Helmet rule brings debate to a head

Sides split on safety benefits for players

Next year, girls playing lacrosse in Florida high schools will look decidedly different than their peers across the rest of the country.

Beginning in 2018, players in the Sunshine State will wear helmets during games — a Florida High School Athletic Association mandate that’s a first in the U.S. Previously, players were required to wear padded goggles.

US Lacrosse, the governing body for the sport nationwide, has no such helmet rule for girls. But just this year, the National Federation of State High School Associations allowed the optional use of two models of headgear beyond the padded headbands familiar to fans and players of the game.

According to Consumer Product Safety Commission data, lacrosse (both genders) was ranked No. 13 in terms of sports injuries that required trips to the emergency room for athletes between the ages of 13-17. Between 2002 and 2014, there were an average of 5,830 such injuries each year, and the most common injury was to the head; female athletes were just 26.4 percent of the total.

Still, Florida’s prep sports association’s decision to require helmets has split the lacrosse community. While player safety remains a top concern, many think helmets aren’t the answer.

“I think it’s an abomination of what this sport is and how it’s