Often, when I’m on the train, a kid will notice my skateboard. They’ll remark to their parents, “Look, that girl has a skateboard!” I usually smile, make some comment about how it’s a lot of fun. But on more than on occasion, the parent has said, “And look, she has a helmet!” Whenever I feel a little dorky putting on a helmet, I remember that kids are definitely going to see me and look up to me. Girls are going to see a female skater and thing, “Whoa, I can do that too?” Every kid is going to see me and think, “I guess it’s not so bad to wear a helmet.” If I can keep one kid from getting a concussion, I say my feeling of dorkiness is okay.
Even at Low Speeds
I didn’t start wearing a helmet when I first started skating. I told myself I wasn’t going fast enough to really worry about hitting my head. But that’s not great logic. Sure, it’s what a lot of street skaters say, but the truth is, you can hit your head at any speed. You never know how obstacles will change how you fall, and it could send you on your head with no protection.
I used to know someone who lost her husband to an extremely low speed fall on his motorcycle. He was just moving it, got tangled up as it tipped over, and fell with it. The side of his head hit the curb. He didn’t die, technically. Instead he has almost no control over his body, verbalization, and can’t communicate in any way. He lives in a special care facility now, where he will live until he dies.
My Helmet Saved My Board
I broke my wrist a few weeks ago. It’s almost done healing, and I can’t wait to get back out there. I wasn’t wearing gloves or wrist guards, no elbow pads or knee pads. I don’t own anything besides sliding gloves anyway. Plus, I’ve always been worried that wrist guards would lead to arm breaks or finger breaks, which are worse than a broken wrist.
I was wearing my helmet though. I didn’t hit my head too hard, still, my head would have hit the ground hard enough without a helmet. My neck actually hurt from how much I strained to not hit my head when I went down. But, thanks to that helmet, I didn’t even have a headache, and barely felt the bump. I was able to chase my board down before it went down the next hill. And, thanks to the adrenaline, I was able to carry it back up the hill for half a block before I realized my left hand couldn’t carry anything. If I had been on the ground in pain, my board would have been gone.
I’m not going to sit here and say that you need sliding gloves, knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet every time you go out. I wasn’t even intending to go downhilling that day, I just wanted to blow off some steam (and got lost in thought, which lead to the wreck). But do wear a helmet every time you go out. You’ll set an example for others, especially kids, surely protecting them from serious injury, and you’ll keep your most important organ in one piece. It’s about you, but it’s not just about you.
As for my helmet? It’s a sticker-covered Thousand Bike helmet. I may do a review on it at some point. But, because bike helmets are for high speed collisions, I figured it would be better for longboarding than typical skate helmets. Bike helmets are made to absorb one serious impact once. Skate helmets made for street skating are made for many falls, but don’t absorb impact as well. They’re for lower speed collisions. Both necessary, both good choices. However, for longboarding, get one that’s “dual certified,” for biking and skating, as well as EU certified (CPSC, CE, and ATSM).
Whatever you decide on, just be sure to protect that fragile mushy thing inside your only slighltly less fragile skull. You’re basically a walking, talking egg, Humpty Dumpty.
