US Lacrosse’s safety testing contractor yesterday announced the certification of a newer version of likely the most used helmet in Florida for girls lacrosse. If the FHSAA adopts the same ruling (EDIT: They did. Please see the bottom of this article), the change would affect players beginning in the upcoming 2020 season just months away by making older versions ineligible for play.
The Cascade LX model is an integrated helmet and goggles option that recently underwent a safety approval process as part of the 2020 certification of athletic goggles. The process is handled by Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) and results in products either earning or not earning the
ASTM F3077-17 certification. US Lacrosse relies on this approval standard when determining safety equipment for use in the sport, in this case, helmets that FHSAA mandates full usage of by all girls participating in high school lacrosse in Florida.
As per the SEI website, the Cascade LX is no longer listed as an approved helmet for girls lacrosse. Instead, the newer LX18 model is shown. That model was updated in late-2018 and did receive the ASTM approval, unlike the one currently in use by most teams in Florida.
When helmets were mandated by the FHSAA in 2018, schools had a choice of either the Cascade LX or one of the two Hummingbird models. Many schools chose the Cascade, including all Hillsborough County public schools. The schools that chose Hummingbird are unaffected as those models were ASTM certified as part of the helmet testing process
If the FHSAA agrees to adopt this new ruling on helmets, it will put many schools across the state in a financial and logistical bind. Optimistically, Tampa Lax Report has heard that the FHSAA has stated they “will work with the teams” affected by this for the 2020 season.
An option benefiting the Cascade LX-using schools by the FHSAA would certainly be welcomed, as adopting the changes will be costly. “If FHSAA says ‘we can’t do anything about this’, you are going to have to buy sanctioned helmets for the 2020 season,” said Tampa Catholic girls lacrosse coach Joe Ferraro. “You’re probbably looking at $3,000 to $4,000 per team that used Cascade LX.”
Edit: Clarification on this article provided by Cascade/Maverik Lacrosse’s Global Business Director Tim Ellsworth, Hummingbird Sports’ Co-Founder Julie Stolker, and US Lacrosse’s Women’s Lacrosse Director Caitlin Kelley. We thank them all for their information and time.
Tampa Lax Report has reached out to the FHSAA for comment, but did not hear back prior to publication. We will update this article if they choose to do so.
Edit (Jan. 5, 2020): FHSAA communicated via email to Athletic Directors to offer clarification, but essentially told all schools that adherence to the new safety standards wasn’t optional for the 2020 girls season. This means that schools currently using older Cascade LX models containing only the ASTM F3077 designation will not be permitted to field teams. Those schools will need to opt for either a different helmet/goggle option such as the offerings from Hummingbird or a newer Cascade LX containing the ASTM F3077-17 safety designation. If neither option can be handled before the season starts, those schools will not be permitted to field teams.
From the email: “Starting January 1, 2020, all eyewear on the playing field must be SEI certified and bear the SEI mark for certification and will be listed on the SEI website.” “Both the headgear and eye protectors must be appropriately marked. The current certification for headgear is ASTM 3137-15 and the current certification for eye protectors is ASTM F3077-2017.”
