School tries high-tech protection for hits to the head

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Lori Gill futzes around with an app on her tablet as she stands on the sideline during football practice at Riverdale Country School (RCS).

But Gill, the school’s athletic trainer, is not checking the weather or goofing off on the job. She is monitoring the G-force of the hits the players sustain to their heads.

New this year at the school, each player has a sensor stuck to the top of the inside of his helmet that registers the force of blows to the head. The sensor, which will also be used in lacrosse helmets next spring, is a black strip that is taped between padding near the crown of the helmet. About six inches long, the sensor is number-coded for identification purposes. 

If a hit is greater than 20 G, it is logged in the system, and if one is greater than 40 G, an alert is immediately sent to Gill’s tablet with the name and number of the player. The technology gives Gill hard data on hits that may cause a concussion, and then she can decide the best course of action — ask the player if he is OK if it was a lesser hit, or pull the player off the practice field to be examined on a harder hit.

The sensors are only one component of the school’s extensive concussion protocol, which includes even more cutting-edge technology and equipment. Gill and John Pizzi, the school’s athletic director, do not believe they can eradicate concussions among their football and lacrosse players, but Pizzi, a self-described “concussion activist,” believes the school’s protocol is the best way to keep athletes safe. There is a cost associated with the brand-new technology, but Pizzi believes it is not exorbitant for the services being received.

“People don’t know what they’re doing [regarding concussions] and there’s this opportunity to make money on this,” he said. “This is going to be a multi-billion dollar business. Everyone is trying to find their niche, so what we’re trying to do is find ours and do it well.”

There is always a risk that players will lie about their symptoms to get back on the field quicker, and Pizzi acknowledges that some are skeptical of the new technology and what it will mean in the future. 

concussions, Riverdale Country School, football, Lori Gill, Chris Mascaro
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