Safety Initiatives
Heads Up Coaching Certifications
100% of the Junior Cougar football coaching staff is required to take part in the sport’s only nationally accredited course with content created from football experts and health professionals. All coaches will be certified with a valid USA Football certification covering topics such as concussion recognition & response, heat preparedness & hydration, and sudden cardiac arrest.
Helmet Impact Sensors (Not Available 2019 Season)
The Junior Cougars are proud to announce a safety-focused partnership with Common Sensor, LLC to equip 100% of our youth football helmets with Common Sensor technology. Common Sensors detect and monitor rapid acceleration or deceleration of the head above a specified limit. When this occurs, a bright red LED light will turn on indicating that a medical evaluation be done.
Custom Fit Mouth Guards
A correct, custom fit mouth guard helps to protect against concussions and other potential injuries by minimizing situations where the lower jaw jams into the upper jaw. The Junior Cougars are proud to partner with Wesley Dental, one of our founding sponsors, to offer our youth football players the most technologically advanced, custom fit mouth guards at a discounted rate.
Highest-Rated Safety Equipment
Virginia Tech University researchers have developed a STAR rating system that indicates helmets’ ability to absorb impacts. Helmets are then ranked from best to worst and grouped into categories labeled by stars: Five stars indicate the most protection, one star the least. With support from our founding sponsors, the Jr Cougars are proud to offer 5-star helmets to our football players.
Cutting-Edge Technologies & Research
The Junior Cougars are committed to seeking and identifying the most up-to-date technologies, equipment and methodologies for maintaining as high a safety-level as possible for our youth cheer leaders and football players. Some of our current explorations include but are not limited to blood work-based concussion testing and the most technologically advanced impact sensors.