Since preseason practice began on Monday, every Jefferson County football player has been equipped with a Guardian Cap as the district became the first in the nation to implement the head guard.
The pilot program initiative, for use in practice only among the district’s 17 schools, began after Columbine implemented Guardian Caps (light-weight protective shells for helmets) for practices with promising results. The program will seek to further validate the effectiveness of the cap.
Beyond Jeffco, schools across the country are using the model to generate independent, unbiased and controlled data relating to the cap, along with the other safety measures Jeffco already has in place — a certified athletic trainer overseeing each program and coaches are committed and trained to teach proper tackling technique and fundamentals.
“Our top concern in our athletic programs is the safety of our kids,” Jeffco district athletic director Jim Thyfault said in a release. “One of our schools has tried this in the past with great success, as have other schools, and if we can help reduce the impact to our players, it’s a positive move.”
Columbine coach Andy Lowry was part of the trial three years ago and said, “As a coach, it is our responsibility to protect our players the best that we can. Anything we can do to proactively help decrease the impact of hits to our players is a good thing. My eighth-grade son wears one of these to play and I want to care for Jeffco Schools’ kids the way I would care for my own.”
In 2011, the Oregon Ballistics Lab tested the effect of the Guardian Cap on the change in g-force and brain attenuation. The study showed that the Guardian Cap reduced maximum acceleration values and Head Injury Criterion for side (33 percent reduction), front (31 percent reduction), and back (25 percent reduction) impacts from 70G to 39G compared to a standard polycarbonate helmet.
