The Vicis Zero 1 Helmet

Seth Hornstein, Staff writer

Injuries have always been an epidemic in football, from professionals all the way down to pop warner leagues, specifically with concussions. The Vicis Zero 1 Helmet is a small startup company in Seattle and its main purpose is to prevent these head injuries.

The Vista del Lago Eagles have a new set of helmets call the Riddell Speedflex. A cushiony padded helmet that has only let one concussion slide so far this season. The Speedflex is new to the Eagles and this is the

The Vicis Zero 1 is a completely different helmet that is used in American football today. It has up to four layers of protection where as the standard helmet only has the padding and plastic shell.

The Vicis Zero 1 has four layers. The first layer is a Lode Shell that is located on the outer portion of the helmet. The second layer is called Vicis RFLX which is a springy cushion between the outer shell and the inner. The third layer is the Arch Shell, and lastly the fourth layer is a Form Liner padding.

These perks do come with a price. The price of the Vicis Zero 1 is currently set at $1,500 a piece. But with 20 to 50 kids on a team, this price will be quite a toll on schools. However, the Vicis Zero 1 will dramatically reduce concussions.

“It used to be where you either play, or don’t play,” said Doug Baldwin in an interview with CNN with the Vicis company. “There is not really much available in terms of the innovation of safety.”

But this is where Vicis comes to play their part. They have completely redesigned their helmet from the basics. This helmet is much like a car bumper; it crumples in itself to absorb force before it can hit the player, thus preventing concussions and other head injuries.

Ian Poremba is a middle linebacker at Vista, and he believes that the coaches and medical support of the football team are very serious about these kinds of injuries.

“Even with a headache, coach pulls players aside,” said Poremba.

He has only had one head injury that needed medical attention compared to others where it can be a regular obstacle. But Ian also fears that the game can become too safe and change as a whole.

“If it gets too safe to where it affects the game, it just won’t be the same,” said Poremba.  

The Vicis Zero 1 may be a game-changer, but they even  say it will not stop all concussions. It could make players overconfident and hit harder. Scientists don’t know if there will ever be a way to prevent head injuries without changing the game itself.