With a continued focus on concussion awareness and reduction, Regents School of Austin is the first high school in Austin, and second in the state, to purchase Guardian Caps, a progressive football safety technology designed to reduce the repetitive head impact that occurs in everyday football practice. All Varsity, Sub-Varsity and 7th/8th Grade football players will use Guardian Caps during contact practices. The Guardian is a lightweight, waterproof helmet cover that has a low coefficient of friction from contacts with the helmet.
“All administrators, coaches and parents are concerned for the safety and well-being of our kids in sports, but especially contact sports like football. Even though there is no equipment or technology on the market that eliminates concussions, we do believe that advancements in both are helping in the reduction of head injuries,” stated Regents’ Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach Beck Brydon.
According to most published market research, including data from the Center for Disease Control, over 75% percent of football concussions occur in practice, not in games. Brydon added, “Our practice drills have improved as well as our tackling technique, and we’re doing a lot less full-contact activity during practices than we used to. If the Guardian Cap provides another level of safety on top of that, then we’re going to require that our kids use it.”
Last year, Regents joined a growing number of schools that implemented the ImPACT concussion evaluation system. Student-athletes in all high school team sports as well as those playing middle school football were required to take ImPACT’s individualized baseline test before their respective seasons began. Those athletes that received, or were thought to have received, a concussion in their sport were then required to take a post-injury neurocognitive test as a condition of the schools return-to-play protocol.
Regents commences high school football practices on Monday, August 6. The Knights scrimmage St. Andrews on Friday, August 24 and play their first game on Friday, August 31 when they travel to play The Woodlands Christian Academy Warriors. This game marks the first time these two schools will have square off. Both teams had successful seasons in 2011 as Regents played for the TAPPS Division III State Title and The Woodlands lost a close TAPPS Division IV State Semifinal.
For more information on Regents School of Austin visit: www.regentsschool.com
Contact Information for Beck Brydon: Office (512) 899-9563 x8,
Fax (512) 899-9573, bbrydon@regents-austin.com
