Helmets Needed

Helmets Needed

Eva Dominguez, Staff Writer

Why helmets should be required in girls lacrosse:

Women/Girls lacrosse is one of the most dangerous sports ever. In fact the US women’s lacrosse team ranks second only to American football in incident rate of concussions. So how do we prevent these concussions? The answer is simple. All we need to do is ensure that every woman/girl lacrosse player wears a helmet.

How do these concussions even occur? Well according to recent studies lacrosse balls are inflexible (like rocks) and almost always moving fast. Advances in stick design now enable athletes to fling lacrosse balls at speeds over 100 miles per hour. A hit to the head with something that hard and going that fast could lead to traumatic head injury unless the player is wearing a proper helmet.

Some might say that helmets ruin the finesse of the game. But which is more important; our safety or how we look? Our safety trumps how we look in any situation. Not wearing helmets because of how it looks can affect how a player looks at herself feeling that she isn’t “beautiful enough”. This could lead to a player’s insecurity.

So, what will you do to ensure that helmets are worn? You can start by wearing one yourself (if you play) and encouraging family members, teammates, and friends that play to wear one too. Helmets are guaranteed to ensure women/girls lacrosse players. If you still are against helmets, think about the question I asked earlier.

Our safety or our beauty?