Last week when Sumner Academy’s football team took the field, they did so with helmets equipped with new head impact sensors as part of a continued player protection initiative led by McCarthy Auto Group, PrepsKC and Riddell.
As a participating program, Sumner Academy joins four other schools – Lees Summit, Spring Hill, Basehor-Linwood and Wyandotte High School – all of which received Riddell’s InSite Impact Response System for use with select student athletes this season. In total, 20 Kansas City area schools use InSite in their Riddell helmets.
Following Sumner Academy’s opening night win over Bishop Ward 21-16, school athletic director Cecil Christwell shared why his team was eager to use Riddell InSite this season.
“I was really excited for our school to be chosen to participate in the pilot program,” Christwell said. “I am a big proponent of innovation and ways to make the game more safe.”
A football helmet-based sensor technology, Riddell InSite alerts sideline staff when a player experiences a significant single impact or multiple impacts during a game or practice. Riddell InSite measures head impact on five key, distinct locations within the helmet and it has the ability to program thresholds by player position. With an increased focus on head injury in football, Riddell InSite provides coaches and trainers with an “extra set of eyes” that helps them better monitor the action on the field of play.
Christwell sees the addition of Riddell InSite as a helpful tool for team staff and medical personnel.
“In collaboration with our trainer and coaching staff, the goal is to use this program in tandem with our current medical protocols to assist with evaluating our athletes” Christwell said. “Outside of our perceptions of what we believe is an ‘impactful’ hit, this tool will pick up "impacts" that we might not see, which can help us evaluate our athletes much sooner.”
Since its launch in the fall of 2013, Riddell InSite has proved to be a valuable tool in helping identify and manage potential head injuries. We’ll check back in with Sumner Academy to share more about their season and hear about how Riddell InSite is advancing player protection for their team.
