Educate students, their parents and the community on the risks associated with abdominal sports injuries and prevention.
Most middle school and high school students and parents simply do not know the quality of equipment that is made available to Collegiate and Professional athletes today. This high-end equipment is cutting edge. It can better protect athletes from injuries, and yes, it tends to be more expensive than traditional protective gear. The goal of the YESS© Program – Youth Equipment for Sports Safety is to raise awareness and educate about this next generation of abdominal protection equipment, how it is made available for their team, and to facilitate access to this cutting-edge equipment.
Equip middle and high school students with the highest quality protective sports equipment commonly available only to college and professional athletes
Through the YESS© Program – Youth Equipment for Sports Safety, we can help equip secondary school athletic teams with our 50% matching grant for technologically advanced abdominal safety equipment.
The Foundation will work with superintendents, school administrators, and coaches both regional and national schools to equip teams with the appropriate abdominal protective gear for their respective sports.
Promote abdominal protection and safety equipment to all secondary youth athletes, parents, and coaches
We started a grass root, focused effort to educate, equip, and promote the YESS© Program – Youth Equipment for Sports Safety regionally and nationally. We are confident that this program is the catalyst toward a better, safe future for our youth athletes going forward.
We are aggressively exploring partnerships with like-minded organizations and pursuing opportunities with other sports safety equipment vendors in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the YESS© Program – Youth Equipment for Sports Safety and ensure that more student athletes have an opportunity to safely play the sports they love.
Testimonials
“Before I began wearing the EvoShield Rib Shirt, I was occasionally timid and afraid about running
Trace R., 12th Grade (43 receptions – 662 yards – 2 touchdowns)
routes across the middle of the field. As a 6 foot 3- and 170-pound wide receiver, I always
had someone hitting me in the back when going across the middle. Once I
started wearing the EvoShield Rib Shirt, I immediately felt safe and comfortable when it came to
getting hit. Many of my catches in my high school career involved me exposing my body to
the defense in order to catch the football. Thanks the Evoshield Rib Shirt, I was able to do this
fearlessly which has benefitted me both mentally and physically.”
Since 2012, The St. Joe Community Foundation has proudly partnered with the Taylor Haugen
St. Joe Community Foundation
Foundation in providing protective sports equipment to area youths. Through the use of their YESS Program (Youth
Equipment for Sports Safety), the Taylor Haugen Foundation has increased the safety of
the youth who play sports for the Bay and Walton County Middle and High School teams.
Meigs middle school football team was fitted for the EvoShield Rib Shirts in July. They are a great piece of protective equipment, and my players love them.
Steve McCarthy, Athletic Director for Meigs M.S. Wildcats
Our head coach of Douglas County High School loves the EvoShield Rib Shirt that we were outfitted with in February of 2023 through the YESS Program (Youth Equipment for Sports Safety) it’s mandatory that certain potions wear them for him. Our starting running back last year started wearing the rib protection shirt & at first didn’t want to because the kids wanted to look cool and he didn’t want the sleeves showing outside of his jersey, so he cut the sleeves off of it. But after wearing it in the game he said, “coach I will never not wear it again, I couldn’t feel any of the hits on me”. We love the rib shirts Kathy. I use Taylor’s story and the shirts as a part of our presentation when bringing in new athletes that want to come to the school for sports.
Durrell Stein, Executive Director of Brand of a Champion
The EvoShield Rib Shirt has protected me on many occasions and has made me feel comfortable while playing football knowing the risks of the sport, it has prevented me from injury through my entire first year of playing football.
Carlos P, Niceville High School football player
As a parent, I could not be more thankful for the Evo shields provided to our players from the Taylor Haugen Foundation. Player safety is always a concern in sports, but especially in footballl. Knowing our players are wearing this equipment that provides extra protection gives us tremendous peace of mind. In addition, as the booster club president, I am even more thankful for this gift because it enabled all of our players, regardless of their financial situation, to receive this valuable protection.
Libby Eshelman, Parent and Booster Club President, Norman North High School
The EvoShield has been a game changer for me. It is incredibly lightweight, so I hardly even notice when I’m wearing it, and it allows me to play loose and free knowing that I am protected. It truly makes a huge difference, allowing me to stay focused on the play in front of me without worrying about a big hit or a bulky rib protector
Owen Eshelman: starting QB EvoShield Statement: Norman North High School
The EvoShield Rib-Protector is one of the best pieces of equipment that a football player can have. They have saved me and our players countless visits to the doctor because of their preventative nature for serious injuries sustained through the physical nature of football. Thank you for donating these to our program and continuing to look out for the safety of our players!
Coach Rocky Moore, Co-OC, QBs: Norman North High School
I like how it covered my ribs area and it moved with my body when I ran the ball. It fit perfectly around my body, and I definitely felt more protection when I got hit in that area.
Thomas R., Niceville High School
The mission of the Youth Equipment for Sports Safety Program (YESS©) is to educate and equip student athletes with new generation, high-tech equipment to help better protect against abdominal injuries.
Target Population:
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), participation in organized sports is on the rise. The National Council of Youth Sports estimates that 44 million kids play at least one organized sports activity. According to an article published by the US News…
- More than 50% of all high school students play a sport.
- Sports injuries account for 4.3 million hospital emergency room visits annually in the United States
- One out of every four sports related injuries is considered serious.
- High school athletes account for 2,000,000 sports injuries, 50,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations annually.
- In 2015, 50 children died from sports related injuries.
In spite of these statistics, only the most minimal set of protective gear is mandated by Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) for high school student athletes. For example, high school football requires only four pieces of equipment: a helmet, shoulder pads, a mouth guard, and padded pants.
Another startling fact is that sixty-two percent of organized sports-related injuries occur during practices rather than games . Despite this, one-third of parents often do not take the same safety precautions during their child’s practices as they would for games.
Our research indicates that no other organization provides abdominal sports safety equipment for student athletes.
On August 30, 2008, a fifteen – year – old football player – from Niceville High School sustained what proved to be a fatal liver injury during the school’s ‘kick-off classic’ game. Taylor Haugen’s death was caused by massive internal bleeding, the result of a torn liver sustained from impact injuries. To honor his memory and his unique character, Taylor’s close friends, family and community leaders created the course toward an official “Taylor Haugen Foundation.” Since its creation, The Foundation has continued to recognize exceptional student athletes: leaders who emulate T’s very best qualities and his personal motto of “Don’t Quit-Never Give Up”.
In 2011, upon hearing of another young football player who suffered similar injuries, the Haugen’s felt compelled to expand the Foundation’s reach by delving into the area of youth sports safety. This led to the development of the YESS© Program.
The mission of the Youth Equipment for Sports Safety Program (YESS©) is to educate and equip student athletes with new generation, high-tech equipment to help better protect against abdominal injuries.
The vision of the YESS© Program is to raise awareness and educate about this next generation of Abdominal Injury Protection equipment, how it is made available for their team, and to facilitate access to this cutting-edge equipment.