Editor’s note: The information provided in this article is targeted at all beginning Basic Skills skaters.
Purchase of a helmet recommended for
Basic Skills beginners by HEATHER WAGNER RAPPAPORT Being a successful skater does not re-
quire fancy equipment, but it is important that you have properly fi tting skates; warm, comfortable clothes; a safety helmet; and a pair of gloves or mittens. As is the case with any activity, there are some inherent risks that participants need to be aware of and mitigate as much as possible. The goal of this article is:
1) To educate beginning skaters about the need for proper equipment, including safety helmets. 2) To promote the use of helmets for all be- ginning skaters during Basic Skills classes and public sessions The Centers for Disease Control recom- mend facilities do not off er helmets for rent or use, as proper fi tting, equipment inspec- tion and disinfection lie in the hands of the helmet owner, not necessarily the end user. However, fi rst-time visitors are not well in- formed about the potential risks of activity before arrival and most likely arrive without proper equipment. Once they arrive at the rink, customers
are generally unwilling to go home to get a helmet or go to a store to purchase one. If provided with background knowledge ahead of their visit, guests will have the opportunity to bring safety equipment from home. The choice would lie in the consumer’s hands. Accident data supports the need to make this change. The fi rst step is educating recreation- al participants through a public awareness campaign. Purpose and standards of helmets A helmet protects the head by reduc-
ing the rate at which the skull and the brain are accelerated and decelerated during an impact, eff ectively acting as a shock absorb- er between the force of the impact and the brain. By spreading concentrated forces of
46 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015
impact over the protective foam, thus spread- ing the force over the wearer’s scalp and skull, a good helmet provides the brain extra time and space needed to reduce injury. Instead of the impact concentrating on one point, it is spread across the wearer’s head. Most helmets are made of expanded
polystyrene (EPS) foam with a hard plastic shell. The shell is designed to slide on rough surfaces and hold the foam together after ini- tial impact. Upon impact, the polystyrene lin- er of the helmet crushes, thereby dissipating energy over a wider area. Similar to a shipping carton, the outer box may dent, but the EPS foam “packing peanuts” protect the contents of the box from breaking. Once the foam in a helmet is crushed, it does not recover; there- fore a new helmet should be purchased. The sponge pads inside a helmet are for
comfort and fi t, not for impact protection. When purchasing a helmet, the person who will be wearing it should be present, to en- sure the helmet fi ts properly. Helmets have diff erent levels of protection and are rated for levels of impacts and forces. The helmet ratings are determined by the helmet’s abil- ity to absorb and dissipate the energy of an impact — regardless of the person’s speed. Cycling, skiing, ice hockey and football have made changes in safety guidelines based on the trends and statistics of head injuries in their sports.
The Consumer Product Safety Commis-
sion off ers guidelines for the type of helmet to wear for diff erent activities. Although a helmet standard does not exist specifi cally for ice skating, until such standards are written, wearing one of the listed types of helmets may well be preferable to wearing no helmet at all. For ice skating, the recommended hel- mets are ASTM F1447 and Snell B-90A, B-95, N-94. Positive eff ect of sports involvement An ice skating rink is a place for children
and adults to visit on a regular basis, during their leisure time, to engage in positive, fun exercise. This may not mean becoming an expert skater, but becoming competent on the ice so that he or she can have a positive social experience and “be ice safe.” In order for this to happen, the participants should learn to skate safely and with the proper technique. Once the skill is learned, the skater will continue to return to the facility with their friends. Having a positive place to go during leisure time provides people with a fun, pro- gressive outlet to relieve stress.
Rappaport has been involved in sports for
more than 30 years as a skater, ice rink admin- istrator, coach and parent. She has masters de- grees in education and recreation, and current- ly works in higher education.
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