http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/06/sports/safety-organization-deems-popular-helmet-models-unsuitable-for-play.html 2014-12-05 20:27:52 Safety Organization Deems Popular Helmet Models Unsuitable for Play The idea of lacrosse as a safer alternative to football has taken a hit as two of the most popular helmets are no longer certified as safe. === Lacrosse is among the nation’s fastest growing youth sports, especially among boys whose parents are looking for a safer alternative to football. But the sport found itself in the continuing conversation about concussions recently after two popular lacrosse helmets were deemed unsuitable for play by the same standard-setting body that certifies football helmets. The In the meantime, however, parents and coaches at all levels are reconsidering everything from the safety of the sport to their holiday shopping lists. “It’s a huge moment,” Steve Stenersen, the chief executive of U.S. Lacrosse, said. “It’s a real disappointment for everyone involved. It’s a disappointment for the companies trying to make it right and for the players because there are probably thousands of those units being worn. But when it’s safety with player equipment, you can’t take any chances. They’re illegal. Kids just can’t play with them.” In the 2013-14 school year, 188,689 boys and girls played lacrosse at the high school level, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, nearly double the number of a decade ago. And the manufacturing of lacrosse-related goods has become big business as well. Sales of lacrosse equipment surged to $80 million last year, up from $59 million in 2008, according to For years, lacrosse safety concerns focused on lacerations, lower extremity injuries and chest hits. Among spring sports in 2012, lacrosse, along with baseball and track and field, accounted for the greatest proportion of direct injuries at both the college and high school levels, according to The battle over lacrosse helmets echoes similar fights over the safety of football helmets. In the 1960s, helmet makers improved their football helmets to reduce the number of skull fractures. In 1969, a year after 32 deaths were reported from head and neck injuries, NOCSAE was created to research ways to reduce those injuries. Thanks to pressure on helmet manufacturers, the number of skull fractures dropped dramatically. But the focus on concussions has shined an uncomfortable light on helmet manufacturers again. NOCSAE and some of its members have gotten into trouble for claiming that their helmets can reduce concussions. The helmet manufacturers have also had to defend themselves in court, where they have been sued for negligence and fraud. Riddell, the country’s largest helmet maker and a former N.F.L. sponsor, was named as a defendant along with the league by about 5,000 retired players who claimed they were misled about the dangers of concussions. The league is in the process of settling with the players while Riddell has claimed it should be excluded from the suit. Last year, a jury in Colorado found that Riddell was at fault for failing to adequately warn players wearing their football helmets about the dangers of potential concussions. Lacrosse enthusiasts are also locked in a debate over whether girls should wear helmets, as the vast majority of junior and collegiate players currently do not. Amid rising concussion concerns, independent researchers have raised concerns about lacrosse equipment . Last year, a group of researchers at Purdue University did drop-test comparisons of 36 football and lacrosse helmets. While the football helmets they tested met the NOCSAE standard, nine lacrosse helmets that were currently on the market failed. Katie Breedlove, the lead researcher of the experiment at Purdue, said she was surprised by the results. In addition to concerns about quality, she said that while the round, harder shell of a football helmet buffers against some friction, the pointed designs of newer lacrosse helmets are, from a safety perspective, “an engineer’s nightmare” in their ability to withstand a heavy hit. Both NOCSAE, a nonprofit that has come under fire for being too close to the sporting goods manufacturing industry, said that its review of the helmets began several months ago after receiving reports from outside labs that the helmets had failed safety tests. “This is a failure of both companies to do appropriate quality control and there are some areas where they failed substantially,” Michael Oliver, NOCSAE’s executive director said. Neither NOCSAE nor helmet manufacturers could provide an estimate for the number of Warrior or Cascade R helmets in circulation, which retail for $200 to $250. Cascade’s market share of lacrosse helmets may be as high as 90 percent, said Connor Wilson, publisher of “There’s tons of confusion,” Wilson said. “It’s extremely murky. Is this one safer than another? We don’t even know if the helmets are safe in general.” Much as auto manufacturers self-certify with safety organizations, helmet makers sign a licensing agreement with NOCSAE, agreeing to comply with the group’s standards. They must maintain internal test data for 10 years or longer, which NOCSAE can require a manufacturer to produce upon request. NOCSAE reviewed data provided by manufacturers, external studies and conducted some of its own research and found that, among other things, neither company had done sufficient high temperature testing, Oliver said. Steve Jones, a spokesmen for Cascade, said a third-party inspector has been hired to review operations at its factory in Liverpool, N.Y. He said there has not been a formal recall of equipment, but the company is advising off-season players to either hold onto their gear or trade it in for a NOCSAE-approved model if they need a helmet immediately. In the meantime, coaches are trying to deal with confused parents. Jerry Nichols, the lacrosse coach at Battle Mountain High School in Edwards, Colo., had his 50 players buy the Cascade R helmets last year, the same model his son wears as a member of Northeastern University’s lacrosse team. “They all spent 200 or more bucks on this and last year I was touting not just the look of the helmet, but the safety of it,” he said. “I feel a huge sense of responsibility. We’re high school, we’re not D1 college, we’re not pros. We want to be fun and safe and benefit from everything a team sport offers young students. And if you’re not safe out there, you might as well not be playing.”