Fans can design Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic helmet

As the Winter Olympics draw close, we can’t wait to bring you all the exciting promotions and activities being planned to support the Games and all the athletes.

One of our fave winter athletes is skier Lindsey Vonn. Now NBCOlympics.com invites fans to join in the Countdown to Vancouver and participate in the “Design Lindsey’s Helmet” contest, beginning November 23. Vonn, one of the most successful alpine skiers in U.S. history, is challenging fans to convince her that their artwork is what she wants to feature on her helmet while soaring down the slopes during the upcoming 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.

“This is your chance to be with me in Vancouver,” said Vonn.  “Whether you’re an aspiring graphic designer or just someone who likes to doodle all day, it doesn’t matter if you snow plow down the bunny slopes, tree-ski in waist deep powder, or just hang in the lodge, I want to see your designs.”

To enter the contest, fans as young as 13 years old can log on to NBCOlympics.com/lindseys-helmet/ and enter original artwork by December 21. A team of judges will narrow the submissions down to a final three designs, which will be showcased on NBCOlympics.com the first week of January. Fans will then have the opportunity to log on and vote to help Lindsey decide on the winning design.

The voting closes on January 11 with the winner to be announced in late January. The grand prize winner for the “Design Lindsey’s Helmet” contest will be awarded a trip for two to Vail, one of the world’s top ski resorts. Prizes also include a pair of Head skis and bindings and a Uvex helmet and goggles.

“Now that the World Cup season has started, I’m getting very excited for the Olympics,” said Vonn.  “I really wanted to do something that allowed my fans to share in my Vancouver experience, and this is what I came up with.  I’m looking forward to seeing what people create for my helmet.”

Vonn is coming off a second place finish in the opening Audi FIS World Cup slalom last weekend in Levi, Finland. She is continuing to train at Vail’s Golden Peak in anticipation of the Aspen Winternational World Cup coming up Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28-29. Friday (Nov. 20) she will takes questions from kids in a live Webcast from 5:00-6:00 p.m. MT at LindseyIsEpic.com.

Fans can follow the Vancouver Bound Vonn all season long at usskiteam.com, or get insider news through the Team’s new Fan Club.

Head Games – wearing protective gear

Hammering the ball with your bare head. It’s obligatory in soccer (at least at the competitive level). Since FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, began permitting its use in 2003, headgear has been worn by thousands of players from youth leagues to high schools to colleges to the pros. The headgear gained international visibility during the 2003 Women’s World Cup and the Athens Olympics.

Most headgear resembles an enlarged headband that covers the forehead, temples and occipital bone in back of the head. The device is made of shock-absorbing foam situated between an outer layer of Lycra and an inner layer of sweat-absorbing polypropylene. While it can’t prevent concussions, makers of the headgear say it can reduce, by up to 50 percent, the peak impact forces that occur during typical collisions.

There is disagreement on whether heading a soccer ball can cause concussions or long-term brain impairment. Studies have presented contradictory results, and the matter remains disputed as the soccer federation undertakes a long-term examination of head injuries. The headgear is being marketed primarily to children (and parents of children), who least need them because doctors say there is little incidence of concussions in players under the ageof 12.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Research finds that players banging their heads on each other, or surfaces such as goal posts or the ground, cause about five times more concussions than from heading the ball. Rather than headgear, some officials advocate better technique, stricter rules enforcement and improved officiating to reduce the number of head injuries. Some also recommend mouth guards and padded goal posts instead of padded headgear.

The concern over concussions, and whether headgear can protect against them, is a growing issue for youth soccer associations and many either recommend or require that players wear it. Just as shinguards are compulsory for players, many organizations are also requiring the use of headgear (even though a lot of kids resist saying they look goofy).

What should you do? Look at the facts closely, talk to your coaches and parents,
and decide what works best for you.