Boyk Law Provides Helmets for Sylvania Northview Girls’ Lacrosse Team
Charles Boyk Law Offices purchased helmets to protect the Sylvania Northview High School Girls’ Lacrosse team. Although girl’s high school lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in the Unite
d States, helmets are not mandated for girls in Ohio. High School girls’ lacrosse is supposed to feature less contact than the boys’ version, but head injuries and concussions are common.
Ohio high school boys’ lacrosse players must wear a helmet with full-face protection, mouthpiece, shoulder pads, arm pads, and gloves. However, the Ohio High School Athletics Association (OHSAA) requires high school girls’ lacrosse players to have a mouthpiece and eye protection. Only the goalie must wear a helmet in girl’s lacrosse.
Ohio and most other states follow rules established by The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which writes the rules for high school sports teams nationwide. Only the state of Florida requires its high school girl’s teams to wear helmets.
Greg Price, head coach of the Lady Kats girls’ lacrosse team says “The State of Florida required helmets in 2015 and they have shown reductions in their concussions in practices, games, and tournaments. We should work to be more proactive and mitigate the chances of a child getting a concussion because they can have long-term effects.”
The sport of lacrosse utilizes a 5 oz solid rubber ball, and an errant shot or pass can easily hit a player in the head, causing an injury or concussion. Multiple Sylvania Northview girls suffered concussions during past seasons. “Hopefully, with these helmets, we’ll see a great reduction in player concussions and lost time in the classroom and on the field,” says Greg Price. His daughter Miranda is Sylvania Northview’s Assistant Girls Lacrosse Coach. “She suggested they go out to an outside source and ask them to provide the helmets.”
Miranda is also a paralegal at Charles Boyk Law Offices. She approached Chuck Boyk about purchasing helmets for her entire team. “She explained how they wanted to make our players safer,” says Coach Greg Price. “Chuck wrote us a check for the top-of-the-line helmet for each of our players. I think it’s great to have someone in our community who cares about the safety of our kids.”
“Boyk Law Offices is happy to provide these helmets to help protect these young women from potential injury,” says Chuck Boyk. “We hope this will inspire other teams to take similar steps to enhance player safety.”
Sylvania Northview is the first Ohio high school girls’ lacrosse team to require their players to wear helmets. “When people see us on the field,” Coach Greg says, “I think opposing spectators and parents will go to their coaches and ask, “Why aren’t we wearing helmets?”
