The story
The school board is finally voting on girls lacrosse helmets tonight.
Really? Are you sure?
Yes. More than a month has passed since the original girls lacrosse helmets meeting on October 7. Five players and two parents spoke at the October 15 meeting to discourage the helmets, but the vote was ultimately postponed to tonight.
So…
So we’ve broken down important facts and each side so you can take your pick, grab some foam fingers and popcorn and enjoy the show.
Just some things for you to remember…
US Lacrosse and NHIAA maintain that helmets are optional in the sport, even though the device exists. US Lacrosse is currently funding a two year study to look at the effect of headgear on injury rate in the sport. The gladiator effect is the idea that players will be more aggressive towards opponents who appear to be more protected. Pelham is the first team in NH to wear helmets.
The Player/Parent Side
Response to Action
No thanks! Every player that’s spoken out is opposed to helmets.They are concerned that the game will dramatically change if helmets are mandated, and become similar to the boys game. And why do girls have to be like the boys? They feel well-protected by their current required goggles.
The Risk
Nope. Incorrect. They’ve either never or rarely seen a concussion in lacrosse. They’re not entirely sure how you get hit in the head with a stick or the ball, unless you don’t know how to play. Like Pelham… They are also concerned that their helmets would injure the players they’re playing against. We mean, sportsmanship is nice, but it seems like a nice, strategic advantage.
Game Change
Players have said they personally play more aggressively towards more protected players, and are worried how teams would start to play against them if they wore helmets. They think this will lead to more injuries. The current study hypothesizes that the injury rate for helmet-wearers is going to be higher, but we’ll just wait and see…in a year…
School Board Jurisdiction?
This is a policy that should come from US Lacrosse or NHIAA, not the school board. As one parent said, it should be every team wearing helmets, or no team wearing helmets.
The Rest of the State
According to the players, Pelham needed helmets because they’re bad and couldn’t handle the ball. As a D1 team who makes it to playoffs every year, Bedford doesn’t need them.
The Bill Kassler Side
Reason for Action
Dr. Kassler is on a mission to protect against head injuries. Since US Lacrosse created a helmet and standards of play for the helmet, the team should be wearing them. He thinks that, by not requiring the use of these helmets, the school district is putting girls in danger and not doing its job. He believes that the level of head injuries in girls lacrosse is not an acceptable risk, and that the helmets remedy that.
The Risk
His main concern? Brain damage. Dr. Kassler is worried about stick and ball hits to the head, because, not only can they cause concussions, they can cause sub-concussive injuries. All of the above can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). That’s bad.
Game Change
Dr. Kassler doesn’t care if the game changes. Dr. Kassler, the king of data, could only find one study, on field hockey, that looked at the gladiator effect. But it concluded that the gladiator effect does not cause an increase in injuries. He feels like there is enough data (this study and many others) to support going forward, but is always open to changing policy if new data supersedes his data in the future.
School Board Jurisdiction?
Yes, they have it. This is a policy. It deals with students. Dr. Kassler, just like any other Bedford resident, has the right to bring an issue to the board. (But yes, he may have more power than any other resident.) As to US Lacrosse, Dr. Kassler feels that sports organizations are slow to change, and the district shouldn’t wait for the governing body to mandate helmets.
The Rest of the State
Dr. Kassler doesn’t think it’s a big deal that we’d be the only DI school to wear helmets. As to players’ idea that Pelham needs helmets because they’re bad, he no comprendos. His point: if these head injuries mostly happen in games, shouldn’t the teams playing against bad teams wear the helmets?
The Runaway
It was an unofficial 4-1 last meeting, so we’ll see what happens…unless it’s postponed…and then we do this again…
What to say…
When you’re still completely befuddled at to what the heck happened with football…
Whatever happened to beginner’s luck? We asked new coach, Mr. Matthews, how the team feels about the big loss, and their plans looking forward for the next season. And guess what? They’re disappointed. Big surprise there. Is he disappointed? Yes, absolutely. He came intro the season with the state champs. Are we disappointed? Possibly. We were hoping for a good underdog story. So what’s next? Apparently, many of the up-and-comers have already begun talking about the 2020 season. Lots of newer players are pushing for more playing time at the varsity level. They’re learning from the mistakes that were made this fall and trying to make necessary improvements for next year, such as great attendance and participation in their off-season workouts. In other words? Avoid the weight room until next fall.
When you’re trying to plan the rest of your November weekends out…
Don’t worry about sports games anymore. We’re done. Boys soccer lost to Hanover in the championship game Saturday 1-0 in the penalty kick round. We’re very sad. Our only victory this season was golf. But don’t worry, hockey is coming…the golf of winter…
Things to Know
Screw Sports
Go see the musical this weekend – “The Wedding Singer.”**
Heads up — IT’S A DRILL
Active shooter drill this Thursday…woohoo…
Last But Not Least
Freshmen intersession signups tonight. Take what’s left.
**It’s PG-13. Viewer discretion advised.