Photos courtesy of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District
The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is kicking off the fall sports season with safety at the forefront. The district is adding guardian caps to all three varsity football teams’ helmets — making the district among the earliest on Long Island to implement this additional safety measure for student-athletes.
Guardian caps are soft-shell helmet covers that are meant to reduce impact. They are used in the NFL and NCAA to protect players and reduce the risk of concussions and head injuries. The district’s use of the guardian caps will be modeled after how they are used professionally, providing them to specific, recommended positions that face greater
physical contact.
“This is a small price to pay to further improve safety for our student-athletes,” Director of Physical Education, Athletics, Driver Education and Health Eric Caballero said. “The BMCHSD has always been willing to attempt to stay ahead of the curve and I am proud to say that this initiative will be in place at the start of tryouts at all three of our high schools.”
Data shows that the use of guardian caps can reduce impact during practice by up to
33%. Additionally, it reduces static heat of up to 15 degrees.
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