Protection - And I'm Not Talking About Sex!

by Adam Cece

Most skaters don't want to think about injuries. Instead a good skater prefers to throw caution to the wind, skate without fear of injury, realising that if he or she is to injure themselves skating they could equally be as likely to accidentally get hit by a careless driver whilst crossing the street. But injuries can be prevented by wearing the appropriate safety gear. I sense the skater's eyes rolling back into their head as they read this, it's probably the same thing they've heard from their parents every time they are preparing to step out of the house with a skateboard under the arm.

Whilst wearing safety equipment on ramps has become a necessity these days, when you've got a solid strip of metal coping flying towards your head at a hundred miles an hour you start to feel a helmet is more than justified, the disturbing factor is that amongst street skaters protection is seen as an 'uncool' thing to do. I still see more than ninety percent of street skaters ambling the streets without a helmet or pads.

It probably has a lot to do with the care free laid back lifestyle of skating, being able to pick up a board anytime, anywhere, and grind a bench or skate a drain, it's freedom to a young person who has yet to get a licence, or be able to drink. To them it is the one thing in life they can do which is not restricted by rules and boundaries. But unfortunately, these aren't rules and boundaries set by parents, teachers or skate safety equipment manufacturers; they are rules and boundaries set by the laws of physics. The human skull is only as thick as the next solid wedge of concrete it's about to collide with, skin is barely a sheet of paper covering flesh, bone and essential nerves.

I've seen people split their skulls open, tear their flesh back to the bone, after trying to pull a trick over something as trivial as a cardboard box. I saw a young man at a recent professional skating competition who was simply skating back to his bag across a flat piece of concrete floor with believe it or not his helmet in hand smash his head open like a coconut. Two weeks later as he lay in hospital, being told his skating career would be put on hold for six months I doubted he would ever skate without his helmet on again.

Life is chaotic, we can never see what's coming, whilst that is what often makes life so enjoyable it also makes life more dangerous, more precarious. When we are in perfect health it all seems so far away, but bones don't just bend the right way, apply a bit of pressure and the weight of a body and they can snap backwards as well, believe me I've seen it all before.

I'm not here to give yet another seminar on skateboarding safety, drone on like a broken record. But next time you hit the ramp or streets, make sure you'll be there to do it all again tomorrow, by taking all the necessary precautions. Wear helmets, pads, move dangerous objects that you might be able to fall on away from rails and benches. Sometimes when you're tackling a rail that spans over eleven steps you are bond to be taking your life into your own hands, but stay within your level of expertise. Everyone will become a better skater tomorrow than they were today, there's no need to rush.

So to cut a long story short, be safe, throw caution to the wind but at the same time assess the possible consequences of your actions, not for your parents, your teachers, or for the law, but rather for yourself, and the sport of skateboarding.

It's not restrictive, it's common sense. Take it from someone who's seen it all, and who doesn't want to see it any more. That's all I have to say on the matter.

Contact Adam Cece: adamcece@hotmail.com