SG Football Helmets Purchase Justification A presentation to the North Pittsburgh Catholic Ironmen Board June 8, 2015

IRONMEN HELMET HISTORY In 2009 when the organization was formed we bought Schutt helmets. Schutt is a long time player in the football helmet industry. We have had no catastrophic injuries as a result of using Schutt helmets. We have had concussions. NO HELMET WILL EVER PREVENT 100% OF CONCUSSIONS. After every season the organization looks to improve the safety of it’s players.

Schutt Helmets These helmets are made of a polycarbonate (thermoplastic) or ABS (thermoplastic) shell. This along with a carbon steel facemask and the air liner make the helmet approximately 5 pounds. This technology is dated. The weight of a helmet has become a significant issue in the concussion discourse. A heavy helmet can cause strain and fatigue to the neck. Rotational acceleration of the head is considered a leading cause of concussion. The heavier the helmet the faster the acceleration. The shells redirect impact which is then spread across the surface area of the helmet. Picture two pool balls hitting each other.

SG Helmets Created by Bill Simpson, a pioneer in auto racing safety. His first racing helmet was introduced in 1979. On December 19, 2010 Bill Simpson was at an Indianapolis Colts game and witnessed Austin Collie getting knocked out. After testing current helmets Schutt and Riddell Bill realized that he could do better. He teamed up with Pittsburgh’s own Chip Ganassi and SG was born. Through testing Bill concluded that the weight of the helmet along with it’s materials were the problem. The SG Helmet is made of Kevlar, Carbon Fiber and a special foam licensed by NASA. The facemask is hollow stainless steel. These materials combine for a light, ultra-strong helmet weighing approximately 2.5 pounds.

SG Helmets Have you heard a youth football player referred to as a bobble head? This is because the helmet sitting on their head is to heavy for their neck and therefore causes the neck to move back and forth. Not a good scenario. A 65 pound 4th grader wearing a 5 pound helmet is carrying 7.7% of his body weight on his neck!

Quick Hitters How extensive is the use of SG? How are the current helmets performing? The Schutt helmets have performed well. The useful life is approximately 10 years as long as reconditioning protocol is followed, every other year. What about other helmet manufacturers? There are Riddell, Rawlings and Xenith. All of these helmets still use a thermoplastic shell. Who is NOCSAE? The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment certifies helmets and other athletic equipment. There is a sticker on every helmet regardless of manufacturer stating that the helmet has met their certification criteria. SG, Riddell, Schutt, Xenith and Rawlings are NOCSAE certified. How extensive is the use of SG? SG has provided a reference list of approximately 20 high schools, colleges, youth leagues, semi pro, indoor pro and the NFL (Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, individual players). No local teams are currently using the helmet. Have any Ironmen used the SG helmet? In 2014 we had 4 boys wear the helmet. All had positive feedback especially in relation to weight. The 4 players represented the developmental, jv and varsity levels.

Quick Hitters What is the Virginia Tech Star rating System? A testing system whereby linear head acceleration is measured. This is done through drop tests. “Helmets that better manage the impact energy by resulting in lower head accelerations will likely result in fewer head injuries.” So, the lower the STAR value the better the helmet in theory. The VT Star system should be used as one of the evaluation criteria when comparing helmets. The tests do not currently include youth helmets, only adult. Our current helmet is the Schutt DNA Pro+ (pre-2013) and is rated a 4 Star: Very Good by VT. The SG helmet is rated as a 5 star helmet.

Conclusion The NPC Ironmen board believes in the science of SG Helmets compared to our current technology and feel it is best to equip our smaller players with this helmet. We have a negotiated price of $254 per helmet (39% discount off list, min 50 helmets). We would like to purchase 60 SG helmets at a cost $15,240. The terms are 50% of the order due upon order and the balance is due October 31, 2015. SG helmets much be reconditioning every two years at a cost of $50/helmet. Shutt reconditioning is also every two years at a cost of $25-$30/helmet. Currently we pay approximately $175 for the Schutt helmet. We are looking for ways to sell our used helmets.