On Jun 1, 15:07, Scott Ayen wrote:
>College Level Players are Adults and as such should not be told
>by anyone, including the NCAA, which form of protection is best for
>them.  They all know the Pros and Cons and if they deside to choose a
>Full Shield over a half shield then so be it.  If they choose to wear the
>half shield it is their choice and no one elses.  As adults I think they can
>make the best choice for themself.
 
Uh-huh.  And assuming a player does choose the half shield... supposing he then
suffers some sort of debilitating injury, say a skate to the jaw, that a full
shield would have "obviously" prevented or lessened the severity of?  Will he
be adult enough to say, "well, it was my choice, and I'll just have to live
with it"?  I would hope so, but in this day and age, he's far more likely to
sue the athletic department, university administration, NCAA, and probably even
the helmet manufacturer for not REQUIRING him to wear the full shield.  And
he's pretty likely to win the lawsuit or at least force a large monetary
settlement.
 
I have never played ice hockey, and I'm frankly in no danger of ever doing so,
so I can't speak from experience as to whether the half or full shield offers
more visibility, feels better, etc.  I have also totally ignored the recent
flame-fest (excuse me, "discussion") on the issue -- the Delete key, or in my
case mouse button, can indeed be a good friend.  But if I had a large sum of
money, I would be willing to bet most of it on the NCAA's *never* going for the
half shield in place of the full shield, regardless of what the coaches,
players, and any studies they can come up with will say.  Fear of the Big
Lawsuit, combined with the likelihood that insurance companies would jack up
the rates for hockey team coverage if the full shield were dropped, will keep
the NCAA from making the switch.
 
--
Bill Fenwick                                   Email:  [log in to unmask]
Digicomp Research                              Voice:  (607) 273-5900 ext 32
 
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