Concussions have been a front-and-center issue in sports for a few years, but generally the conversation has been focused on professional football. However, the injury is just as likely to affect female athletes, even in noncontact sports.Joanne Gerstner, a sports journalist in-residence at Michigan States College of Communication Arts and Sciences, alongside sports neurologist Jeffrey S. Kutcher, has written a book that examines the breadth of the concussion problem and gives practical advice for youth athletes and their parents.We asked Gerstner about the book Back in the Game: Why Concussion Doesnt Have to End Your Athletic Career.Note: Gerstner is a former editor for espnW.espnW: What was your goal with the book?Joanne Gerstner: Were trying to move people from fear of concussions [and] not acknowledging concussions to a more sophisticated conversation where we acknowledge the risk, but also the benefit of sport and look at the best ways for all of us to proceed safely and have fun.espnW: How do you frame the concussion issue in terms of women and girls?JG: Im really learning that the discussion about concussion in the general publics mind is a very male-dominated thing. They hear concussions being talked about in terms of football or hockey or boxing. But now, being out talking to people, Im hearing, Oh my gosh I didnt realize could get concussions like guys can.At first I was like, Hmm, we all have brains, we can get concussions. But people dont watch womens sports like they watch mens sports. The lawsuits have been directed more at mens entities than womens entities. It stands to reason they would associate concussions with a guys thing, but its really not.espnW: Dont girls and women get more concussions, statistically?JG: Physiologically were different from men, especially in terms of neck strength, especially during the teenage years. So if we are in a collision, say for soccer or basketball, our necks and our heads might jostle more than a guys would. A hormonal state, say the time of the month, can affect your susceptibility to concussions. And women tend to get more migraines than men.Add that all together and there are factors that show women might have a propensity to have concussions. It all comes down to, who are you, what sport are you playing and where is your body in all of this? Because we are all truly individuals and I try to shy away from general statements, but girls can get concussions during cheerleading, gymnastics, soccer, basketball -- so the risk is there and we need to be aware of it.espnW: How do we balance wanting our kids to develop independence and a spirit of adventure while still mitigating the risk of concussions?JG: I think you should be worrying about it as much as we worry about anything else with your child. Obviously you dont want your child falling out of a tree and breaking her arm. If shes playing lacrosse, you want to make sure she has proper equipment and good coaching and awareness.And its not just awareness, its that we are going to act on concussion. So if someone is suspected of being hurt, we take them out that we evaluate them. And if your daughter does get hurt, that she has the empowerment and the courage to say, Hey, I dont feel right, take me out? Or if she has a teammate she can say, Hey, Coach, my teammate doesnt seem right, can we take a look at her?Its about taking care of each other and not saying its a bump on the head or feeling obligated to play because Mom and Dad really want me to play. Its about moving away from fear of concussion to looking at it critically and being prepared for it.espnW: Did anything surprising pop up in the reporting for the book?JG: To me the most revelatory thing was talking to the parents about how nuanced a concussion is. I never knew people could have a concussion and not present with any symptoms because thats the way their body works.espnW: Cheerleading -- is that the sport where female athletes suffer the greatest number of injuries?JG: Its murky because a lot of states dont acknowledge cheer as a varsity sport. So getting numbers on cheerleading is challenging compared to basketball, where everyone acknowledges its a sport for both genders.Anecdotally the numbers for cheerleading are high. And just think about the stunting, where you throw a flier up five, 10 feet in the air, you do a flip, you come down. Arms, legs and heads can collide, so its not safe. Its really been fascinating to me -- some people are like, Oh, its cheerleading, how can they get hurt? Have you watched cheerleading lately? Its gymnastics mixed with high-level dance mixed with Cirque du Soleil. Absolutely they can get hurt.Ive talked to cheerleaders at the college level and the pressure on them to do bigger, badder tricks is there. Cheap NHL Jerseys China . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Authentic NHL Jerseys China . 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The game, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET in Pullman, Wash., will mark just the sixth time since the AP poll debuted in 1936 that both teams are ranked.For the Huskies (10-1 overall, 7-1), there is more than just a berth in the conference title game on the line. They could have a spot in the College Football Playoff with two more victories.I just want them to prepare like they have and go over and compete like they have, which I know they will, Washington coach Chris Petersen said of his team.We know its like, All this hard work kind of comes down to this. But its really hard for me to say, like, OK, now were really all-in on this. I just think theyve really been invested this whole year, every game.But itll be exciting. They get the rivalry. They get that were playing a heck of a team in a really hostile situation.Washington bounced back from its only loss, to USC, with a 44-18 win over Arizona State on Saturday. Washington State (8-3, 7-1) had its eight-game winning streak snapped with a 38-24 loss at Pac-12 South-leading Colorado.There hasnt been so much on the line for both teams since 1981. Washington won that Apple Cup 23-10 to deny Washington State the Pac-10 title, which the Huskies won when USC beat UCLA on the same day.Both Petersen and Cougars coach Mike Leach put their players off limits to the media this week.Theres a lot of distractions. I dont want them distracted, Leach said. I want them focused in on just playing.As for that stuff on the field, Washington will try to draw inspiration from last seasons 45-10 win over Washington State, although that comes with a caveat. The Cougars didnt have quarterback Luke Falk.That always frustrated me (that Falk didnt play), because all the Cougar fans, theyre like, Oh, if we had Luke Falk ..., Huskies defensive tackle Elijah Qualls told the Seattle Times. Come on, man. Im not going to lie: The dude is good. But 35 points? I dont know about that.It will be a battle of two brilliant quarterbacks.Falk has 3,935 passing yards this season, fourth-most in Washington State single-season history. Falk, directing Leachs prolific Aiir Raid system, tops the nation in completions per game (34.dddddddddddd6) and completion percentage (71.4).Leach said Monday he expects Falk to return for his senior season.Washington quarterback Jake Browning leads the Pac-12 with 37 touchdown passes -- one more than Falk -- and is fourth nationally in passing efficiency with a rating of 180.7.He does a really job from the neck up, Leach said of Browning. Him and Luke are very similar that way, I think.Both quarterbacks have elite receivers. Washington States Gabe Marks is the Pac-12 career leader with 301 receptions, including 74 this season, with 12 going for touchdowns. Ross has all kinds of speed, with 64 catches for 991 yards and 15 touchdowns.Ross has a sidekick in Dante Pettis, who has four 100-yard receiving games this season. Marks lost his main sidekick two games ago when receiver River Cracraft suffered a season-ending knee injury.Washingtons offense is more traditionally balanced, as the Huskies have gone over 200 yards on the ground seven times this season, led by running back Myles Gaskin.Washington State is 114th nationally in rushing at 132.5 yards per game, but the Cougars can run the ball more effectively than most Leach teams behind the trio of Jamal Morrow, James Williams and Gerard Wicks. They have combined for 1,515 yards.Washington has lost two of its top defenders to season-ending injuries -- linebackers Joe Mathis and Azeem Victor -- but still managed to limit USC and Arizona State to 128 rushing yards on 63 carries in the past two weeks.The Huskies are often able to generate a pass rush without blitzing, which would give them ample numbers in the back end to defend against Washington States spread attack. Cornerbacks Sidney Jones and Kevin King, and safety Budda Baker, are postseason award candidates in one of the nations best secondaries.Washington State is no slouch defensively. The Cougars, led up front by defensive end Hercules Mataafa, are first in the Pac-12 against the run, allowing 129.7 yards per game. WSU also got back senior nose tackle Robert Barber last week. 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