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Should I Wear a Helmet?
Helmets - protective head gear - brain buckets are worn by all types of athletes: rock climbers, mountain bikers, road cyclists, equestrians, hockey players, kayakers, in-line skaters, skiers snowboarders and many others.
Wearing a helmet is a choice, but a smart choice. If you choose to wear a helmet, it is important that it fits properly, is comfortable, and offers the appropriate level of protection for skiing.
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Robert Williams, M.D. is a Pediatric Anesthesiologist and Associate Director for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Vermont Children's Hospital and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He is an avid skier and snowboarder and serves as Medical Associate for the Smuggler's Notch Ski Patrol.
The following is Dr. Rob's Top Ten Tips for Using and Wearing Helmets When Skiing or Snowboarding:
1. Ski and Snowboard as if you weren't wearing a helmet.
Ski and ride responsibly and in control at all times.
Helmets help prevent head injuries but are of little help
in high speed, head-on injuries and offer no protection against neck and other types of injuries.
2. Use a helmet designed specifically for skiing or snowboarding. Bike helmets are designed with different impact characteristics and different areas of protection than ski and snowboard helmets and should never be worn as a substitute for a ski helmet. In addition to appropriate safety design, ski helmets offer advantages, such as warmth and and integrated fit with goggles.
3. Take time to ensure the helmet fits properly. Ski helmets are not something to grow into. The helmet must fit properly to function safely.
4. Buy a helmet that meets industry standards. there are various helmet standards in place including CEN (the least rigorous standard), ADTM and Snell (the most rigorous and hard to meet standard). Be sure to review product literature for the helmet to find out which standard the helmet meets.
5. Adults should serve as role models for children. Children pick up on hypocrisy at light speed. If parents expect their children to ski and ride responsibly and wear helmets, then they should do so as well. Adults who wear helmets will help encourage children to follow suit.
6. Establish a firm rule regarding helmet use. Establish a rule, such as "No helmet equals no skiing or snowboarding." Most ski teams and academies have well accepted rules requiring helmet use in their athletes.
7. Bring your goggles when you buy your helmet. Different goggles and helmets work together differently. A well fitting system will provide great protection for the face and forehead from cold wind and snow and still allow adequate ventilation for the goggles.
8. Keep goggles and helmets attached together. It is much harder to lose both a helmet and a set of goggles.
9. Use stickers and other decorations to personalize and make your helmet cool.
10. Provide incentives for good helmet behavior. A number of professional skiers and snowboarders wear helmets and serve as great role models. Reinforce helmet wearing with posters of winter sports celebrities who wear helmets.
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"When I was little, 6-years old, I got my first helmet. I've never had a more trusty or invaluable piece of equipment. Now that I'm racing and helmets are a requirement, it seems like I never go skiing without one.
They're warm and comfortable, and they can save your life if you have an unlucky slip. When you see the pictures of the racers these days, one of the coolest parts are their lids. Some of the decorations are awesome."
Bode Miller grew up in Franconia, NH and fell in love with the high-speed action of alpine ski racing as a child. He burst onto the international scene in 2002, with the best Olympic men's finish in over 20 years with two silver medals in Salt Lake City, Bode is noted by his calm, cool style and is considered one of the fastest racers on skis!
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"Over 300,000 Americans suffer brain injuries a year. Don't be a statistic, wear your helmet. During my career the doctors fixed my body several times. Luckily I never hurt my head because you only get one chance with your brain. Wear a helmet."
Picabo Street is one of America's most famous alpine ski racers and the most popular among kids. In 1998 she came back from a terrible knee injury to win an Olympic gold medal in Nagano. She's the only american - man or woman - to win a season long World Cup downhill title, winning in 1995 and 1996.
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Join the Fun
Athletes, Volunteers and Sponsors
Print out your registration and mail it to:
Hidden Valley Ski Area
17409 Hidden Valley Drive
Wildwood, Missouri 63025
For additional information contact:
gdsp.org@hotmail.com
636 938-6478
GDSP
5924 Flint Ridge Road
Pacific, Missouri 63069
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