Guardian Caps

[Tigerpride94]

Any schools in Kentucky use these?

[Maleman58]

I Know Cal does and I believe that I have seen pics of both St. X and Trinity using them at some point in spring.  I could be wrong on that second point however. 

[Tigerpride94]

6 minutes ago, Maleman58 said:

I Know Cal does and I believe that I have seen pics of both St. X and Trinity using them at some point in spring.  I could be wrong on that second point however. 

I don't remember seeing St. X wearing them. I saw that article on football scoop and thought they would be a good thing.

[Kenny Powers]

I recently spent some time at a couple UK practices visiting with a friend of mine who is a grad assistant there. I asked him about the caps (I didn't know what they were called at the time). He said that the coaching staff and training staff love the caps because they greatly prevent in-week and pre-season concussions and other head injuries. He explained that the bulk of their head injuries did not occur during actual games but during practice and summer; especially when players were more likely to be dehydrated - which can cause a concussion to occur much easier. 

Wouldn't surprise me at all to see them become more and more popular. 

[rjs4470]

Some states have banned their use do to the possibility of helmet manufacturers possibly voiding warranties if they are used. There's also been talk that added weight and mass could potentially cause issues additional concussion related issues. I don't know any schools or organizations that are using them.

[ChiefSmoke]

Dumb question- if they prevent concussions better than a helmet without them, why don't we wear them for games?  We are the opposite... very few practice concussions. Most of ours come in the games. 

[TilghmanPride]

https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/blue-tornadoes-having-success-using-guardian-caps-during-football-practice/article_373a0046-f08f-11e9-9dcb-c7b6ce058ca0.html

We've had them at Tilghman a few seasons now and I haven't heard any complaints, mostly good feedback. The attached article has some good info. 

Ours were donated by a local hospital here in Paducah. 

[HedgeHog8]

2 hours ago, ChiefSmoke said:

Dumb question- if they prevent concussions better than a helmet without them, why don't we wear them for games?  We are the opposite... very few practice concussions. Most of ours come in the games. 

Speaking anecdotally, most of our concussions occur during the week at practice vs during games. I think we looked into it a couple years ago and realized that our players couldn't afford them and our school wouldn't buy them. Still worth taking a revisit to see if it is possible.

[BEChargers]

13 hours ago, ChiefSmoke said:

Dumb question- if they prevent concussions better than a helmet without them, why don't we wear them for games?  We are the opposite... very few practice concussions. Most of ours come in the games. 

You won't like this answer but I think it's because of how they look.  I got to know Steve Wallace who played for the 49's a few years ago when our kids both played for the same small college.  Steve was one of the few NFL players who wore the 1.5 inch foam pad over his helmet in the NFL.  I think the Bill's Mark Kelso was the other.    Big Steve had 9 concussions during his career and told me he never had another one after wearing this.  When I asked him why nobody else really tried to use them he said it was because of how it looked.  He said the NFL actually hated him wearing it and he had several teammates with concussion problems and they all said they would not wear them and the only reason was how it looked. 

[HedgeHog8]

5 hours ago, BEChargers said:

You won't like this answer but I think it's because of how they look.  I got to know Steve Wallace who played for the 49's a few years ago when our kids both played for the same small college.  Steve was one of the few NFL players who wore the 1.5 inch foam pad over his helmet in the NFL.  I think the Bill's Mark Kelso was the other.    Big Steve had 9 concussions during his career and told me he never had another one after wearing this.  When I asked him why nobody else really tried to use them he said it was because of how it looked.  He said the NFL actually hated him wearing it and he had several teammates with concussion problems and they all said they would not wear them and the only reason was how it looked. 

The guardian caps come in all colors. Looks like $60 for one, $1000 for 40 of them. If they could put stripes, logos and numbers on the caps similar to this picture above, teams might be more receptive to buy them. It just looks like a big helmet.

Also, I don't think that the foam pad was such a big deal. You probably could never notice it from the TV angles.

[CincySportsFan]

Not looking to stir the pot, but...wasn't it just a few years ago that "they" (the neurological people) said that these helmet add-ons didn't actually help.  So, what has changed?

[gchs_uk9]

23 hours ago, Kenny Powers said:

He explained that the bulk of their head injuries did not occur during actual games but during practice and summer; especially when players were more likely to be dehydrated - which can cause a concussion to occur much easier.

That interesting. Any idea why dehydration plays such a role?

[gchs_uk9]

1 hour ago, CincySportsFan said:

Not looking to stir the pot, but...wasn't it just a few years ago that "they" (the neurological people) said that these helmet add-ons didn't actually help.  So, what has changed?

With most anything, science is always changing. Study on concussions is ongoing but concussions themselves affect different people in different ways. Also, brain and body development of a 3rd grader, 9th grader, college junior, and ten-year NFL veteran (not to mention everyday humans) adds a variable to concussion study that complicates research findings.

[Kenny Powers]

36 minutes ago, gchs_uk9 said:

That interesting. Any idea why dehydration plays such a role?

When the body is dehydrated the amount of fluid in your brain that helps cushion the brain from blows is reduced and therefore can't help prevent concussions as well. 

[Tigerpride94]