March 25 2012 We have been accepted as a member of ASTM International.
February 26 2012 Please visit our new website www.usblastmats.com for details on our blast mitigating products.
February 24 2012 We are currently working with Magna Technologies Inc to allow them to be the sole international distributor for our Blast Mats.
January 6 2012 The custom shop is now open. Please contact us for all of you impact and blast mitigation needs.
November 19 2011 We have recently signed teaming agreements with both Propper International Inc and Triumph Fabrications STL. The teaming agreement with Propper International is for our Blast Mitigating Floor Mats that have passed the United States Marine Corps testing for use in the MRAP family of vehicles. These mats will reduce the probability of injury to our troops during IED and land mine blasts. We have also submitted our ACH helmet pad to the U.S. Army for testing. The teaming agreement with Triumph Fabrications is for rotary winged aircraft parts manufacturing and development of impact mitigating technologies to increase aircrew survivability.
July 29 2011 The blog and helmet standards have been updated.
May 4 2011 The ice hockey super helmet standards have been put on hold due to helmet retention standards issues. There is currently some debate as to what the retention standard should be. There are currently no helmet retention standards for football helmets, but NOCSAE has agreed to incorporate them into a future standard. There are no chin strap standards for football or lacrosse helmets, and helmet stability and retention standards are only tested on at a single point on ice hockey and lacrosse helmets. We are now working on helmet retention because no matter how good a helmet is if it does not stay on your head it is worthless. The build of the ice hockey super helmet is coming along nicely with the completion of the male mold. The next step may be to commission the build of a second generation ultra helmet with what we have learned due the helmet retention standards issues. Some other good news is that the national sporting goods chain we mentioned on April is also looking into using the CDC's concussion awareness materials in their stores. We also received a request form a parent after their son had received his 5th concussion in 3 years playing ice hockey. We have posted out response on the MISC page.
Apr 22 2011; It has been a very busy but productive week. While we were finalizing the helmet standards it came to our attention that there were no chin strap standards for football or lacrosse helmets, no retention testing, roll off/stability, of football helmets. The ice hockey standard is extremely low. It does not matter how tough the impact standard or how good the helmet is if it does not stay on your head. We contacted the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, NOCSAE, and they agreed and stated "I think future version of the NOCSAE standard will likely have a roll off and retention or helmet stability test". The second issue that came to our attention was that a large nation wide franchise chain of second hand sporting equipment was selling used helmets that were no longer certified for play. Football, Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, and Baseball helmets that either had an expired certification sticker, certified to a previous standard, or it had been more than 5 years since they had been reconditioned. The chain has agreed to better training of it's franchisees. "we do have stringent policies on Used helmet purchasing for our franchisees, obviously we still have work to do educating our franchisees and their staff on the proper processes in buying Used helmets in any sport. I will take this up with our training department immediately to ensure our franchisees and their staff improve their implementation of our Used Buying Policies & Procedures".
Apr 18 2011; We had an excellent discussion with Sports Concussions .org about US Youth Soccer adopting the CDC's concussion awareness program and soccer headgear. We also discussed the skull fracture of a lacrosse player who was hit in the helmet with a ball. You have to wonder why NOCSAE dropped the projectile testing of lacrosse helmet in 2005. Now we are seeing skull fractures from ball impacts. We have also finalized our ice hockey super helmet design and testing criteria.
Apr 5 2011; On Feb 25th we asked US Youth Soccer to provide concussion training and use a concussion awareness program. We are happy to announce that on Mar 31st US Youth Soccer teamed up with the CDC for the heads up concussion awareness and training program!
Mar 17 2011; Please support Sen Tom Udall's and Rep Bill Pascrell's helmet safety bill. Contact your Senator and Representative today!
US Youth Sports Board meeting Mar 18 2011 8pm. The public is welcome.
Feb 25 2011; US Youth Sports asked US Youth Soccer and US Soccer why they declined to participate in the CDC's concussion awareness program. We strongly urge parents to contact US Youth Soccer and US Soccer and ask them to adopt concussion awareness programs and training. All youth sports should be required to have concussion awareness programs and training for coaches, officials, and parents.
Contact www.usyouthsoccer.org and www.ussoccer.com and ask them to participate in the CDC's concussion awareness program.
Feb 24 2011; We had an excellent dialog with USA Football. They offer coaching certification and concussion awareness training for coaches. It has come to our attention that most youth football programs below the high school level do not have certified coaches or concussion awareness programs. We at US Youth Sports would strongly recommend that parents ask their child's league to join a program like USA Football. www.usafootball.com
Feb 14 2011; US Youth Sports received an unsolicited call from the Hockey Equipment Certification Council's counsel, it was a conference call including a gentleman from the ASTM F08 sports committee. They asked what our intentions were. I reiterated that we were simply trying to have tougher helmet testing requirements put in place to lower the probability of TBI. They said there was no evidence that tougher standards would reduce TBI.
Reducing there current 300g test limit to a <150g limit will reduce the probability of severe concussions by >6% points.
Feb 8 2011; US Youth Sports received a reply from the Hockey Equipment Certification Council about the current ice hockey helmet standards. It was from their counsel and the first line was "First there are some inaccuracies in your questions including, equating concussions with TBI's."
He lost all credibility at that point. A concussion is a TBI.
Jan 10 2011; US Youth Sports received a reply from USA Hockey regarding hard shell elbow pads.
Kenny Rousch Manager, Youth Ice Hockey replied "You bring up a great point and I have been on that side for years. I will bring it up in our next rule/development meeting."
Jan 5 2011; US Youth Sports asked USA Hockey to ban the use of hard shell elbow pads.
Jan 3 2011; US Youth Sports asked US Lacrosse to ban hard shell pads.
One simple change in the rules that may help reduce concussions in mens/boys lacrosse. The NHL has banned the use of hard shell elbow pads. NHL rule 12.3 Elbow Pads - All elbow pads which do not have a soft protective outer covering of sponge rubber or similar material at least one-half inch (1/2'') thick shall be considered dangerous equipment.
Unfortunately USAHockey still allows the use of these pads in youth sports. US Lacrosse could adopt a similar rule banning hard shell pads and require that they be covered in foam.
Dec 28 2010; US Youth Sports asked the director of the NCAA to adopt NOCSAE standards for ice hockey helmets. (We also sent the same letter to the Hockey Equipment Certification Council asking them to adopt the tougher NOCSAE standards.)
Dear Mr. Emmert,
We at US Youth Sports are looking at ways to reduce the number of concussions (TBI) in sports. We realize that we can never prevent all concussions, but we are looking into ways to minimize the risk to players and minimize their lost playing time due to concussions. One fact that has come to our attention is that helmets used by the NCAA in sporting events, except ice hockey helmets, are required to be certified by NOCSAE. The current certification for ice hockey helmets by the HECC is less stringent than the NOCSAE requirements for certification. I would propose that the NCAA adopt the tougher NOCSAE standards.
Dec 23 2010; US Youth Sports asked the director of USA Hockey to require that all hockey helmets meet NOCSAE standards. Why are hockey helmets not required to be certified by NOCSEA as are all other sports helmets, football, lacrosse and, baseball in the US? The certification testing appears to be more stringent than the USA Hockey required HECC certification.
