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AFM Magazine


AEMA Report: Shoulder Pads – To Recondition or Not to Recondition?

by: Sam Trusner
AEMA Board Member
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Many professionals involved in the administration of athletic programs that involve the use of various types of protective equipment are faced with the dilemma of keeping the equipment in reliable and sanitary condition from season to season. As with most of the other tasks they are assigned, this endeavor is frequently controlled by the constant constraints on today’s sports budgets and the perceived value of these expenses.

Few will argue the significance and necessity of establishing an annual schedule to monitor the repair and recertification of protective head gear, mostly because of liability issues and suggested manufacturer’s guidelines. But there remains vastly differing views on the necessity to duplicate these services with shoulder protection pads.

Because there is not a governing body that mandates these items to be reevaluated, most programs choose to disregard their repair or only submit them when major damage is present. Personal safety, hygienic concerns, and inventory effects are all matters that should be addressed when these discussions are being held and every program needs to evaluate their ability to comply with appropriate preventive measures and schedules. 

Budget size and allocation of those funds will always be a major determinant of how involved a program will be able to commit to these procedures. However, budget and available funds should never be the only factor considered. Many of the most common issues with shoulder pads are easily remedied through inexpensive solutions and can be performed by coaches, student managers, or even “friends of the program”  who just want to be involved and help out. Usually, no special tools or machinery is required, and even the problems that do require a special tool or device have relatively inexpensive needs available at local hardware stores.

The most important part of the entire process is in the time and energy involved in performing the tasks and ensuring that every pad gets attention. A common, and dangerous, mistake many departments and coaches make is that they only concern themselves with the pads the “star players” will wear. Common sense and fairness should tell you that the less-skilled players will require equal, if not better, protection than the other group since they are not as able to protect themselves, react as quickly, or perform the needed task as well as the better athletes.  Many times, these individuals are not as developed muscularly and flexibly and so they do not have the same level of awareness or ability to physically react to the added forces being applied to their torso.

Reconditioning professionals are willing to provide bids and propose schedules for shoulder pad reconditioning when they are pricing the helmet inventory. Administrators and coaches need to consider the total cost, including all freight charges, just as they should for helmets. It is usually less expensive for the reconditioner to provide major damage repair, since they are able to purchase the necessary parts in bulk, and have the necessary tools and equipment to perform the repairs. 

Always consider the age of the pads prior to agreeing to repairs and consider how worn the interior padding might be. Replacing the pad with a newer one may seem more budget friendly, but if the pad has reached a point that it is no longer able to provide the intended amount of protection, then repairing the pad may not be the best investment. The assurance that the pads are being repaired by knowledgeable professionals establishes a definite value for the expenditure and saves a significant amount of time and effort in comparison to attempting the fixes in-house.

Hygiene and sanitation are important factors to evaluate in this debate prior to making a final decision on how to proceed with reconditioning.  Shoulder pads absorb huge amounts of body perspiration throughout the year and that moisture is absorbed into the foam padding of the interior linings of the pads, especially in the chest and upper back and shoulder areas. This accumulation of fluids accelerates the deterioration or breakdown of the foam, which contributes to inadequate protection and comfort. Newer styles of pads have been designed and layered with materials specifically manufactured to “draw” this moisture away from the body, and thus contributing to this build-up of sweat. Odor also becomes an unwanted and unsafe result of the sweat due to bacteria growth and development. 

This condition, unless addressed properly, may lead to the spread of infections, rashes, and in extreme cases, MRSA outbreaks. These unhealthy environments have been known to temporarily shut down athletic competitions for weeks and may even lead to hospital care. Unfortunately, many programs have established a schedule of collecting pads at the end of a season, stacking them in an unventilated, dark storage area until August, and then reissuing the pads with no treatment at all. When this is done, bacteria is only cultivated and enhanced, and it’s just a matter of time before a problem exits.

Many simple and extremely inexpensive alternatives are available like simply rinsing the pads off in a team shower area or using a small power washer and allowing the pads to air dry. Spraying the pads with a disinfectant that kills all bacteria and viruses (including MSRA) is a relatively inexpensive way to protect both the shoulder pads and the athlete.

After any cleaning it is important to allow the shoulder pads to dry in a well-ventilated area before stacking and/or storing them for next season. Off-season storage is an issue sometimes overlooked in determining whether to send the pads out to be fixed or keeping them at the facility. The majority of schools around the country are not blessed with sufficient amounts of storage space, and those that are large enough are commonly unventilated, damp, and have no climate control. All of these factors affect long-term storage of shoulder pads as well as the number of years they are able to retain their effectiveness and protection level. 

The practice of stacking shoulder pads together, whether on the floor or in racks, does not allow for proper air flow through them and tends to disfigure the body structure of the pad if too many are stacked together.  Plans for very inexpensive, individual storage racks are available and take up minimal space in a room while permitting easy access to individual pads when needed. These racks also help maintain accurate inventory records and allow the pads to be stored according to size and style for easier selection when issuing the next season. 

Sending the pads in for sanitation and repairs offers an opportunity to have the reconditioner store your shoulder pad inventory until they are needed for reissuing, and it is included in the quoted price.  By determining an agreed upon return date, storage issues become less of a concern for the school, or program, and much needed areas for other items is created.

Every situation and program has different needs, budgets, space, and personnel to handle their shoulder pad reconditioning schedule, so it is important that all the decision-makers work in unison in an effort to provide the safest equipment possible to their athletes.  No matter if the sport is football, hockey, lacrosse, or any activity that requires some type of protective equipment to be worn, the obligation of those in charge does not change and, if proper procedures are not in place, it is their responsibility to research their options and establish some type of acceptable program that incorporates sanitation, examination, and refurbishing used equipment.

Volumes of information is available through contacting a Certified Equipment Manager for their suggestions and professional input on how to solve reconditioning dilemmas. Their network of experienced contacts will be able to offer insight into specific situations and restrictions because many of them have faced the very same obstacles. Inventiveness and creativity are valuable assets in this endeavor, and has led to numerous cost-effective solutions to commonly faced problems in the industry.

Do not hesitate to contact these valuable sources of information that deal with these issues and roadblocks on a daily basis. Whatever steps are taken to improve the situation, they need to be established on an annual basis.  Extra funding is often sought through booster clubs, fund-raisers, school safety monies, or reevaluation of the reconditioning budget and reallocation of needed monies. Many of the major issues are resolvable through purchase of common tools and materials and do not require specialized knowledge to perform. Simply gathering solid information from reliable sources, deciding on the proper course of action, and then efficiently implementing the procedures will extend pad life, provide effective hygienic protection, and allow for a much more efficient and successful program for everyone involved. Please feel free to contact the AEMA www.equipmentmanagers.org, or any of its members, with any questions or concerns.








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