Helmet effectiveness comes down to fit

By JOSH MEDORE

TheNewsOutlet.org

Since 2011, Virginia Tech University has rated football helmets using the Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk, or STAR, ratings.

That first year, only the Riddell Revolution Speed helmet earned a five-star rating.

By 2013, there were four that earned that rating — the Riddell 360, Rawlings Quantum Plus, Xenith X2 and Riddell Revolution Speed.

Those ratings don’t mean much to Alvy Armstrong, the equipment manager at Youngstown State University. Sure, his players use mainly four- and five-star rated helmets, but it’s not because of the ratings.

“What it comes down to is the fit. I’ve seen improvements in the helmets, and I like the way it’s going, but when it all comes down to it, it’s still the fit,” Armstrong said.

He cites an experience from his tenure at Northern Illinois University when a player switched from using a helmet from his high school because it received a low STAR rating.

“We put him in one of the newer helmets ... third day of practice — it wasn’t even full pads — he got a concussion. So, we put him back in his old helmet. No problems the rest of the year,” Armstrong said. “That older helmet that supposedly wasn’t as safe, [but] it fit him just that much differently so he had no problem.”

Because everyone’s head is shaped differently, there is no universally safe helmet. Armstrong and the YSU equipment room try to offer as many options to players as possible.

“They all look the same, but there are nuances in every helmet. One helmet might fight a kid with a long, narrow head and another helmet might fit a kid with a round head better,” Armstrong said.

“By keeping a variety of helmets around, it’s a better fit and long-term safety.”

The NFL, however, instituted a rule last season requiring players to all wear the same helmet. League officials cited a recommendation from the NFL’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee.

Armstrong also offers his players a new chinstrap.

“Some of the newer chinstraps we get from SportStar have a higher impact foam in them and they test out very well,” Armstrong said.

Denny Kovach, an athletic trainer at Canfield High School, said helmet accessories help reduce concussions.

“Anybody that has a helmet with a good chinstrap and wearing their mouthpiece seem to be OK. It’s the ones that don’t always wear the mouthpiece,” Kovach said.

Kovach also works with the Phantoms hockey team.

“We have a dentist who makes them custom-made mouthpieces, and we refresh those halfway through [the season] so they can have a new one if they bite through it.”

Player preferences also play an important part.

“SportStar is one of those companies that’s done the testing. They’ve got some numbers behind it, but if it doesn’t fit right, the kid’s not going to wear it,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said his athletic staff does introduce players to new equipment and accessories. But sometimes the helmet and accessories they wore while playing in high school will influence players when choosing equipment in college.

“Some kids might change into it because it looks cool. Then they don’t like it, so they go back,” Armstrong said. “There’s a fine line where you can push a kid. If they don’t like it, they don’t like it and they’re not going to do it.

“Just having it available to them is good because they can try it and see if they like it. And if they like it — good.”

TheNewsOutlet.org is a collaborative effort among the Youngstown State University journalism program, The University of Akron, Cuyahoga Community College and professional media outlets including, WYSU-FM Radio and The Vindicator, and The Beacon Journal and Rubber City Radio of Akron.