March 22, 2004

As you may know, Cornell men's lacrosse player George Boiardi died after accidentally being struck in the chest with a ball in a game against Binghamton on Wednesday, March 17, 2004.US Lacrosse mourns this tragic loss, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Boiardi Family.

In addition to sorrow, a loss of life on the lacrosse field also generates concern for player safety, and we would like to share some thoughts with you in that regard.

There is inherent risk of serious injury in all sports.Although the relative safety of lacrosse is of little consolation when such a catastrophic injury as this occurs, according to recent data from the NCAA Injury Surveillance System, men's lacrosse is a relatively safe sport compared to other college sports, and the risk of life-threatening injury is very rare.Men's lacrosse was sixth (behind football, wrestling, men's soccer, men's ice hockey and women's soccer) in average game injury rate (injuries per 1,000 athletic exposures) and injury severity for the 2002-03 season.The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research reports that this is the third college lacrosse death since the organization started collecting data in 1982. During this time, approximately 120,000 young men participated inNCAA varsity intercollegiate lacrosse.

The rules for men's lacrosse are written by the NCAA (college), the National Federation of High School Associations (high school), and US Lacrosse (youth).These organizations conduct and review injury data, carefully monitor each level of the sport, and annually consider rule revisions focused on improving the sport and players safety. Additionally, soon after its founding in 1998, US Lacrosse formed a Sports Science & Safety Committee comprised of some of the most respected medical professionals in their respective fields.This committee is charged with utilizing current information from the sports medicine community to advise US Lacrosse on factors that may enhance the safety, fun, and the participation equity in the sport of lacrosse at all levels.The committee not only collaborates with similar committees within the NCAA and NFHS, but it also evaluates and conducts injury research specific to the sport of lacrosse.

We do not yet know the cause of George Boiardi's death. The two prior deaths in college men's lacrosse since 1982 were caused by Commotio Cordis, a syndrome that results from a blunt impact to the chest that leads to cardiac arrest. Two young high school players have also died from Commotio Cordis since 1983. Medical authorities believe it is caused by a low-energy, non-penetrating blow to the chest, and does not result solely from the force of a blow. It is largely the result of the precise timing of the blow during a narrow window within the re-polarization phase of the cardiac cycle. Young athletes are especially at risk because of the pliability of their chest walls.

There is no protective equipment in any sport at this time that has been shown to prevent Commotio Cordis.Athletes wearing chest protectors have died while playing baseball, lacrosse, ice hockey and softball. Over 70 cases of Commotio Cordis in sports other than lacrosse have been documented since the formation of the United States Commotio Cordis Registry three years ago.

Whether or not George Boiardi's death was attributable to Commotio Cordis, the US Lacrosse Sports Science & Safety Committee will focus its attention on collaborating with the NCAA, the NFHS and the lacrosse industry to continue to study the risk of blunt chest impacts in lacrosse, and to investigate interventions that may decrease or eliminate the risk of serious injury from these rare but catastrophic accidents. As always, part of considering rules changes and mandating new equipment involves making sure the change accomplishes the desired goal and does not create additional harm to players or opponents, alter participation equity, or violate the integrity of the sport.

Thank you for your support of our efforts in monitoring and proactively addressing this area of concern and for your help in identifying resources to fund further research and product development. Most importantly, thank you for extending your thoughts and prayers to the Boiardi Family.

Sincerely,

Steve Stenersen
Executive Director