There should be no chance for the back of a skater's head to hit the ice if a good cyclist's helmet is snuggly strapped. They may still get slightly sore if the fall is really hard, but the foam will dampen a lot of the impact and prevent the person from getting a broken head.

Although, I too believe that a hockey helmet would be even better for beginners, due to more padding. And it's got optional face protection as well. I've seen kids and adult beginners wear these in rec skate sessions. Very sensible and smart in my opinion. And visibility isn't going to be an issue...since pro hockey players have enough visibility to play the game.

But cycling helmets are cheaper and they still work, provided you pick a decent one. Naturally, you go and shop around and make sure it fits properly, and that the helmet has enough area over the forehead and back of the head before buying.

Hi! Yeah thanks. I've been back a few times now, tried all the tips and they were so helpful. I havent fallen over once! I've just taken it easy and got to grips with things and the feel of everything, and its all coming together and i'm happy with my progress and feeling a lot more confident. I'll be starting lessons at the end of the month.
Just need to find out what to work on next! I've been trying to teach myself how to stop but... yeah lol
Anyway thanks again!
Samantha xx

Most racing helmets don't cover the back of the head, though; the profile is wrong. The pointy part, too, might jar the neck. Most skaters I've seen wear helmets that resemble motorcycle helmets; round and secure.

Thank you, crayonskater--you summed it up more succinctly than I was able to. The problem with cycling helmets is that the profile is off for skating. Because the cycling helmet is bulky in the back with a sharp and finite end, the skater runs the risk of jarring the head when hitting the helmet on the ice. A rounded helmet is preferred in order to protect the entire head without risk of jarring.

Samantha--always remember to bend your knees and take your time stopping. Bent knees usually make for a more effective stop.

My apologies if this has already been stated--for those skaters who DO choose to wear helmets, if you take a hard spill and hit your head and the helmet, you may need to consider replacing the helmet.

When I bought a bike helmet (because I can't ride a bike and was given a bike a while ago that I have yet to use), the lady at the bike shop told me that if I were ever to fall and hit my head while in the helmet, the helmet may need to be replaced as it might not absorb shock as well after a hard blow to it. (My husband has mentioned the same is true of motorcycle helmets.)

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This is just a random site with a whole bunch of CYCLIST'S helmets.....

http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/products.asp

This one here is a good one ...
http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/produ...l.asp?prodID=7

And so is this one ... for kids
http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/produ....asp?prodID=18

The above just means there's a wide range of helmets to choose from, and types like these are definitely available....they're not rare/uncommon.

mikawendy ... definitely, you're right about that. If the fall is very hard, it is sensible to replace the helmet in case it's damaged internally.

A helmet would be a good idea. Having said that, I don't wear one skating. At least at the moment I don't.

On the other hand I have bicycled for years and thousands of miles, both on road bikes and mountain bikes. I wear a bike helmet habitually and it would feel odd not to have one on while riding. It's especially helpful mountain biking....I actually push small branches out of my way with my head. For that matter, I also wear protective eyewear. Twigs & leaves in the eyes are a bad thing.

Now, I'm thinking that a figure skating helmet made with similar technology, but taylored to be sport specific would be a great idea. I think I'd give it a try.

By the way....I also just had my first skating injury that has stopped me from practicing. It wasn't my head. Pulled muscles in my shoulder from a hard fall. Nothing can prevent all injuries.

Here's an interesting article regarding the Canadian government donating $50,000 to create standards for skating helmets: http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/nrm_news_...020-000313.htm

I like the idea of having helmets that are specifically tailored for the sport. One of my beginning skaters wear what I would guess is a skateboarding helmet. It protects his whole head while still giving him good visibility. I would guess that this is what the Canadian government has in mind in terms of ice skating helmets.

Ow, Jon - I do hope you heal fast! Poor you.

That sort of injury is far more likely to happen in skating than a head injury is. It makes sense to wear a helmet when on a bicycle (I know someone who was killed because she didn't) but not on the ice. After all, you can't wear one to test or compete and, as others have mentioned, suddenly not wearing one could put you off-balance. I notice speed skaters don't wear helmets, although you would have thought they would be in far more danger of hitting their heads than we are. Hockey players do, of course, but then they pad up anyway.... and, as they saying goes, if figure skating were easy, they'd call it hockey!

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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!

And hopefully, figure skaters aren't carrying sticks and other potential weapons around on the ice!!

Unless they're PattyP, of course....

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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, if we had them at our rink, our skating director would want glitter and sparkle on them......hmmm, they would be an interesting starting point for costume headpieces.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I guess that the only way you could find out if ice hockey was easy is if you get geared up and try a game of drop-in hockey with juniors. And then try it with intermediates, and then try it with the best. If you're not game enough to try that, then it's better to not follow such a saying, because I can tell you now that such a saying must have been made by somebody that has no clue about ice hockey.

http://www.ksgcitizen.org/news/2002/...s-218128.shtml

{Gold Medalist Apollo Ono reinforced the idea. “We wear helmets in speed skating. There’s no reason why figure skaters shouldn’t wear them too. They’re not above us. They’re not above safety. No one is,” Ono said.}

Did you even bother reading the whole article? I don't think you'd quote it here if you did. Yeah, very credible information

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--renatele

While the Winter Olympics are receding into memory, Olympic officials are already revising the rules for figure skating in ways that may change the sport forever. The most controversial change is a new regulation limiting backwards skating.

Nothing like quoting in context!

Hehe.

Short-trackers wear helmets due to the risk of collisions, just like hockey players. Speed skaters are like distance runners.

Misplace your sense of humor somewhere? Perhaps you'll find it on that stick up your....

Besides, Dave Coulier found out just how much more difficult figure skating is than hockey--I believe his exact words were 'this is a thousand times harder than hockey!'

Nope. They wear helmets due to the risk of hurting their heads either in collisions with other players OR hitting their heads on the ice or into sideboards if they fall over. The reason why figure skaters don't wear helmets is because it's the 'look'. They rather sacrifice safety for looks, which is fair enough if they want to do that. Just as long as some of them don't go recommending or suggesting to absolute beginners to not wear helmets while they're learning their basic skills....then that's fine.

Is anyone else here thinking ? This business is getting more and more ridiculous.

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Well, I don't think you'd argue that if the skating authorities would have wanted it, they would have designed a working helmet by now. Ultra-light, low profile, snug fit, good visibility, does not interfere with jumps etc.....would have been no problem at all.

I should add that... there's no doubt about it. I mean, it's obvious that a helmet on a figure skater that's dressed very elegantly and then puts a helmet on......would be exactly like going to a restaurant with a nice dress on but either wearing tennis shoes, or wearing a helmet. That is what I mean about looks, and it is what everybody already knows. That's about all there is to it ... in a nutshell.

Because the risk of hitting one's head is much higher due to collisions and the nature of the sport... I didn't think I needed to spell it out... speed skaters don't wear helmets because they're trying to go fast and they compete in twos. Hockey players don't wear gloves with rubber tips on the ends for finger protection; short track skaters do. The sports all take place on the ice, but that doesn't mean they all have the same risk of head injury.

I imagine the reason helmets will never take off in figure skating is due to both aesthetics, but also because the risk is a lot less than with hockey or short-track. Yes, figure skaters fall and hit their heads sometimes. Much less (the fact that we can remember the two horrible injuries says something) than the average hockey weekend.

If figure skating involved hitting each other with sticks, I imagine they'd wear pads, too!

The only stick that I can see is the one that's up your .....

The whole upper left side of my torso got pounded. Kind of like running into a brick wall with your chest out. But the deltoids (shoulder muscle) took the biggest hit.

The Doctor said anywhere from 2 weeks to a month for recovery. After 2 days of rest I started skating to stay in shape. The left arm is so weak right now...it kind of hangs there like a broken wing.

I watched my lesson from the sidelines today. Took pictures and smiled. Grrrr.

There's always the possibility that with enough public outcry (and enough head injuries involving top figure skaters), wearing helmets could become a requirement. I don't believe we're currently at that stage, or that I would agree with it, but if you compare it to the public pressure on the government to regulate public smoking...there's always the possibility that requirements and laws could become more stringent at a later date.

On a different note, my rink had FS testing tonight. One of our little FS1 skaters--a small one--landed on her chin during the warm-up. She came to the front desk with visible tissue, blood and bones protruding from her chin and asked for a band-aid so that she could skate her program. We sent her to the hospital instead. Poor kid!