CFL alumni try brain exercises and see results

When Bob Bronk began experiencing brief memory lapses six years ago, he wondered if they were due to getting older or the concussions he suffered playing football.

The former Toronto Argonauts running back figures he was “knocked out cold three or four times” in games and suffered numerous concussions. The 58-yearold Winnipeg native, a member of the Argos’ 1983 Grey Cup team, recalls first being concussed at age 15.

“It was like the cartoon when you see stars flying around,” said Bronk, the CEO of the Ontario Construction Secretariat.

Bronk joined the Canadian Sports Concussion Project at Toronto Western Hospital with other former CFL players. That’s where Bronk used BrainHQ, an online brain exercise and assessment program, for 30 minutes four times weekly during a three-year span.

“Last year when they did the analysis my scores actually improved, which is unusual,” said Bronk, who recently resumed using the program. “But I totally attribute that to doing BrainHQ.

“I know it’s made a big difference with my memory, reaction time and ability to focus.”

Last week, the CFL Alumni Association announced a partnership with BrainHQ. Executive director Leo Ezerins said the involvement of former CFL players in the Canadian Sports Concussion Project, founded by neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Tator, made the initiative a logical next step.

“We wanted to look at what we could do for alumni and current players, beyond the scope of sport, and the general community as well,” said Ezerins, a former linebacker with Hamilton and Winnipeg. “I remember going into a grocery store a couple of years ago and a woman coming out asking, ‘Where did I park my car?’

“We’ve all been there and unfortunately ... we somehow feel we’re different, but we’re all in the same boat. There’s plenty that can be done to help day-to-day living.”