY JASON P. SKODA TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
J
ulie Patrick of Gilbert has seen the worst, so she doesn’t have to imagine it. The image of her nephew’s motionless body sprawled on the field and the repercussions that followed have remained etched in her mind’s eye for years. And so she prays during Desert Ridge games before every single kickoff, knowing that her son, Tavian Patrick, might be catching and running with the ball. A touchback would be great. A touchdown would also be good, but it would result in several violent collisions for his teammates
Banner Center boosts concussion care –Page 10 Local experts tackle concussion myths –Page 11 Teens say caution is important in sports –Page 17 even if Tavian made it to the end zone untouched – as he did three times last year on the way to the Division I state title game. She knows all too well that a ball in play could lead to a change of direction. Not a turn on the field, as her son is able to accomplish so effortlessly, but in life.
Concussions have become a hot-button issue in sports, and football has taken the brunt of the scrutiny. The focus on extreme brain trauma and football has had a lingering effect – much like a concussion, where the brain fog can come in an instant but is often very slow to dissipate fully. “To this day, I still want to throw up every time he returns the ball, I am so nervous,” she says. “I pray before every game and every time he goes to return a punt or kickoff. I’m sure the people around me think I am praying for a win or that he returns it for a touchdown, but that is not what I am See
TO PLAY OR NOT on page 4