Mouth Guards version 2

I wear an external mouth guard out of habbit now, even when training, becuase if feels weird wearing a snorkel without the mouth guard. I am luck that I have never taken a serious head shot (touch wood). But I did notice the following at NZ Schools Nationals in the weekend.

1. Some players had internal mouthgards that only covered the front 2-4 teeth. I am not sure how much protection this would offer.
2. An equally small number of players would show their internal mouth guard to the ref during the equipment inspection, but often the mouthguard was inserted into the ear peice and not the mouth once the game started.

As far as I am aware, there is no size limit for internal mouthguards, so if it covers 2 teeth, then it is legal.

If you know a player has deliberately removed their own mouth guard (observation 2 from above), what is the referee to do? If the player showed their black stick in the equipment inspection, then proceded to play with a white stick, I would sin-bin them. Would this also apply for removing their own mouthguard?

Cheers,

quote: What happens when the snorkle falls (or gets ripped) out of your mouth?

the same thing that would happen if you lost your ear guard(s) and/or glove. Ear protection and hand protection is required. There is personal safety equpment required in all sports especially amateur sports: batting helmet in baseball; mouth guards in basketball, american football; chin straps in american football; shin guards in soccer, etc ......

sorry about the cut and paste ....... I was only interested in Duck's first statement

Duck - ask James Luce about mouth guards ..........

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Carol Rose

As a referee, if I determined any player was playing without any required piece(s) of safety equipment, I would stop the game; remove the player - allowing substitution, but not allowing player to return/continue until what ever was missing was in place - ear guard(s) x 2; glove(s) for playing hand(s); and/or mouth guard.

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Carol Rose

If I have this right there's only one external mouthguard that's currently 'approved', is this correct? If so, how do we go about getting the other, -probably equally effective - solutions that people have come up with approved for play? After all, it's not as if the current approved mouthguard is actually designed for hockey (or even designed as a mouthguard)...

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It's not whether you win or lose - but whether I win or lose.
www.BentFishDesign.com

That a very good question. Why only one external version approved.
What are the quideline for other external mouthguards to be approved?

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When you are good, then you are not bad..

I'm well aware of what can happen, I don't need to check with James. But mouthguards, gloves, and earguards could and should be a personal decision for each individual. If I were real stupid and chose not to wear the guards, then I should suffer the consequences and win the UWH Darwin Award. Not wearing a mouthguard is not dangerous to other players, just yourself. Things that should be required are the things that can hurt others, like having a steel snorkle is dangerous to others and that's why it needs to be flexible.

But how is a ref going to remember which players have internal guards and which don't? If a player has both, and his snorkle comes out of his mouth and the ref stops play (because he can't remember 20 players equipment configuration) then that just stuffs up the play for no reason. And no ref checks all 20 players. Done right one ref checks 10, another ref checks the other 10, and the third ref adjusts his snorkle for a couple of minutes. This is an unenforcible rule that will lead to unneccesary stops in play.

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Just in case you weren't sure, it's official -- CMAS sucks.
Oh yeah, and now they're broke.

rule has been in effect in US for over 10 years; in effect at world level for 4 years - WC, So Hemispheres, etc. How many 'unnecessry stops in play' have you seen. Please don't answer ... it is retorical question, and I will not continue this part of the threat.

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Carol Rose

I've never seen a ref pull up play for it so obviously no one enforces it, At least not in the US. And I must have missed if it ever happened at World's. Anyone else ever see a ref stop play when someone's snorkle falls out of their mouth for not having a mouthguard in?

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Just in case you weren't sure, it's official -- CMAS sucks.
Oh yeah, and now they're broke.

Carol, i think you are the best person to ask, are you able to answer Bentfishboys question?

I don't think that a referee should stop the game because a players snorkle (with mouth guard attached) as fallen out. For those countries with wavers, policies on player satety etc, if the player displays the correct safety equipment at the gear check, then choses to remove/not use it at a later date/time in a game, are you still covered, i.e. can the player still sue you/your organisation for injuries received?

In most countries I have lived in, wearing a seatbelt in a car is compulsary. If the police officer/traffice officer checks you are wearing it (and you are), then you drive off and take the seatbelt off and suffer injuries in an accident (due to lack of seatbelt), who is to blame? The police, the governemnt, or you? The same applies to our UWH players.