Oglethorpe County lineman Zachary Carter plans to wear a Guardian Cap going forward. He sustained a concussion on Sept. 29 and has had to sit out until he’s cleared.
“I do regret not wearing a Guardian Cap,” Carter said. “It’s pretty boring not being able to practice and get work in.”
Carter and the rest of the OCHS football players each received a Guardian Cap this season, thanks to a $3,400 grant from the Atlanta Falcons and Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
The Guardian Cap is a soft-shelled, foam cover mounted on players’ helmets to help reduce the risk of head injuries and concussions.
“I’m big on player safety and making sure we’re taking care of the players first and foremost and their health,” coach Mike Holland said. “Anything I can do to make them safer, I’m all about.”
OCHS uses the Guardian Cap XT, which was created in 2010 to reduce the impact to players’ heads during collisions at practices and games. OCHS received 60 Guardian Caps to outfit the team, at a cost of about $75 each.
“Every kid has a Guardian Cap in their locker,” Holland said. “They’re assigned one just like they’re assigned shoulder pads.”
All athletes are encouraged to wear a Guardian Cap, but it’s not required.
Sophomore Joshua Hull, a running back, also suffered a concussion three weeks ago. He said he’s required to wear a Guardian Cap until he’s cleared, but plans to continue.
“I’m gonna keep wearing it to prevent concussions,” Hull said.
If a player has a recent history of a concussion, they are required to wear it for a certain period of time as directed by Allie Tilley, OCHS’s athletic trainer. The time varies from 1-3 weeks.
“We really try to put a premium on making sure our guys are healthy going into Fridays,” Holland said.
Even with the safety benefits, only 10 OCHS football players wear the protective covering.
“The Guardian Caps make your helmet feel like they're 10 times heavier,” said Jackson Turbeville, a junior receiver. “That’s the reason I don’t wear mine.”
According to research by Virginia Tech, the average concussion risk across all tests with various pairings of helmets and Guardian Caps was reduced by 15.5%. The reduction of concussion risk varies by helmet model and cap pairing.
OCHS uses the Schutt F7 helmet model. According to Virginia Tech’s study, concussion risk was only reduced by 0.8% when the Schutt F7 was paired with the Guardian Cap XT.
“Research does show in a clinical environment that it does reduce force, but in the real world, there has not been any proven data that shows it has reduced the number of concussions,” Tilley said.
Alongside newer helmets and Guardian Caps, OCHS football employs other measures. Holland said the program adheres to the Georgia High School Associations rules about the amount of full contact allowed at practices and defer to the athletic trainer’s judgement on concussion clearance.
“We’re a small school. You have a certain number of players,” Holland said. “If you lose one, you really lose someone on offense and on defense.”