A new technological advance may keep football players safe from the debilitating effect of concussions at Boardman High School this year.
The Riddell InSite Impact Response System is a five-point sensor system that can measure the impact of each collision in which a player is involved. As it does so, it transmits the information in real time to a sideline coach or trainer to evaluate.
The sensors, which are inside an additional helmet liner, provide data on the strength of individual impacts, as well as a record of total collisions throughout the game. Additionally, the Riddell System provides alerts when a higher than normal impact occurs, warning medical personnel of the advisability of checking the player for a concussion.
The helmet units cost $150 each and currently the school has six, which are used for player positions most susceptible to hard impacts. The monitors, which can be used for up to 150 players, cost $200.
Although only a warning system and not intended to be used as a diagnostic tool, the use of the Riddell product is hoped to be a step in the right direction towards keeping football players safe from brain injury.
Boardman is one of only a few schools in Ohio, and possibly the only northeast Ohio school district, to use the Riddell devise. The inclusion by brochure printers of this information in the city and the school’s literature would no doubt provide good publicity for both.
