ASRA - Australian Skateboard Racing Association

helmets and sport representation

Ok, having just watched Skate 1, another video of some moron riding with out a helmet, its time to bring up the importance of helmets and how it reflects on longboarders in general. 99% of us know that wearing a helmet isn't an option, its a necessity. So i ask you this, why are videos and pics of folks not wearing lids being allowed on the site? I know that policing the site for helmetless photos and vid is time consuming and a pain in the ass, but the first time someone visits the site they see a banner where all riders have helmets. only to scroll down and see pics and videos of people without lids. Like it or not, the minute you set foot on your board you become a representative for the sport (pro or otherwise). If you aren't wearing a helmet, the public may view you as just another sk8r regardless of the size of your board and how you use it. As longboarders we prefer not to lumped in with park skaters and their little popsicle stick boards for obvious reasons. Think about how impressionable young minds are, you go fanging past a car full of kids on a strange looking board, those kids get interested in longboarding, if they see you wearing a lid, they're first impression of the sport is someone who realises that safety is more important than image. The more this happens, the faster a helmets becomes part of the image.

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Permalink Reply by Brad NS on June 5, 2009 at 15:08
post up your helmet quivers ! telling people what you use each helmet for and why you like it !!!
Permalink Reply by Sakamoto on June 5, 2009 at 15:50
Chris, I have a helmet, a Wedge, which is fine for what I do...luge, classic and experiment.
The carbon work I do is for clients, and they pay for it.
I survive on a carer's pension looking after a disabled wife...
Not everyone is flush with money, alot of us only have the basics, and we ride for the sake of riding. If you can afford multiples of equipment, thats great, but not everyone can.
Permalink Reply by Duff on June 5, 2009 at 17:57
I know a young guy who had a few cans one night and was walking home with his mates, accidentally stepped in front of a car that was doing 50km/h and spent the next 3 months in rehab with serious head injuries.

If you're doing 40km/h down a hill and for some reason can't avoid hitting a car coming the other way at 50km/h, your head will hit that windscreen at 90km/h. If i had a choice between smashing my head through a piece of glass at 90 with a helmet v's without a helmet.... well the answer is obvious.
Permalink Reply by Dale on June 5, 2009 at 18:47
I KNOW I KNOW! DON'T GO SKATING DOWN THAT HILL!

i do good?

on another note...i completely get it now, why everyone's so 'helmet no matter what, even if you're just going to the shops"
i was just stuffing around out the front of my house just practising heelside and toeside carves, went too hard on the heelside, the back slid out and i ended up on my back...well...left shoulder actually, i came off backwards, landed on my shoulder and did a backwards roll sort of thing onto my feet, luckily my 6 years of gymnastics kept my head off the ground *cough* but yeah, i narrowly escaped a big owie just then, going out to get a helmet once i get back from maldon this weekend. No skating for me 'till then.

Duff said:
I know a young guy who had a few cans one night and was walking home with his mates, accidentally stepped in front of a car that was doing 50km/h and spent the next 3 months in rehab with serious head injuries.

If you're doing 40km/h down a hill and for some reason can't avoid hitting a car coming the other way at 50km/h, your head will hit that windscreen at 90km/h. If i had a choice between smashing my head through a piece of glass at 90 with a helmet v's without a helmet.... well the answer is obvious.
Permalink Reply by speedy canuck on June 5, 2009 at 18:48
even if you're only doing 40kph, if you fall the wrong way the impact speed of your head hitting the road can easily exceed 100kph. Its really not about how far you fall or how fast your going, its how fast your head is moving when it impacts.

ASRA AdminPermalink Reply by bernie on June 5, 2009 at 18:55
Two cents.
(bit off topic here but skating and motorcycles create similar opportunities for injury)
South of the Murray is a great place to ride motorcycles. It's mostly cold, and hardly ever rains, so you wear good strong clothes and high tech headwear, mostly to stay warm, with the added protection from sudden abrasion and impacts to the head a really big bonus. Up north however it's a bit different. Warm nights means riding home in thongs and shorts, and open face helmets (a massive temptation, and something to put on the to do list)! However in clothes like that you only ever crash ONCE!

As to the photo's and vid's idea......I hate censorship, but if ASRA wants to be able to front "the Man" and state that ASRA is a safety conscious organisation, in order to get an event approved, or recognition for the sport, then we might need to consider what get's posted. (pray it never comes to that!)

Just remembered... when Snowboarding got accepted into the Olympics, helmets were a condition. The "core" snowboarders were extremely piste (ha) but those that wanted to compete just said "whatever"!

Final thing. It is so incredibly shit when you are running an event, or arranging a practice session and someone get's seriously hurt..(how do I know that....organising motorcycle races at uni....and the odd crash myself)
...So please respect each other, and look after yourselves.

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Dani on June 5, 2009 at 20:05
Well said Bernie.

I dont wanna see my mates or anyone for that matter injure themselves and I dont want to have to drive people to hospital. It ruins a good session and if I mess my head up it means I cant skate anymore and isnt that the most important thing?

Live to skate another day
Permalink Reply by Chris on June 10, 2009 at 14:10
Full respect Sakamoto, I have a son with disabilities and understand a carer's life is one of dedication and is hugely under supported. I have blended family of 6 kids and a neverending relationship with the child support agency. Skateboarding and martial arts are my few indulgences. Forgive my indescretion no offence was intended, merely trying to let the younger ones know there are alternatives and share a bit of humour with you in passing.

Sakamoto said:
Chris, I have a helmet, a Wedge, which is fine for what I do...luge, classic and experiment.
The carbon work I do is for clients, and they pay for it.
I survive on a carer's pension looking after a disabled wife...
Not everyone is flush with money, alot of us only have the basics, and we ride for the sake of riding. If you can afford multiples of equipment, thats great, but not everyone can.
Permalink Reply by Sakamoto on June 10, 2009 at 14:37
No probs, Chris.....Cheers.


Chris said:
Full respect Sakamoto, I have a son with disabilities and understand a carer's life is one of dedication and is hugely under supported. I have blended family of 6 kids and a neverending relationship with the child support agency. Skateboarding and martial arts are my few indulgences. Forgive my indescretion no offence was intended, merely trying to let the younger ones know there are alternatives and share a bit of humour with you in passing.

Sakamoto said:
Chris, I have a helmet, a Wedge, which is fine for what I do...luge, classic and experiment.
The carbon work I do is for clients, and they pay for it.
I survive on a carer's pension looking after a disabled wife...
Not everyone is flush with money, alot of us only have the basics, and we ride for the sake of riding. If you can afford multiples of equipment, thats great, but not everyone can.

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Jacko on June 10, 2009 at 15:04
had a session on sunday, mate of mine who never wears a helmet (after many times i tell him to get one) had a crash. High sided while sessioning a corner and hit the back of his head on the ground. left a big blood splatter and opened up the back of his head. So what did we do? we had to stop skating and drive his stupid ass to the hospital to get him fixed up. Was a major pain in the ass. Once we got there of course we dropped him off and said sick bro call us when ur stitched up and went back for another skate, as if we wanna sit around for 3 hours while he gets mended.
So the bottom line is, if your not wearing a helmet and hurt your head, its not just you that has to deal with it, its the others around you that have to take care of you and go out of their way to make sure your alright because you didnt wear a lid...
Permalink Reply by Arran Pratt on June 10, 2009 at 22:45
It's very hard to force someone to do something...but a little bit of subtle peer pressure can go a long way.

I would force my 8 year old son, Fin, to wear a helmet (if it came down to it) because he's not old enough to make that call for himself..but he sees the guys he looks up to like Jacko, PC, Old School Richie and the Loaded guys absolutely tearing it up wearing helmets and guess what?....he wants to wear a helmet just like them.

It is hard to argue against the statistics of compulsory bike helmets and think there is merit in Bugs' 'risk compensation' angle and found it interesting reading, (having alot to do with risk assessment and management at work) and particulary agree with the philosophy 'it's all skateboarding and it's all good'.

The basic pretence of assessing any risk is identifying..

1. the 'likelyhood of an event occuring' and
2. the possible consequences if that event occurs

then putting controls in place to minimise that chances of that undesirable event occuring

My 2c worth...

1. I reckon there are too many unidentifiable external hazards in most of the skating that happens. ie gumnut/ rock under a wheel, other people /kids/cars and environmental factors that can't be foreseen and therefore cant be reliably put into your own risk assessment.
2. The consequenses of hitting your head on something hard (even though it may not be all that likely) can be life threatening...gravel rash or broken bones aren't really gonna kill you but head trauma can.

A helmet is a pretty easy, cheap and portable control to put in place yeah?

that's why even on my backyard mini ramp..when Fins friends are skating..it's 'no helmet, no skate..' I dont want t be be responsible for driving somene elses kid to hospital let alone my own...what people do in public is their own choice...but to ASRAs credit the events I've attended have had everyone wearing helmets...by choice.

Basically.. i'm 36 years old..I've got a great life with three kids and an awesome lady... I'm just getting into skating again....I'm actually getting better at it ..and lovin it the more I do it...and I don't want to friggin' die before I've learnt to do a 180 powerslide or a nose manual...that's why I choose to always wear a helmet.

and although I wouldn't ram it down anyones throat, I would certainly encourage people to look at the benefits of wearing one

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Dani on June 10, 2009 at 22:58
That has got to be the most, intelligent, sensible and down to earth statement on this subject I have heard to this day. Cheers to that Arron.

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