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Athletic director recommends buying high-end helmets and advises caution on Guardian caps amid warranty and certification questions
Summary
Taylor County Schools athletic staff presented options to reduce concussions, recommending purchase of a limited set of Axiom helmets while holding off on large-scale Guardian-cap purchases until certifying and warranty questions are resolved; trainers would use helmet sensors to flag high-contact events for medical assessment.
Taylor County Schools' athletic director Rich Ward told the board the district faces a choice over how to use recent athletics funds to reduce head-injury risks, recommending the purchase of higher-end Axiom helmets while advising caution about wide-scale use of Guardian caps.
Ward said the Axiom helmet "is the best one you can buy on the market for high school players," and explained that the district could buy seven Axiom helmets and receive an eighth free under a vendor deal. He said the Axiom is about $550 apiece, while the SpeedFlex helmets the district already uses cost roughly $415 under the dealer arrangement.
Ward and Coach Foley described how Axiom helmets differ from older models: multiple energy-displacement panels, thicker padding and custom-fit liners with sensors. Foley said the helmets pair with an iPad-based system that will notify the athletic trainer when a helmet records a high-contact event so the trainer can "pull them over and then assess them."
Board members pressed Ward on Guardian caps (soft practice caps some programs use). Ward said manufacturers and a national certifying body treat Guardian caps differently; he reported that some helmet-makers claim placing an uncertified cap over a certified helmet could affect the helmet's designed panel movement and therefore the warranty. "When you put that Guardian cap on there, it doesn't allow these panels to do its work," Foley said, adding that coverage could also blunt or alter sensor readings.
Ward cited mixed local experience: some conference schools received Guardian caps via grants but left them unused over warranty concerns. He also summarized research trade-offs: NFL practice studies have shown lower concussion counts in some cases with Guardian caps on the sides of the head, but other crash-dummy testing showed limited benefit for frontal and rear impacts.
Given the insurance and certification questions, Ward recommended the board authorize buying eight higher-end helmets now (to begin upgrading the roster of skilled players) and suggested purchasing Guardian caps only on a per-request basis for parents who want them for individual students. "Until we resolve the issue of the certification of these Guardian caps, which could or could not void the warranty on the helmets, I would recommend that we not buy a lot of them," Ward said.
The board did not take a binding procurement vote during the meeting; members asked staff to return with final costs, implementation details for sensor data and reconditioning schedules, and guidance on how purchases would be phased across seasons and schools. The athletic staff noted the ongoing need to budget for recertification and replacement, typically over a 10-year cycle.
