Football's $1,000 Helmet
I know, I know, I know .. "Football's over!!!" That may be so, but these are important stories I ran into from a fellow blogger who tipped me on the first story regarding concussions. After skimming through the Time website I found these other stories I thought parents would find intriguing.
By Julie Rawe
Time Magazine
Coming soon to a worried parent near you: a sales pitch for a $1,000 football helmet that can monitor the precise location and severity of impacts to little Johnny's head. Leading helmetmaker Riddell plans to begin flooding high schools with take-home brochures this month and to start shipping this concussion-sensing gear to families in November. Says Riddell marketing chief Jim Heidenreich: "If people buy $1,000 drivers and $500 baseball bats, we hope they'll spend that kind of money on head protection."
The football field, to borrow a phrase from sports-injury researchers, is an impact-rich environment. Players frequently knock heads, but it's hard to predict which of the many hits will result in brain-rattling concussions, which are relatively few in number and--contrary to popular belief--often occur without loss of consciousness. Eight colleges, including three Big Ten schools, are using the team version of Riddell's high-tech helmets, which wirelessly relay real-time data--gleaned from the same sensors found in car air bags--to a sideline computer that can send a pager alert if a player receives a hit or a series of hits that exceed a certain magnitude. The new system for individual consumers works in much the same way except that the helmet uploads impact data onto a PC after a practice or game and a player's family can log in for a Web-based analysis that may suggest seeking medical attention.
Use of these helmets may seem like a no-brainer. But there's one big problem besides cost: every concussion is different. One player may emerge unscathed from a massive hit, while his teammate starts seeing stars after getting clocked with half as much force. So it's unclear what coaches and parents can do with the impact data, at least until more is known about what causes concussions. "We don't pull people out of a game or a practice simply because they registered some high-value hit," says Kevin Guskiewicz, director of the University of North Carolina's Sports Medicine Research Laboratory, who will soon publish five semesters' worth of helmet data from UNC players showing the wide range of force that led to concussions.
To help pinpoint which impacts affect brain function and how, Brown, Dartmouth and Virginia Tech are starting a five-year study using the sensor-laden helmets that is funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study's principal investigator, Richard Greenwald, co-invented the monitoring technology, and his company, Simbex, is already making inroads into other markets. It just completed an Army order for 20 combat helmets equipped with sensors to monitor bomb blasts and is working on a deal to sell ski helmets that can track the head banging that snowboarders often endure on half-pipes and terrain fields. Greenwald's two young sons have been wearing prototypes on the slopes as well as data-streaming wrist guards Simbex is developing. Let the impact monitoring, er, games, begin.
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
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Lame title aside, based on the preview this mountain bike movie should be pretty fun to watch. The Life Cycles film was shot using a RED camera which is a super portable high-def camera that seems to be all the rage in Hollywood. The DVD should be shipping sometime in mid-October and pre-orders are $5 off. Too bad more stuff like this doesnt show in theaters
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chkyrslf:
No - That would be Little League.
To I'mjustsaying,
The fact is St Francis wants to play Muir now! What ever the excuses are... that does not matter. Muir either needs to take the game or stop talking about how they want play St. Francis. SF has stepped up to the plate, Muir needs to man up and take the challenge.
Like most of Don's posts - he is right on.
Cumulative is the key word on concussions. The NFL ranks have plenty of examples. I recall Steve Young of the 49er's had 14 plus concussions at one point in his career. It is a scary topic...especially for those in the game or having a loved one in the game. For those old enough to remember, Steve Young would put his head down... or do whatever it took to get that extra hard.
Sometimes the wobble and equilibrium issue shows up hours after the hit.
Once a first concussion is noted...the protection and observation factor needs to ramp up.
The facemask in the numbers is still being taught, though maybe not as blatantly.
What I hear about the Muir-SF situation is that SF only wants to play for 1 year for the sake of Riley. That would mean Muir would have to take a Diamond Ranch or an Oaks Christian off their preseason schedule with no guarantees they could get them back after the one year of playing SF. Therefore the best thing to do is stay with what they have. Muir plays very good teams in preseason, their not afraid of SF.
Baseball? Isn't that the game that is a lot like softball except the boys play?
SBR!
I can smell Baseball in the air...I hope you are a baseball fan Miguel. Its going to be a great year Lewis!!
anon,
PLEASE elaborate on the muir-sf situation
I'd be happy to get into the exact details of the sf-muir situation if you want me to so don't lie about ducking.
Perhaps these can be included in the "Spirit Pack."
Word is Muir is trying to duck St. Francis for a football game this year. St Francis wants the game, but Muir does not.
eh i think these helmets are a little excessive. like it said, its different for everybody so i dont really see how it can help
Miguel,
I applaud heartily your attention to the issue of head and neck injuries and their prevention. What most folks seem to overlook are that these are typically cumulative in nature and often don't show up until it's too late. Closer monitoring of at risk athletes is certainly one solution but for High School kids I have another.
Ban the teaching of head first contact.
There are at least three separate rules penalizing butt-blocking, head first, head to head, and horse-collar type tackling, all of which lead to these injuries. Sadly these are not only way under-called, but inconsistent through the sport. Oddly, the NFL seems to have, on paper at least, the most stringent regulations, the kiddie leagues, JAA and Pop Warner, the least.
The problem of course, is that these are rarely called except the horse-collar which was one of the NFL's “area's of emphasis” for refs this past season, (surprise that). Anyhow, the big changes need to be made not only by the various league officials but by coaches who continue to teach and encourage players to “stick that helmet in there” and “drill him”.
Your East side friend,
Don
This was already used in the AFL last season.