Hi! Well i've just been skating again... I didnt go last night (Made excuses, I know bad me!) But my husband kinda removed any chance of excuse today and before I knew it I was back out there and really nervous!
But I perservered because i'm a stubborn thing lol and I really concentrated did everything you all advised, i havent been able to find any suibtable knee pads yet though so I was extra concerned about bashing my knee.
But Ian was a big help lol he just has hockey skates because all hes interested in is bezzing about hes a big kid! we're 25 and 26 by the way just FYI!
I used to horse ride and compete when I was a younger and had my own pony and Ian pointed out I must have felt the equivalent at some point and I had so that really helped and was a great mind set to be in!
Anyway i'm really happy as I didnt fall over once, I took it really steady and felt loads better at the end, i even hugged my skates! and im going to be starting group lessons at the end of the month.
I just wanted to thank you all! and say how much I adore this board and how pleased I am to have found it! Thank you thank you thank you!

Giant Hugs
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
P.S. Sorry i'm on a natural high! xx

But that's the best kind! No need to apologize. We are all skating addicts here, and the more the merrier

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I think that person in that article forgot that wrist guards aren't going to protect a child from falling backwards and cracking the back of their head on the ice, which is why it's good for beginners to wear a helmet.

Er - I think you meant that wrist guards are not going to protect....

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It was a typo. Just corrected it with "aren't".

I think the NY Times article is interesting.. but it says most skaters fall forward. Maybe most of the skaters the researchers videotaped were falling forwards.. but most of the skaters I know and see fall backwards or to the side. (I've hit the back of my head a couple of times.. but thank goodness I wear my hair in a ponytail -- it provides a small cushion of padding. and I always seem to land on one hip when I'm jumping.) the only time I've fallen forward was when I tripped on a bunny hop.. and hit my knee first. Perhaps they were at public sessions (both ice and roller) with not many people jumping???

When you fall, which way do you usually hit? Forward? Sideways? Backwards?

I've seen a lot of beginners fall backwards and the back of their head collides with the ice. Not good at all. I think it's just crazy how head gear isn't encouraged for beginners on the ice. In fact, it's crazy how head gear isn't worn for jumpers. Because I've seen jumpers fall and get knocked out....very ridiculous. Some specially designed head gear would be good. Better to look a little different than getting killed or getting brain damaged or something.

Check this out too... a bill for kids to wear helmets while ice skating.

http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A06770

The schools where I work require helmets for children 6 and under. One school also requires helmets for all beginners regardless of age, but hasn't been too effective at enforcing either rule. I've been thinking about helmets for freestyle skating also. I think something that looks a bit like a swimming cap with a gel liner might work. It wouldn't be so bulky that it would interfere, and the gel protective pads are pretty good according to the skaters here who wear them on knees and hips. Even with such relatively unobtrusive helmets, I doubt any skaters would wear them unless forced too.

I think the NY State bill is trying to do too much and is too vague. Helmets must fit properly to be effective, and with the current technology that means removeable foam pads and a lot of fussing with the chin straps. There are going to be fights about what "direct supervision of a coach" means. Also, the complete exception reads "and are practicing for an organized figure skating competition." That lets out practicing for tests, shows, and just general improvement. Finally, NYC, for one, is in the midst of a 20 year infestation of head lice. There are not too many parents who would want their kids wearing "public" helmets! I think I may call my state assembly member about this one.

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Looks like the school has ignored its own rules and requirements. The problem with standard helmets for figure skating girls is the pony tail. So a special design of helmet might be needed for them. Otherwise, it's just skate at own risk, as usual.

I thought skaters wore their hair long for just that reason - head protection! Ponytails are in just the right place to cushion a fall. Backwards, anyway, which is where you normally bump, if you're going to (and we all have!).

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Unfortunately, not everybody has ponytails. And there's no guarantee that a ponytail can protect the head against impact, since it might not be at just the correct position all the time.

mhm... no sense of humor?

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--renatele

Not when it comes to safety issues.

Actually there is already a helmet like this. It's required in many of the little league/softball leagues and at some of the skateboard parks in our area. Some of them have bills (for softball/little league) but the ones used at the skateboard parks don't. And some of them DO have chin straps (again especially the ones used at the skateboard parks.)

Oh yeah....the chin strap is a good idea. I think a chin guard would be useful as well, and even a mouth guard. Seriously, I'm not sure if anybody has lost teeth by accidently falling with their mouth hitting the ice....that's a real scary thought. I've seen a skateboarder on tv with lots of his teeth knocked right out after doing a face plant. Very nasty.

I work as a rink guard at public skates, and I've seen a kid lose a tooth in a fall. (Things that are fun - trying to find a tooth on the ice.) I like to see beginners in helmets, but I'm not sure I support the law applied beyond the beginner level. All sports have an inherent safety risk, and at a certain point you need to accept those risks when you participate in sports.

The gel pads are great, making them into a helmet would be an interesting idea. All helmets I've seen (hockey, bike, equestrian, climbing) are based on a hard outer shell, so I wonder if a helmet without that shell provides meaningful protection.

No kidding. I saw it happen once (public skating), and I tried to help run interference as the guy's friends looked for the tooth.

Here's something to consider. Most of the bad accidents like this that I see are people just stumbling around on a public skate. They have zero experience, and are usually just out for a lark, with no intention of doing it again any time soon--maybe next year, maybe not. These folks wouldn't even consider taking (and paying for) a lesson, or safety equipment, because they don't plan to do it again.

The folks that want to take lessons are usually people who have been doing the occasional public skate for a while, and finally decide that they want to learn what they're doing. They're often just steady enough that they can get by without safety equipment. (Pads can sort of be like the pink elephant...suddenly falling is all you can think about, because you're so padded up for it. Plus, they can actually hinder movement in cases.)

So...the people who really need it are the least likely to use it.

Yep. Helmets and pads, beyond the very, very beginning levels (or for specific training moves) are more of a hindrance. You can't effectively do what you need to do with them. Think about sport like gymnastics, too...there's tons of stuff they do that I'd prefer to be padded up for--that beam is darn hard! But you wouldn't be able to move properly on it if you were. At some point, you just have to risk it. And risk is relative to skill--as skill increases, risk decreases. Remember, too...falling properly is a skill. Once you learn that (hopefully very early), the risk decreases exponentially.

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

hmmm....balance beam is really toying with death ... even with a helmet.

It's true--you practice a lot in the hopes of avoiding injuries. Accidents are inevitable, but you learn what you can in order to avoid causing injuries to yourself or others.

On a different note, what are others' thoughts on helmets for pairs skaters? With the increased risks caused by lifts, spins and other elements done in close proximity to another person, would helmets be a worthy, or even feasible, investment for pairs skaters?

One well known pairs skater nearly died because he fell due to a muscle spasm from an old back injury. Naturally, he never knew what was coming. He hit his head on the ice and ended up being very seriously injured.

A risk that he undoubtedly was well aware of, and accepted as part of his sport.

Look, if we didn't accept a slight element of risk, we wouldn't be skaters! Actually, if we didn't accept a slight element of risk, we wouldn't get out of bed in the morning.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Of course. It's all good and dandy to say that.....until something happens, and then somebody deeply regrets it. I'll ignore the getting out of bed bit, because that's irrelevant.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Paul said that he still probably wouldn't have worn a helmet?


Absolutely. I fell on my @ss getting out of the car the other morning (glare ice covered with snow). Should I have padded up for the possibility when I got dressed that morning? By the way, that hurt much worse than any fall I've had while skating.

Why are you a skater then?

Even if you wear all the padding that has been mentioned in this thread, you still have a chance of getting hurt, so perhaps you should rethink your participation in this sport.

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--renatele

The subject I was focusing on is protective gear for beginners. Not for invincible and indestructable elite skaters like some of you.