Hoosac Valley Employs Guardian Caps

CHESHIRE, Mass. -- On Friday night and Saturday afternoon, fans across the state once again will hear the familiar sound of football players crashing into one another.

 

But during the week, that sound has been a little different at Hoosac Valley High School the last couple of years.

 

Starting in preseason before the 2013 season, the Hurricanes have used the Guardian Cap, a soft-shell helmet designed to reduce the impact of helmet-to-helmet collision and, inventors hope, the risk of head trauma.

 

"We use them throughout the year in practice and in scrimmages," Hoosac coach Dayne Poirot said. "I think they serve the purpose. They're certainly not the end all. They don't prevent concussions, but they reduce the impact on our kis when they're whacking each other helmet to helmet.

 

"Anything that can have a reduction in impact, we want to incorporate."

 

The Georgia-based manufacturer of Guardian Caps field-tested the technology in 2011, and it has been quickly adopted nationwide. According to the company's website, there are more than 30,000 caps currently in use at the high school and college level.

 

"We saw them at Westfield High School," Poirot said. "They had them at a scrimmage. Then we went down to UMass and saw a few practices where they were using them."

 

And the Hurricanes' Booster Club liked the idea so much it chipped in the money to purchase the caps for use by the Hoosac program, Poirot said.

 

The company's website, guardiancaps.com, features an explanation of the physics behind how the caps "dampen and redistribute the energy from head-to-head contact," but it also prominently features a disclaimer that echoes Poirot's point about the caps not being a cure-all.

 

"No helmet, practice apparatus, or helmet pad can prevent or eliminate the risk of concussions or other serious head injuries while playing sports," reads the disclaimer that visitors to the site  read and click through before learning about the company. "Researchers have not reached an agreement on how the results of impact absorption tests relate to concussions. No conclusions about a reduction of risk or severity of concussive injury should be drawn from impact absorption tests."

 

Across the county, high school football's supporters have cited recent news about the dangers of concussions as one reason why the number of players has been dropping at schools county wide.

 

Poirot said the Guardian Caps are one more way that Hoosac Valley's football program can reassure families that the team makes safety a top priority.

 

"We constantly monitor and are concerned with our kids' safety and their physical health," he said. "That includes mkaing sure their safe and doing whatever they can do to perform better -- whether it's proper hydration or sleep advice.

 

"Providing kids with [Guardian Caps] can't hurt. Hopefully, some parents will see that's what we're doing. ... The Booster Club cares about the kids in the program."