As many of our customers already know, Unequal has been out front on the development of effective protection for commotio cordis for years, so we applaud the new lacrosse standards being implemented. While we are very confident in the overall effectiveness of the Unequal HART products, we now have a certified version of our lacrosse goalie chest protector, and also our all-new lacrosse player shoulder pads. While it was a prolonged process, we can now feel comfortable saying Unequal Technologies has the most accredited NOCSAE approved lacrosse equipment available (with an FDA Claim and Tufts peer reviewed study).
While transitioning for players will be challenging, Unequal’s CC Lax shoulder pads, goalie gear, and Pulse compression shirt will likely will be the easiest gear for those having to make the change. It’s thinner and has a lower profile. This is important to understand. Players dislike playing in almost all of the other approved shoulder pads because of the way they are constructed. We have the only gear that uses Kevlar® to absorb and disperse impact, and so it does not rely on a bulky plastic shield that can easily get in the way. Our tech simply allows us to more with less. We are hearing from elite college lax players (Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia, Georgetown, Syracuse) who were given NOSCAE gear that it is difficult to use. Their words, “horrible, bulky, can’t see the ground around my feet (blind spot).”
Most importantly… Unequal Technologies has the only NOSCAE gear that has the protection positioned appropriately over the heart as per the new standard ND200-21. All the other gear is center chest, which is no longer the current standard. Also, we are still providing left side protection, where other gear leaves players hearts exposed.
As of today, Unequal Technologies has the only gear that will be compliant as of January 1, 2023 as per the ND 200-21. Check http://www.seinet.org
Starting January 1, 2022, the NCAA, National Federation of High Schools (“NFHS”), and USA Lacrosse have mandated Chest protectors that safeguard players from Commotio Cordis, the #2 killer in sports. Specifically, chest protectors for goalies and field players must be NOCSAE certified. Your coach will be required to represent this compliance to the referees.
Specifically…
“Goalkeepers shall use chest protectors designed for lacrosse certified to the NOCSAE commotio cordis protective device standard at the time of manufacture, or they shall wear an alternative protective device certified to the NOCSAE commotio cordis protective device standard at the time of manufacture.
Beginning January 2022, field players shall wear shoulder pads protectors certified to the NOCSAE commotio cordis protective device standard at the time of manufacture, or they shall wear an alternative protective device certified to the NOCSAE commotio cordis protective device standard at the time of manufacture.”
