Rowan's Law
About Rowan Stringer
Ontario proposes concussion rules for youth sports
Committee will examine dangers of youth concussions
Rowan Stringer Ignored Concussion Symptoms Days Before Death
Ottawa Teen Died of 'Second Impact Syndrome'
Rowan Stringer, 17, a high school student at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa was a strong athlete who had a passion for rugby. She would do anything to play rugby, playing for both her school and the Barrhaven Scottish Rugby Club in the summer.
Stringer told a friend she had a headache and was tired. After doing some searchs on the internet, the friends realized that she had likely suffered a couple of concussions during rugby matches she had played that week. Without telling anyone else, she decided that she would continue to play because "nothing would stop me unless I'm dead."
Stringer was hit hard at that game. She was taken to hospital immediately following the hit, where doctors tried unsuccessfully to relieve the pressure in her head and the family decided to discontinue life support.
Following her death, a coroner's inquest into her death began. Several suggestions were given in the coroner's report and will be simply put below.
To read the full report and other articles, click here or one of the links on the left.
Jury Recommendations
The following recommendations are only part of the 49 recommendations made that are intended for Canada's Federal Government to implement them as "Rowan's Law" as suggested by the Office of the Chief Coroner:
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Provide education on sport-related concussions to athletes, coaches, and parents
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Remove any athlete from play if a concussion is suspected
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Ensure that the athlete does not return to play until he or she has received medical clearance from their family or supervising physician
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Ensure that appropriate Return to Learn (RTL) and Return to Play (RTP) strategies are put in place.
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Recommended that reporting systems are set in place to ensure accuracy of all injury reporting
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Acquire and make available information and resources to support parents, coaches, athletes, referees, and trainers in education from sources such as:
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Parachute Canada​
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Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (OPHEA)
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The Canadian Concussion Collaborative
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The U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC)
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Athlete and parents should sign agreements confirming they:
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Participated in a pre-season concussion awareness and management session​
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Understand the signs and symptoms of a concussion
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Foster a culture of fair play by recommending the use of codes of conduct. Require the use of a standardized Coach's Binder, containing
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Medical and emergency contact information forms​
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Tracking tools for specific player injuries
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A concussion recognition tool
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Contact information form for coaches of other concurrent sports
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Forms to help track attendance at practice and mandatory injury prevention sessions
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Permission forms and other documentation of best practices in that particular sport
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... and much much more (see PDF to the right for more information...)