OK,here we go again! Is there a new ASA rule preventing fastpitch girls from using a batting helmet with their names airbrushed on them???????? This is the second ASA Tournament in Louisiana that we have heard that NO PAINTED helmets would be allowed. Whats the rules say?

cajunmagic,

Go here: http://www.officialforum.com/thread/13236

What part of La. you from?

BTW Welcome to the board.

Painted Helmets
 

There is nothing about painted helmets in the ASA 2004 Official Rules of Softball (Umpire Edition) in Rule 3.E.

Rule 3.E does talk about are broken, cracked, dented or helmets that have been illegally altered are prohibited from use. Maybe this is where the confusion is.

When I see a painted helmet, I allow it to be used as long as it meets all the other standards of being legal.

Michael

The rules don't say anything about paint. There is no ASA rule forbidding painted helmets. There isn't even a rule which mandates they all be the same color.

The only possible thing someone down your way could be using is the clause which includes the phrase "illegally altered". As long as the helmet is not cracked, broken, dented or illegally altered cannot be worn. To me, illegally altered means that something was done to the structure of the helmet which makes it unsafe.

As long as the helmet is in good shape and I can see the NOCSAE stamp, it's good to go.

The next time you are told this, your team should demand to see it in writing PRIOR to paying an entry fee.

Hell, cajun's can't even spell ASA....Can they read? Look
it up....

Oh hell, this is the wrong thread for that. :D :D :D

J/K'ing. I work with the Lake Charles group all the time.
Gene Loar, Troy Brown, Morgan Manyard and others.

Although I don't think it's wrong to have painted helmets, there could be a small chemical basis for the use of the "illegal altered helmets"-rule. When the used paint contains "weakeners", then the helmets aren't save anymore to use. The plastics will be more or less become fluid... And then therfor it's illegal altered. Beware: you can't see it (besides the paint)!!!

Not all the brush-paints have those weakeners (think about MethylEthylKeton/ Toluene/ (Cyclo)Hexane etc.)... In Europe most paints are forbidden to have those chemicals. We are indeed afraid for OPS, a problem which lots of painters suffer. Some can't remember a thing or gotten crazy...

Alex,

I agree with the chemical engineering part of it, but umpires cannot be expected to be experts in paint / plastic chemistry. And, I seriously doubt (short of taking a sample back to the lab) any expert could tell the difference between a factory decoration option, a factory approved paint job, a private paint job using factory approved paint, or a paint job using "weakening" paint.

One this is very clear, however....

Some sanctioning bodies (LL comes to mind) outlaw painted helmets (which I would assume would include factory decoration options that look like a painted helmet), but ...

<b>ASA rules do not say one word about paint on helments.</b>

Therefore, any local ASA-sanctioned organization that is outlawing painted helmets is enforcing a local rule. They owe it to the teams playing in their league or tournament to put local rules in writing.

Earlier it was said that the Manufacturer would void any warranty & liability if the helmet was painted. Shouldn't that be enough to convince these Leagues to disallow that practice.
.

Myths about helmet painting never die
 

Hands are part of the bat, too.

Our team's softball helmets were custom painted by the manufacturer, Riddell, using the very same paint that it uses for FOOTBALL HELMETS. Apparently, the "mysterious chemical reaction weakens the helmet" theory doesn't prevent virtually every football team in America from having their helmets painted. Yet the myth persists in softball. And will survive this thread.

Bottom line: ASA doesn't prohibit painted helmets.

Let it go. We have way to many other things to worry about between the lines.

Re: Myths about helmet painting never die
 

It is not a myth, but obviously there exists paint that will NOT damage the integrity of the helmet. Factory approved paint would fall in this category. I would guess that MOST paint will not damage the helmet, but certain ones will. The chemically react with the polymers in the helmet shell. For this reason, the manufacturer voids the warranty (as said earlier) if an unauthorized shop repaints the helmet.

Be that as it may, I don't think this is something the umpires should be involved with (and therefore it is not something the rule books should concern themselves with). It should remain between the consumer and the manufacturer.

"Having their helmets painted" - I would assume if a school is doing this, they have the good sense to have it done by a reputable shop who knows what type of paint to use. Football players usually do not have their parents individually paint (or have painted) their helmets, so the analogy doesn't hold up. It is mainly an issue of "doing it right." The last time I checked, each of the helmet manufacturers provide information on how to go about getting their helmets properly painted.