Skating with helmets

[Shaggy]

Watching Taylor Hall get his facial last night got me to thinking why was he not wearing his helmet?
Then my daughter asked me the same question as we watched Sportscenter this morning. She is 6 and she figured it out.

Then I recall when I took the kids public skating on the weekend. It was very busy, and I was by far the best skater there. Yet, I was the only adult wearing a helmet. Some of these people could barely stand on skates.

Why would you not wear a helmet when the risk of smacking your head on solid ice is so much greater?

[rwm1273]

I grew up in an era where seatbelts were not mandatory. There where no bike helmets, and the only people who wore helmets when scating where young kids, and only when playing hockey in the league.

I still don't wear a helmet when I skate or ride a bike, but I have always made my kids. I guess I am a hipocrite. Do as I say, not as I do. Good thing my kids know better.

[4thredneck]

Maybe they should make a law.

[LongDraw]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Watching Taylor Hall get his facial last night got me to thinking why was he not wearing his helmet?
Then my daughter asked me the same question as we watched Sportscenter this morning. She is 6 and she figured it out.

Then I recall when I took the kids public skating on the weekend. It was very busy, and I was by far the best skater there. Yet, I was the only adult wearing a helmet. Some of these people could barely stand on skates.

Why would you not wear a helmet when the risk of smacking your head on solid ice is so much greater?

Why stop there?

Imagine how many serious injuries would be avoided and lives saved if they legislated 3 pt. seatbelts and helmets in automobiles.

[JB_AOL]

I used to be a hipocrite. Now I wear helmets for most things..

Biking, wakeboarding, skiing, ( I don't skate)

The way I look at it is I do not want to end up with a serious head injury and be a burden on my family or be off work for 3 months (or W/e) while I recover.


I've had one serious fall (pre-helmet) while wakeboarding and I had a mild concussion, and blown ear drums. Essentially I was useless for weeks. Couldn't help with the kids/etc. That's when I "grew up" and started taking my safety seriously.
Plus my son is a mirror image of me, and will do everything I do. Monkey see, monkey do. So If I wear a helmet, he will.

AND before you guys jump all over me... bubble wrap kids/etc... That is not the case AT all. My son (at 3years old) has done more/experienced more than most kids twice his age, BUT I always emphasize safety with him.


edit... Interestingly enough, I was talking to my good friend, who's played hockey his whole life, and still does. I asked him if he wears a shield on his helmet (half or full). He laughed. Never have, never will. I guess getting a puck to the face never crossed his mind.

[nekred]

I have always worn a helmet when skating... Saw many coaches who did not and always shook my head... then a few unfortunate accidents and then it became mandatory...

As for face shield when I was younger I wore one but it fogged lots even when coated with various anti-fog materials... best was dish soap or shampoo...once it was not mandatory... then I quit wearing one...

Now I am back to wearing one again and they a definitely much better than they used to be...

Eyes are far too important to me to risk the stupidity... No point getting hurt doing something to help me get healthier!...

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by LongDraw

Why stop there?

Imagine how many serious injuries would be avoided and lives saved if they legislated 3 pt. seatbelts and helmets in automobiles.

Slow down there Captain Overboard. Don't get your cat in a knot.

I'm asking more along the lines of educated risk. These new skaters I saw knew they could not skate very well. They knew they were on a very hard surface. The possibility of head injury was very high. Yet they took no precautions.

At the other end, Taylor Hall figured the odds of injury were very small. I would agree. Yet he still got a preventable injury.

Not saying anyone is right or wrong or that we need to make laws to protect the stupid. Just wondering why.

Personally- I can't afford anymore consussions. And I lead by example. I make my kids wear one, so I wear one.

Originally Posted by LongDraw

Why stop there?

Imagine how many serious injuries would be avoided and lives saved if they legislated 3 pt. seatbelts and helmets in automobiles.

I like it!

[gonefishin]

Back to the original post... if Hall wouldn't have got hurt last night, nobody would be talking about it. It was a freak accident by 3 guys who are payed millions of dollars to skate. They have to stop changing the rules of hockey everytime somebody gets a little boo-boo... it's getting rediculous.

[Cowtown guy]

Wearing a helmet for public skating seems a little overboard to me. Obviously if one is learning or very rusty it may be something but I started skating 35 years ago. I just don't see the risk in a situation like that.

Hockey now is obviously different. People charging into the corners, risk of contact etc all make sense to put on a bucket. In all my time at the rink I have no recollection of there ever being a need for a helmet in a social skating scenario. I can honestly say that I have never seen someone fall and hit their head.

Where does one draw the line. There can only be so many rules before we have to wrap ourselves in bubble wrap to go to work in the morning. I say if your kids are ankle benders and learning it is a good idea. I don't see the need for someone to look down on me for not wearing one though.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by gonefishin

Back to the original post... if Hall wouldn't have got hurt last night, nobody would be talking about it. It was a freak accident by 3 guys who are payed millions of dollars to skate. They have to stop changing the rules of hockey everytime somebody gets a little boo-boo... it's getting rediculous.

Actually the original post was only triggered by Hall's incident. I'm an advocate of "stop turning hockey players into babies". The main point is newbie skaters not wearing helmets. I wont get into the fact that a majority of them were not wearing gloves either. Might not seem like a big deal, but there were quite a few occasions when they were getting up off their butts with their hands on the ice, and someone came whizzing by them.
Scenario= Guy in front falls. Puts hands down to save his butt. Person following not great at stopping or turning suddenly. Wobbles, slips. Skates- meet fingers. Fingers- say goodbye to hands.

It's not unrealistic by any means. Just wondering why don't people want to protect themselves.

[huntinstuff]

I remember Borje Salming getting cut. Nothing changed.

Worst ice incident I saw was a guy fell backward and hit his head while.......curling!

The sound was like an axe hitting a frozen log. I thought he had bled to death for sure.

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

I remember Borje Salming getting cut. Nothing changed.

Worst ice incident I saw was a guy fell backward and hit his head while.......curling!

The sound was like an axe hitting a frozen log. I thought he had bled to death for sure.

[nekred]

There is always a balance between safety and stupidity...

bubble wrpping is stupidity, no regard for safety is also stupidity...

At our local arena for public skating... ice is split in 1/2... 1/2 shinny 1/2 publuic skating... helmets are mandatory... the worst offenders of this rule is actually the ladies because they don't want to mess their hair... While other measures are in place such as balls only for shinny it is still ice... I often played pond hockey and rode pedal bikes for years without equipment or helmet, and I remember some of the bumps on the noggin I took...

Today we have become a safer society... sometimes to point of being ridiculous... but then someone gets maimed or killed in a very preventable way and then common sense changes...