Human towers group debuts new children's helmet and face protectors for La Mercè

Tarragona's castellers human tower groups debuted their new helmets and face protectors for children on Thursday at the La Mercè festival.

The new prototype comes 20 years after the debuting of the first children's helmets.

The two protective elements were tested during pillar of 4 formation, featuring single-person-wide towers four stories high.

During the performance, the groups used a mix of new and old helmets, and some children wore the mask.

Albert Torres, president of the Catalan human towers coordinating body, told the Catalan News Agency that the system is currently being "tested."

The new accessory fits the children's sizes better. It has been lengthened to extend protection to the forehead and side areas. Additionally, a face protector has been added.

Torres said that the children wearing them "won't notice a difference," or rather, they will benefit from the improved aspects.

As for the face mask, the CCCC president noted that they will have to see how the children "get used to it."

The rollout of these new accessories will be gradual. "We'll see what the pace of adaptation is," Torres remarked. The face protector will be optional: "it is designed for large castells where falls carry a much higher risk," Torres pointed out.

For now, each of the twelve teams has one helmet of each size, and more will be manufactured over time.

The Coordinating Body emphasizes that the rollout will not be "mass-scale" but rather they will be produced by order.

The new protective gear represents a "significant" financial investment and that large-scale production would be "unfeasible."