Complex physical endeavors generally require the coordinated functioning of numerous organs and organ systems. Punting a football, for example, involves the body’s special sensory apparatus and nervous system. Through the appropriate neuronal stimuli, an athlete’s respiration and heart rate may be elevated. Such adjustments provide for the increased metabolic requirements associated with exertion. Only when these physiologic needs are met, can the athlete perform optimally.

A punter about to kick a football would obviously hear the roar of the crowd. The process of hearing requires several different anatomic structures. These include the external, middle, and inner ear structures. The external ear consists of a flap of elastic cartilage known as the auricle, the external …