17 Roundup of Industry News

NFHS Eliminates Tiered Risk Categories in Revised COVID-19 Guidance for High School Sports

After evaluating experiences of schools participating in high school sports during the COVID-19 pandemic, in early February the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) revised its May 2020 guidance document with a new “Statement on Risk of COVID-19 During High School Sports.” Highlighting the revised guidance is the elimination of the tiered “Potential Infection Risk by Sport” that placed sports in high-, medium- and low-risk categories. Instead, the SMAC suggests state associations and other stakeholders consider five factors in assessing potential for COVID-19 transmission in high school sports: • Prevailing community infection rates appear to be the strongest predictor for high school athletes being infected • Proven cases of direct COVID-19 transmission during athletics remain relatively rare • Participants in non-contact sports show lower rates of COVID-19 infection than those in contact sports • Participants in outdoor sports show lower rates of infection than those in indoor sports • Using face masks for indoor sports results in similar COVID-19 transmission rates to those seen in outdoor sports Regarding the discontinuation of the high-, moderate- and low-risk categories, the committee noted that as “knowledge of the virus that causes COVID-19 has evolved, we have increasingly recognized that transmission depends upon multiple factors that cannot be easily accounted for by simply dividing sports into three distinct categories of risk.” In addition to the shared experiences of many states participating in high school athletics, the SMAC used current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, as well as published and unpublished data in adopting the five factors, instead of the tiered infection risk by sport, as the best current guidance for participating in high school sports during the pandemic. “We applaud the great work of the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee throughout the past year to provide state associations and high schools with well-considered information during the pandemic,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS executive director. “We appreciate the committee’s most recent attempts to reassess how student-athletes can participate in sports moving forward. While we have to be concerned about transmission of the virus first and foremost, we also must consider the mental health of students who have been unable to play sports thus far this year.”

>> NFHS Executive Director

Karissa Niehoff

The final factor for consideration moving forward is based on accumulating evidence that the majority of sports-related spread of COVID-19 appears to occur from social contact, not during sports participation. The committee noted that preventing spread of the virus from social contact remains paramount to the continuation of sports during the pandemic. As a result, social distancing, use of masks, staying home when ill and proper hygiene must continue to be emphasized in the locker room, on the field and court, while traveling and interacting in the community. In addition to the five factors to consider in assessing the potential for COVID-19 spread in high school athletics, the SMAC listed three other resources for consideration, including materials from the CDC, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, a 15-member advisory committee, is composed of medical doctors, certified athletic trainers, high school coaches and officials, research specialists and state high school association executives that regularly develops position statements related to medical aspects of conducting high school athletics. “If the medical profession has learned anything in the past year, it is that we have to be open to regularly assessing all available evidence and make appropriate changes in policies and procedures in places of business, schools and athletics,” said Dr. Michael Koester, chair of the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee who practices pediatric and adult sports medicine at the Slocum Center in Eugene, Oregon.

NOCSAE Winter Standards Meeting Includes Focus on Lifespan Labeling for Baseball, Softball Helmets

By Marty Maciaszek

NSGA Director of Communications

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) held its 2021 Winter Standards meeting virtually on Jan. 29. Here are some of the key takeaways from the meeting: The standard performance specification for recertified baseball/softball batter’s and catcher’s helmets (ND026-11m15a) needed a 5-year affirmation because no modifications or revisions had been made to the standard in that time. It was affirmed to maintain the standard in its current form.

But the affirmation of the standard led to additional questions and comments regarding baseball and softball helmets. “Most batter’s helmets have a life span set by manufacturers and aren’t recertifiable,” said Tony Beam, the Executive Director of the National Athletic Equipment Reconditioners Association (NAERA). “Reconditioners don’t see many for baseball and softball.” Said NOCSAE Executive Director Mike Oliver: “If a manufacturer prohibits recertification it has to specify clearly on the helmet for whatever period the certification expires.” That led to a public comment and suggestion that this is not the case with all products on the market. In some cases, helmets have labeling that is encoded and therefore not consumer-friendly. NOCSAE said it is not a certification issue but a labeling issue where consumers, players, coaches and umpires would not be able to quickly know if a helmet is still legal for use. NOCSAE believes if helmets are not recertifiable the end-of-use date should not be encoded and the information should be readily available and apparent on the helmet. It was determined that research is needed to change the date format code on non-recertifiable helmets. “We should address this sooner than later,” Oliver said. “The reason for useful life requirements is so helmets out there aren’t just used indefinitely.” A question was also asked about batter’s helmets that have never been used, because 2020 baseball and softball seasons were canceled by COVID-19, and may now be illegal because of a manufacturer’s one- or two-year life span for use. Oliver said it was difficult to come up with recommendations because there were many variances in who did and didn’t play in a lot of states. “It ultimately depends on the manufacturer to specify the useful life to the helmet,” Oliver said. “Not just batter’s helmets but football helmets, too.”

A proposed revision passed on the standard performance specification used in evaluating the performance characteristics of chest protectors used for commotio cordis (ND200-20) in baseball and lacrosse. The revision was made, according to Southern Impact Research Center (SIRC) technical director Dave Halstead, to ensure there is no loophole where products in larger sizes that don’t cover and protect the cardiac silhouette are manufactured and used for play. There were also updates on football shoulder pads preventing and causing injuries and youth football helmet criteria and specifications. Regarding shoulder pads, Dr. Robert Cantu of the NOCSAE Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) said a Request For Proposal (RFP) has been developed to send to a large group of researchers and see who is interested and would be qualified to develop the type of injury epidemiology NOCSAE requires to determine if a standard is warranted. Cantu said there is a need to determine if contact with the shoulder is a mechanism of injury to the shoulder, chest, neck and head. Based on proposals received from the research community, NOCSAE will decide whether to pursue a shoulder pad standard and who is best qualified to facilitate the research work. The NOCSAE Board determined the RFP process is one of the ways NOCSAE will continue to initiate and develop possible new standards or revisions to existing standards. Cantu did share a diagram that asked if the shoulder pad could be safer for the individual being impacted. The top of the shoulder pad is causing most concussions and the front of the shoulder pad is preventing injuries for the players wearing shoulder pads, according to Cantu. The shoulder-to-head contact as a mechanism for concussions may increase as that method of tackling continues to be emphasized because of concerted efforts to remove head-tohead contact from the sport. Cantu said the youth football helmet criteria has been in proposed status for nearly a decade. Elizabeth McCalley of SIRC said helmets for ages 5-8 and 9-14 were suggested in 2019, but the reality of splitting up age groups is “virtually impossible and it’s more realistic to have one youth helmet.” McCalley said the SAC suggestion in December 2020 to make a standard where one helmet addresses impact kinematics for different groups needs to be looked into.

Study Analyzes Effects of Girls High School Lacrosse Headgear

Findings from a new research study measuring the effects of headgear in high school girls lacrosse indicate headgear is associated with a reduction in the magnitude of overall impacts, but not a change in the rate of impacts, how they occur, or how penalties were administered for impacts sustained during competition. The findings were recently published in an article in The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. The research team included two members of US Lacrosse Sports Science & Safety Committee, Dr. Shane Caswell of George Mason University, and Dr. Andrew Lincoln of MedStar Health Research Institute. The researchers monitored 49 high school players over the course of two seasons; one season with no headgear used and the second with headgear that meets ASTM standard F3137. All the players were from one high school in Virginia’s Prince William County and no concussions were diagnosed in either season. Wearable sensors synchronized with video verification were used to collect data. “Collectively, these findings provide preliminary evidence that wearing lacrosse headgear meeting the ASTM F3137 performance standard does not appreciably change game-play behaviors, while it does reduce the magnitude of head accelerations associated with body impacts sustained during high school girls’ lacrosse,” Caswell said. In their published article, Caswell and his colleagues noted, “The use of lacrosse headgear was associated with a significant reduction in the magnitude of overall impacts sustained during game play. However, the clinical significance of this reduction remains unknown, as it was largely driven by body impacts, and we observed no such reduction in magnitude when examining only verified impacts directly striking the head.” The researchers also expressed the need for further research with larger study populations to validate their findings. With significant leadership from US Lacrosse, the ASTM headgear standard was developed to help reduce impact forces associated with stick and ball contact in women’s lacrosse. Approved in 2015, it was the first performance standard for women’s lacrosse headgear. While the optional use of headgear had always been allowed in the rules, US Lacrosse updated its playing rules in 2017 by requiring that any headgear used must meet the new ASTM standard. Girls’ headgear use remains voluntary for players at all levels of play. Only Florida currently requires headgear use for state-sanctioned high school play and that headgear must meet the ASTM standard. The recent study acknowledged that opinions vary regarding the effectiveness of women’s lacrosse headgear and possible associated changes in game play that may increase the risk of injury. Advocates believe headgear use will decrease the severity of impacts and reduce the risk of head injuries, including concussions. Opponents maintain that headgear use will change the tenor of the women’s game, resulting in risk compensation and increased aggressive game-play behaviors. “Our findings suggest that anecdotal concerns about headgear causing a ‘gladiator effect’ may not translate to game play,” Caswell said. The researchers noted that their observations revealed headgear use among high school girls’ varsity lacrosse players did not result in increased impacts or changes in game-play behaviors. Furthermore, the addition of headgear resulted in no changes in the frequency of penalties administered for illegal game play by officials. “Our goal with this research was to help address the debate within the lacrosse community regarding the intended benefits and potential adverse consequences of women’s lacrosse headgear,” Lincoln said. “Our understanding of sports concussion and best practices for players' health and well-being is continually evolving.” “This research, and continued studies and collaboration with the sports science community, are essential to our policies and positions to enhance safety in the game,” said Caitlin Kelley, women’s lacrosse director at US Lacrosse. “We look to the experts and the data to inform our decisions on rules and equipment for play. We are so appreciative of the research that helps us best understand the specific needs of the women’s game and how best to protect players.”

NFHS Volleyball Rule Changes for 2021–22 Season

High school volleyball players will no longer need to obtain state association approval to wear religious headwear during competition. The rule change highlights three changes approved for the 2021–22 season by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Acting on a recommendation from the NFHS Board of Directors, the Volleyball Rules Committee amended Rule 4-1-6, noting that “head coverings worn for religious reasons are not considered hair devices” and do not require state association approval to be worn. However, they must be made of non-abrasive or soft material and fit securely. Head coverings worn for medical reasons still require state association approval. The committee also amended Rule 5-3-1a, which now allows officials to wear a white, blue (cyan) or gray collared shirt, as determined by the state association. Previously, a white shirt was required. This rules change aligns the high school rule with a similar collegiate rule that permits multiple color options.

Passino to Lead NFHS-NFL Partnership

Ed Passino, a former member of the USA Football staff for 16 years, has been selected to lead the new partnership between the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Football League (NFL), which was announced in September as a means to gain a better understanding of the participation and perception trends in high school football, and to advocate for the sport. As the Senior Consultant for High School Football Promotion, Passino, who will work from the NFHS office in Indianapolis, will be responsible for working with external stakeholders and football organizations to promote, grow and improve the overall perception of football at the high school level. "We are excited to have someone with Ed’s background to lead our efforts in promoting and growing the sport of high school football,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS executive director. “Through his positions with USA Football, Ed has worked extensively with individual high schools and many of our member state associations, so he has a great understanding of the needs at the local and state levels. We look forward to working with Ed in promoting and growing the sport of high school football.” As was announced in September, a major focus of the NFHS-NFL partnership will involve surveying of state high school association administrators, high school student-athletes, parents, coaches and officials with regard to their experiences in football and the benefits of participation. The NFHS is working with UpMetrics on various survey instruments as a part of the arrangement. While boys participation in 11-player football has exceeded one million participants every year since 1999 and remains overwhelmingly the most popular boys sport, there have been concerns about slight declines in past years. Through this partnership, the NFHS and NFL hope to better understand participation trends, identify areas for potential educational emphasis, and restore confidence on the part of all stakeholders that the sport is, in fact, more focused on risk minimization than ever before.

NJCAA Offers Four Emerging Sports

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) announced it will formally recognize competitive cheer (co-ed), clay target (co-ed), men’s volleyball and women’s wrestling as emerging sports starting in the fall of 2021. Each of the new emerging sports have garnered interest amongst NJCAA member colleges as club sports in recent years. Survey results from NJCAA membership showed an interest from membership in declaring for each of the sports, with enough programs planning to begin programs over the next three years to sustain sponsored sport status. Programs will be permitted to field teams beginning in the fall of 2021 under the recognized emerging sport distinction. There will not be an NJCAA championship opportunity during the 2021-22 academic year, however, teams will have the opportunity to participate in various season-ending events, whether through the sport's national governing body or another organization. The timeline to begin NJCAA championships will vary based on sport, depending on participation. The adoption of the four emerging sports follows the NJCAA's addition of beach volleyball in April 2018. Prior to beach volleyball, the association last added half-marathon and women's lacrosse in 2003-04. The NJCAA currently sponsors 28 sports across three divisions with 52 national championship events.