Helmet wearers

[UmpireBob]

I have an HSM, and I would much rather wear it than the traditional hat/mask combo. It is a cooler solution in warm weather. When I wear it, I take it off just like I do my mask, only because I'm trained to do so.

I don't wear it all the time due to the thinness of my hair. Last summer I wore my HSM during a LLB Majors tourney, three plates in a row. By the time I was done, I had a nasty sunburn on the top of my head. Yeah, I know that some of you are thinking sunscreen. That would be a viable solution if I were willing to shave my head, which I'm not. I go with a #2 guard, and if I could find a suitable sunscreen which would not turn my hair white, I'd use it.

Another reason I like the HSM . . . if we are requiring our youth players to wear it for "safety reasons," then doesn't it seem consistant that the HSMs should be worn by blues as well?