Latest in football helmet technology comes to Battle Ground

What makes the helmet unique? A scanning app captures a three-dimensional (3D) image of an athlete’s head to customize the helmet’s internal system of pads for a personalized fit. Players say the interior padding, engineered to lessen the impact of helmet-to-helmet contact, feels similar to memory foam.

Externally, the helmet’s shell has multiple flex panels that work to reduce impact on collision. It also features smart technology sensoring, which analyzes a player’s head impact exposure and tracks data in real time. No teams locally have activated that feature yet, but plan to in the near future.

Seton Catholic coach Dennis Herling keeps extra tabs on the latest in football safety and goes above and beyond to provide players access to the best equipment possible. Not just because of his title as head coach, but also because of Herling’s personal experience as somebody with seven documented concussions.

This off-season, Herling informed players’ families of the option to purchase Axiom helmets or stick with the program’s current models. About 25 percent of the program’s players wear Axioms.

The price tag? About $700, but they’re worth every dollar, Herling said.

“I’m at a place where it’s like, there’s nothing you can do to prevent it for me now,” the coach said. “That ship has sailed, but what I can do is help prevent it to the best of my ability as a coach. … This might really change the game and reduce the number of concussions.”

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