Quick overview of Senate bill 40Bill is named after Jake Snakenberg, who died after taking a blow to the head while playing football. He was 14 years old. • �Those who coach kids 11 to 18 years old must get training to under-stand the nature and recognize the symptoms of a concussion. • �Players who are suspected of having a concussion must be re-moved from practice or play and cannot return that same day. • �Before returning, a player who has been removed because of a suspected concussion must be evaluated by a health care provider and receive written clearance from the provider to return to play.

SOURCE: THE CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

Gov. John Hickenlooper signs Senate Bill 40, named after Jake Snakenberg, in Denver on March 29. The bill should help prevent concussions in the youth.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

coaches and playersmust be aware of danger

Special SerieS: concuSSionS (part 5)

bill mandates attentionfor head and neck injuries

Sen. Nancy Spence of Cen-tennial understands the tan-gible impact of Senate Bill 40. Having annual concus-sion recognition education for youth coaches will help them recognize symptoms, and requiring athletes to get medical clearance before returning to action should help reduce the number of concussions.

The secondary benefit to the bill, which was signed into law March 29, is simply awareness. Spence knows the statistics, how 1,500-2,500 youth athletes in Colorado

go to the emergency room for concussions every year, and how there are more con-cussions in girls’ soccer than any other sport. She hopes

the bill, and the mandatory education that goes with it, makes others aware of the dangers.

“I just think along with the

NFL, which is doing a great deal of research, the entire country is becoming more aware of the issue,” Spence said.

Spence became more aware and interested in the topic when 14-year-old Jake Snakenberg, a football player at Grandview High in Aurora and a Spence con-stituent, died from a concus-sion. The bill is named after Snakenberg.

The Colorado High School Activities Association had a policy requiring concus-sion education for coaches and that athletes had to be removed from competition when a concussion is diag-

by FRANK SCHWAbfrank.schwab@gazette.com—

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see senate • Page 3

about tHe SerieSThe effects of concussions have been felt around the sports world, especially in the past year. The Gazette examines this unique injury in a five-part series:

Thursday:� Hot-button topic Friday:� Rehab

Saturday:� Effects Sunday:� Prevention Today:� Rules

more coverage InsIDe, Page 3 • �Western Collegiate Hockey Association laid down the law when it comes to hits to the head. • NFL players take baseline tests for concussions

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●going up 2-0 is trendy in nHLTampa Bay and San Jose take two-game leads in playoffs against Washington and Detroit, respectively. Page 6

Heat get best of ceLticsDwyane Wade helps Miami top Boston and Memphis takes home-court advan-tage from Oklahoma City. Page 6

calls of betrayal as road looms

SAO PAULO • The president of Brazil’s only public golf course is threatening to “lay down kids” in the middle of the fairways to keep govern-ment bulldozers from enter-ing the property, construct-ing a new highway and destroying the course.

As Rio de Janeiro prepares to host the first Olympic golf tournament in more than 100 years, the modest Japeri Golfe Clube—known

for social projects that help hun-dreds of poor c h i l d r e n —is in dan-ger of being shut down because of the highway the govern-ment says is needed to alleviate traf-fic in the Rio metropolitan area.

“I’ll lay down kids in the middle of the fairway

if needed,” golf course presi-dent Vicky Whyte said last week, vowing to protect the course until the end.

The city of Japeri is last in the state’s human develop-ment rankings, and the golf school at the course helps more than 100 poor kids—aged 7 to 17—by providing them with education, food and clothing, along with golf classes. Two times a week they spend half a day at the association and have free access to varied classes and activities. Whyte said there were about 40 kids on a waiting list to participate in the project.

She said the school was key for the future of Brazil’s golf, and that many of the kids who have been with the as-sociation are appearing in Brazil’s junior rankings, be-coming players that may end up representing the country when the Olympics finally arrive in 2016.

Whyte will meet with au-thorities Tuesday to try to solve the issue, but she said she was not optimistic about saving the nine-hole golf course. The land where the course is has been declared a place of “public interest”— giving the state the right to

by tales azzoniThe Associated Press—

olympics

Construction may shutter Brazil’s public golf course

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See cOUrSe • PAge 2

“I’ll lay down kids in the middle of the fairway if needed.”VICky Whyte —golf course president’s feeling toward protecting Brazil’s only public course

Ubaldo Jimenez’s start has left him scratching his head. His ERA is 7.20 Since last year’s All-Star break, Jimenez has lost nine of his last 13 decisions.

THE ASSociATEd PRESS

Jimenez’s troubles stain Rockies’ startDENVER • You might say

Jim Tracy dabbled in under-statement Sunday at Coors Field.

“Ubaldo hasn’t just yet been the Ubaldo that we’re accustomed to him being,” Tracy said.

The Colorado Rockies’ manager looked glum as he talked about the baf-fling, underperforming 2011 version of Ubaldo Jimenez, not so long ago the Rockies’ overpowering ace.

This is the same Ubaldo who towers as the Rockies

most troubling question mark.

His troubles deepened in Sunday afternoon’s 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jimenez struggled mightily in his abbreviated four-in-ning appearance. He walked four batters. He threw three

wild pitches. His fastball lacked punch and place-ment. His ERA rose to an astronomical 7.20.

These are not days of gloom for the Rockies. In April, Colorado pitchers compiled a 3.53 ERA, the franchise’s best month. The Rockies, despite losing two of three to the Pirates, own a comfortable lead in the National League West, and their 17 victories ties them for the third highest total in

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sEE RamsEy • PagE 5

oPiNioN

david ramseydavid.ramsey@ gazette.com / 476-4895

Rockies’ Alfredo Amezaga, right, strikes out as Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit reacts in the sixth inning Sunday. Amezaga finished 1-for-4.the ASSOCIAteD PReSS

pirates 8, rockies 4

castoff stars, star just offFormer Dodger excelsas Jimenez struggles

DENVER • The Pirates used new blood and old knowl-edge Sunday to beat the Rockies.

Xavier Paul had two hits in his first start for Pitts-burgh and former Rockies reliever Joe Beimel pitched out of a jam in the sixth in-ning to lift the Pirates to an 8-4 win.

Paul was claimed off waiv-ers from the Dodgers. He hit a two-run triple to key a four-run rally in the second and added a single in the fourth.

“My mindset going into the game was just have fun,” he said. “To come up with a big hit, it feels great.”

Paul, who joined the team Thursday, had his first mul-tihit game since July 20, 2010.

“He was on base three

times, stole a base, handled his chances in left field, so it was a good first start for him,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Charlie Morton pitched into the sixth inning for his third win, Garrett Jones had two hits and Andrew Mc-Cutchen, Lyle Overbay and

Pedro Alvarez also had two hits each for the Pirates, who took two of three at Coors Field. Pittsburgh won its fourth road series of the season, matching its total from the 2010 season.

Colorado ace Ubaldo Jime-nez (0-2) struggled again. He threw three wild pitches, tying a club record, and his ERA rose to 7.20 through four starts.

“Before, I was trying to get my velocity back,” he said. “Right now I don’t have the control.”

the Associated Press—

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sEE RockiEs • PagE 4

Pirates manager Clint hurdle reaches for the hand of Xavier Paul after the Pirates beat the Rockies 8-4 Sunday in Denver.

NeXtColorado (De La Rosa, 4-0, 2.61 ERA) at

Arizona (Saunders 0-3, 5.93), 7:40 p.m. Tuesday, ROOT, 850 AM