EvoShield: Game Changing Protection
EvoShield: Game Changing Protection
July 20, 2011
With the many advancements we have seen in
the world of sports in recent years, the speed
and intensity of games across the globe has
increased exponentially. With this increase in
intensity, the need to adequately protect
athletes, regardless of age or playing level, has
never been greater. EvoShield, a sports
equipment company based out of Athens,
Georgia, was quick to catch on to this and came
up with a solution that could change the way
protective equipment is viewed throughout the
sports community.
EvoShield was birthed out of a radiologist’s
design for a protective vest to help prevent heart related injuries for his sons and has since evolved into
much more. Using a lightweight custom-molding composite material, EvoShield’s wide array of
equipment form fits to the unique shape of each individual athlete’s body, removing the element of
added weight or hindrance caused by many traditional forms of protection. The composite comes soft,
sealed in a foil bag, and once removed reacts with elements in the air and hardens into a custom-fit,
protective shield that is lighter and more durable than other protective equipment previously available.
Rather than absorbing the shockwaves of impact like its foam predecessors, EvoShield equipment
actually disperses or attenuates the force of impact away from the athlete’s body.
A recent hot topic of discussion in sports, and
baseball circles specifically, has been a lethal
phenomenon called commotio cordis.
Commotio cordis can occur from a blow to the
chest area that disrupts the natural rhythm of
the heart beating during a critical time of the
heart’s beat cycle. Commotio Cordis has been
most commonly seen in baseball, many times
coming as a result of a line drive back at the
pitcher, and carries approximately a 65%
fatality rate.(1) The few recoveries from this
event were only possible with the use of an
AED (Automated External Defribillator.), a
device that is now beginning to show up in
baseball facilities across the nation. The exact
nature of commotio cordis has not been found,
and the phenomenon has even occurred to catchers who were wearing their protective gear. Tests
conducted by a leading facility in the southeastern United States showed that EvoShield’s composite
material reduces the impact of projectiles on the athlete’s body more effectively than other protection
available. The results, shown below, measure backface deformation, meaning the protrusion of a nonpenetrable
projectile on an object directly behind a tested protective plate. The three items tested include
EvoShield’s chest protector, a generic brand
As evidenced by the chart, EvoShield’s chest protector
generated almost 4 millimeters less of backface
deformation than the average chest protector and almost
10 less millimeters than wearing no protection at all, and
with an injury as volatile as Commotio Cordis, every
millimeter can be extremely crucial. EvoShield yielded
some of the best impact results ever seen for a material
of its weight and thickness. Scientists noted that
Commotio Cordis occurs not only as a result of blows
over the heart, but also from blows to the rib cage and on
the back under the scapulas, both areas covered by
EvoShield’s chest protector. While there is no hard
evidence to prove that EvoShield’s technology actually
prevents commotio cordis, there have been a number of
anecdotal stories from parents whose children were
struck in the chest, and walked away without harm, and
as of yet there have been no reported cases of commotio cordis from athletes who were wearing
EvoShield’s protective equipment.
Parents have been quick to praise the performance of
EvoShield’s gear, one such mom claiming it may have saved
her child’s life. Janice McNamara’s son Patrick, 12, was
pitching in a little league tournament in Forsyth, Georgia
when he was suddenly struck by a screaming line drive back
up the middle. The ball struck Patrick directly in the chest,
directly in the spot where he was wearing an EvoShield chest
protector. Spectators feared the worst as he fell to the
ground, but remarkably, the young pitcher was able to get up
and walk off the field. The injury left Patrick with a slight
bruise under his chest protector, but Janice claims that if not
for her son wearing the EvoShield, things could have turned
out very different. “I strongly believe that if it had not been
for EvoShield, my child would have been seriously injured,
if not fatally.” says McNamara. “Coaches, parents, and umpires were amazed at how Patrick was able to
walk off the field and continue playing in the remainder of the game.” Stories like this are a chilling
reminder that while rare, life threatening events do happen in sports, regardless of the playing level.
Thankfully, Patrick had adequate protection that day that may have prevented him from any serious
harm, and allowed him to get back to playing the game he loves.
The overwhelming majority of injuries that athletes encounter, however, are not life threatening, but
many can still keep an athlete off the field for a prolonged period of time. One of the most common
nagging injuries in baseball has been the wear and bruising on the thumb and palm of the hand that
many catchers experience after prolonged innings behind the plate. After constantly gloving pitches for
hours on end, many catchers experience excruciating pain in their thumbs that can keep them from being
able to go out and play in their next game. This threat that can be especially prevalent for kids who play
in travel tournaments, where they might be asked to catch as many as four games in a span of just two or
three days. Drawing from their backgrounds in collegiate and professional sports, the team at EvoShield
was able to come up with a piece of equipment that has been instrumental in preventing this injury,
allowing catchers to prolong their time on the field.
EvoShield’s Multiformat Hourglass thumb guard comes ready
to be molded, as flexible as a sheet of paper. But, just like the
chest protector, when it is removed from its foil bag, the pliable
material begins to slowly harden, at which point it can be
wrapped around the thumb or heel of the hand to provide a
durable, custom-fit shell of defense. Unlike many other forms
of protection that have been created to defend against this
injury, EvoShield’s Hourglass thumb guard not only custom
molds to the athlete’s hand, but also molds to the inside of the
player’s glove, a feature which allows it to be hardly noticeable
when wearing. Many catchers have stated that in the past they
wouldn’t use any thumb protection at all, because what they
had to sacrifice in flexibility and movement with the available
devices wasn’t worth the added protection. With EvoShield’s
thumb guard, however, they claim to get an even better level of
protection, without providing any extra weight or loss of
flexibility.
EvoShield’s vision has been that no athlete should ever have to suffer from a preventable injury, and
have designed their protective equipment to provide such a level of defense, without interfering with the
players’ performance. As parents know, many kids are reluctant to wear protective equipment for
various reasons, whether it be the added bulk or simply because it doesn’t “look cool”. What many
parents have come to find with EvoShield, however, is that kids actually want to wear it. Kids like the
sleek, custom fitting look of EvoShield and the added confidence they get while wearing it. Tonya,
another parent of a young baseball player was shocked claiming “I couldn’t get our son to take his off in
time for bed last night, he wanted to sleep in it!” “He used to be afraid of getting hit, but now he thinks
he is indestructible.” And while EvoShield probably can’t promise indestructability, what it can promise
is a sleek look kids will enjoy wearing while also providing a level of protection parents will love.
Sports play
a huge role
in many
people’s
lives, and
not being
able to go
out and
play the
game you
love is
something
no athlete
should ever
have to
endure.
With this in
mind,
having
adequate protection, while still being able to perform at a high level, is the optimal solution everyone
covets. And while no defense can ever fully guarantee 100% protection against all injuries, EvoShield
appears to have found a steady balance of these two key elements; providing athletes worldwide with an
unprecedented level of protection while still allowing them to go out and play at the top of their game.
With this added dimension of protection, athletes now have the opportunity to go out and play with
confidence, regardless of the intensity of their position, something that truly is game changing.
EvoShield has a full range of products covering multiple sports
including football, softball, lacrosse, hockey, soccer, and other
sports. For more information visit www.EvoShield.com. meaning
the protrusion of a nonother protection available. The results,
shown below measure the backface United Statesrden on
^ a b c Maron BJ, Estes NA 3rd (11 Mar 2010). “Medical
Progress: Commotio cordis”. N Engl J Med 362 (10): 917–27.
doi:10.1056/NEJMra0910111. PMID 20220186.
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