GelCool Model GX Gel Pack for Football
GelCool Heavy Duty Portable Freezer
Click Image to View Open Freezer with Gel Packs
GelCool Gel Packs Have Also Significantly Improved the Football Helmet's Concussion Prevention Abilities in Certified Laboratory Testing and are Fully Compliant with NOCSAE Requirements for Use in Riddell Football Helmets
Maintaining the Competitive Edge in the Heat® is critical on the football field. By maintaining lower cranial/brain blood temperatures, your athletes have greater endurance and mental sharpness in high heat environments. Long before an athlete collapses on the field, he may be significantly affected by heat stress. The first effects of the heat are not apparent, but can be devastating to your players and team. Impaired decision making and delayed physical response are common early effects of the heat and they are hard to detect until the symptoms have progressed to a dangerous level. By this time, treatment is far less effective. Cooling the head with GelCool Systems gel packs is only one part of an overall heat safety program which must include proper hydration and core body temperature management, but GelCool gel packs help directly cool the brain, our most sensitive organ.
The Human Head is Responsible for 60% of the Body's Cooling and Warming
GelCool Systems Patent-Pending Professional-Grade Gel Packs align with the existing helmet anti-trauma pads, maintaining the helmet's proper fit and alignment while providing significant cooling benefit (view Coach's overview power point). This cooling is graduated through a thermal distribution layer, so the athlete receives steady cooling over the entire cranium surface, avoiding the discomfort caused by a strong surge of cold temperature. GelCool Systems gel packs are designed to deliver cooling within a safe range of 42-60 degrees (F) for the majority of the cooling period, which avoids negative thermal issues such as vasoconstriction or ice burns. Field testing has shown average cooling periods of 20 minutes in over 95 degree ambient heat. GelCool gel packs are a single piece, pliable insert that is very easy to insert or remove from a helmet: There is nothing to fasten or attach. It takes about 2 seconds to insert a pack in a helmet. less to remove it (click for video). Please click on the photo at the top left of this page to see a gel pack in place in a football helmet. Typically, players simply switch packs when they come off the field, but in the case of an extremely long drive, equipment managers can carry multiple packs to the field. Medical research shows that cooling the cranium (not the neck) is the single most effective way of lowering blood temperature in the brain and helping cool the entire body, since 60% of the heat our body releases is through the upper cranium portion of the head. The brain is far more sensitive to heat effects than any other organ. While GelCool systems are cooling, they are rapidly pulling heat away from the player by means of thermal induction. This is far more effective than the existing passive air cooling holes installed in football helmets (download our temperature over time graph). You may use your own coolers to cool the packs, or purchase a complete system from us. View our national magazine advertisement here.
Buy Two Gel Packs for $90 to Serve One Player
Click here to purchase for Extra Large Helmets
or
Our Entry-Level System for $380 Which Serves 2 - 4 Players
We use PayPal as our bank, but you dont need a PayPal account to purchase from us. There is a link on the lower-left portion of the PayPal page to use your credit card.
Pricing for Gel Packs with Heavy Duty Portable Freezer
(40 Long Life Gel Packs and Our Heavy Duty Portable Freezer).
100 Long-Life Gel Packs and Our Heavy Duty Portable Freezer)
Our freezers are very expensive because they use a shock-mounted R-134 compressor that provides extremely cold temperatures and survives the wear and tear of traveling teams.
To Purchase 2 Gel Packs for Overnight Shipping, an additional $30 charge, please click here.
Each GelCool Gel Pack is Designed to be Re-Used Hundreds of Times |
||
Precise Fit and Comfort
GelCool Systems gel packs fit securely within major manufacturer's football helmets. We currently offer gel packs for the Riddell Revolution and Riddell VSR-4 helmets. Since the broad layer of the gel pack which is in contact with the top of the athlete's head is shaped to match the concave shape of the inside of the helmet, the helmet's fit and alignment are maintained while comfort is actually improved - the material in contact with the head is a soft, absorbent, high-tech microfiber fabric that wicks perspiration away from the user's head. The surface of the cooling pack that is on the head is a uniform 3/8 inch thick, so it doesn't adversely affect the helmet fit. For more technical detail, please see our Technical Overview Page. GelCool Systems is changing the way professionals work in the heat. We offer several levels of GelCool (TM) pack based cooling systems. Entry level systems provide a modular, high-quality cooling gel pack system with specialized coolers (for temperature management and designed for transport from city to city).
Athletic Directors and risk managers may look to GelCool Systems products to help reduce the likelihood of a serious heat incident, to help reduce liability, and to show that the team took every possible precaution to protect the players. In addition, liability insurance premiums may be reduced with the implementation of a heat safety program based on the use of GelCool Systems products.
Questions: Please call us at (866) 575-9380 or email us at info@gelcool.com |
Professional Grade
Several key factors differentiate GelCool Systems products from any other offerings. First, our products are manufactured to professional specifications and tolerances, allowing their use by professionals, who require legal certification of the product and dependable service. Second, quality and material controls are very high, which provides the level of quality required by professional trainers (these packs are manufactured in the same Tennessee factory that makes the g-suits for U.S. Military pilots). Third, GelCool Systems products are sealed units that release a negligible amount of water (condensation) onto the player. Finally, our products are specifically designed for use in helmets. GelCool gel packs deliver the most cooling available in a 9 ounce package: the most cooling per pound of equipment to deal with football practice heat in summer football practice and in early games.
Important Note
The use of GelCool Systems Cooling Products is Only One Part of An Overall Heat Safety Program Which Must Include Proper Hydration. Please Read Our Entire Disclaimer.
GelCool Gel Pack Usage Calculator
This average usage calculation is based upon the typical length of a drive, the desire to change packs earlier rather than later in extreme heat, and the need for excess capacity. Our gel packs cool much longer than 10 minutes, but our testing and allowance for real world game behavior and variables lead to the use of the low average number of 10 minutes in this calculation.
Even though it takes 3 hours to play a game, actual playing time is still only 60 minutes. This approach addresses your largest players first, the linemen most affected by the heat. If more players want to use cooling gel packs, you may simply purchase a second cooler.
Avg. Minutes Per Gel Pack: 10
Player Rotation X3 (1) .33
Packs Per Player: 6
Number of Players: 55
Number of Packs Required: 100
Professional and college football teams would typically purchase one or two Extra Large Gel Pack Cooling Systems. Please see our Online Products Page for more details.
(1) Player Rotation Coefficient: A typical 55-player squad will rotate starters and support players, dividing the total game time among these players.
Helmet Types
Please Note: GelCool Gel Packs are Currently Available for Only the Riddell Revolution™, VSR-4™ and Revolution IQ™ Helmets.
For More Information About All Riddell™ Helmets Click Here
GelCool Sideline Process
Click to download our Sideline Process PDF.
1. The team places the cooler and blue cart (for used packs) next to one another on the sideline, within easy reach of the players coming off the field.
2. Players coming off the field remove their helmet, pop the used gel pack out of the helmet (about 2 seconds) and drop it in the blue cart (the gel packs will be washed later in the team's drum washers or sanitzed).
3. The player then takes a new gel pack out of the cooler and places it in the helmet (about 2 seconds).
Overview of Head Cooling Physiology |
1. Increased metabolic activity from exertion creates excess body heat.
2. Protective clothing inhibits the body’s ability to dissipate the excess heat.
3. GelCool Gel Packs cool cranial blood via thermal induction: blood carried throughout peripheral cranial vessels becomes cooler as gel packs absorb heat while cooling the cranium.
4. With cooler blood circulating, metabolic activity is reduced(1) and brain function improved.
5. Reduced metabolic activity allows the body to slow vital organ activity (heart, lungs).(1)
6. Perspiration is reduced since the need to dissipate excess heat has fallen(1).
7. Reduced perspiration leads to reduced loss of electrolytes, which improves endurance.
8. Pulmonary function is eased, allowing greater oxygenation of the brain and muscles.
(1) Reduction in metabolic/vital organ activity and perspiration are only possible if the body's thermoregulatory systems determine that overall body temperature is within a safe range.