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The Need for Safety Equipment

BEFORE
going down a gentle slope,
you must learn how to break:

Learning how to stop is a necessity; it must be mastered before approaching any kind of slope. Stopping is difficult to learn. Even a good ice skater will struggle. It takes practice and balance. As you lean back and the rubber break digs into the surface, you will find it difficult to keep your balance. Once you learn how to do this on a level path, it is important to practice some more. It must become easy to maintain balance on a level surface, because on a slope it feels different; it's a real challenge. On a slope, it is easy to quickly pick up speed, and if you can't balance to slow down, your speed gets out of control. This is when you discover there are hazards in front of you.

Also, for the first year of inline skating, you will tend to make a few minor miscalculations: lose balance and control as you approach a hazard, run into a crack in the pavement, hit a stick, or struggle to regain balance. It is the first year when you will find that your safety equipment is a necessity.

 

A Tragic Experience

Most accidents don't reach the news. But, on August 9, 2003 the Calgary Herald reported that a 43 year old woman who was not wearing a helmet lost her life.   ALTHOUGH SHE WAS ATHLETIC, she had only been inline skating for a month. This is the time when any slope can be extremely dangerous.

The Calgary Herald noted that her friend got a minor scrape on his elbow. He reported: "I bailed out on the corner before the bridge," then added: "Theresa made the corner onto the bridge. A witness said she tried to grab the railing but couldn't and she went for a huge spill."

 

 

These Are My Experinces With Breaking.

Read the description below, or you can view a video at youtube.com by clicking on the image on the right.

Click here to view video at youtube.com.

This is another turn with surprises.
The turn to the right slants down a little
so you pick up speed as you continue, then run over
loose gravel; and the path is still turning. So there is nowhere
to break. When I first came to this turn I approached it with care,
and almost came to a stop just before turning to the right. Then, while
picking up speed, I was able to get over the bits of gravel,
and was glad it was not necessary to break. If you
didn't slow down, the gravel would send
you into whatever is there.

I'm not a safety expert, but I have had a lot of time to think about it: to observe the process of learning to inline skate, and to evaluate the need for safety while skating.

There are many unexpected hazards: water or dirt on the pavement, small sticks, cracks in the path, bumps that can't be seen because they are in the shade, people passing without notice, others unexpectedly moving into your path, etc.   Sometimes when you see a few hazzards it looks like you don't have to slow down. But as you avoid what you saw, you are suddenly faced with a few more that you didn't see, at a time when you are off balance. That's why I liked to stay on a familiar path.

The key is to skate bent over so that if you fall, you fall forward. If you have pads on, you land on the knee and elbow pads, and if you fall with your hands up you will also hit your hand pads. So, the plan is to just slide along on your padding when you hit the ground. A helmet is mandatory, because serious permanent injury can happen. But keep in mind that equipment does not guarantee safety. Being careless can result in serious injuries, even if you wear equipment. It is necessary that you be constantly aware of the dangers.

My view of safety is very similar to the philosophy of defensive driving. It is important to not just avoid accidents, but to avoid experiencing indications of a potential accident: avoid any hint that you might fall.

My philosophy is to be keenly aware of dangers and potential dangers. It is important to be focused on what you are doing, to constantly be under control, to respect all potentially dangerous things in front of you, and to be watching for a new danger which could be around the next corner. If you inline skate with a friend, both of you must be concerned with safty: avoid distractions; maintain awareness.

After completing a run, it helps to evaluate what happened, to recall the times when you failed to be completely safe and in total control. Then make a mental note to make sure that on the next trip those seemingly minor events will be avoided.

Questions?  Suggestions? Comments.
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