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Redmont, CA— 16-year old Pete Stenhoff was a physically fit, 210-pound linebacker for Chula Vista High School when an attempted tackle cracked his spine.

Stenhoff represents one of 20,000 injured in high school football every year. He also is one of 7,000 who sustain head or neck injuries, and of the 2,400 who find themselves permanently disabled. Just this past year, 13 youths died due to football injuries sustained on the field. [Having a source for these numbers would be ideal]

Many critics are blaming the helmet design as the cause of the number of high school athletes injured playing football. [Possible unprovided information worth researching might include: how long the current helmet design has been used, when it was last updated, quotes or paraphrasing from the critics, and plans (or lack thereof) that might be in place to improve the helmet design to prevent future injuries.]

The former promising football star is now bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He is now attempting to make up lost ground in his education by taking correspondence courses to earn his diploma. In spite of his setbacks, he is putting forth the extra effort to stay on top of his life outside of football.

Weighing in at 172 pounds, the disabled athlete has no bitter feelings. “I knew the risks involved when I decided to play football,” he said.

Watch Video Link
-Evolution of Football Helmet Safety

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