Wear a helmet, protect your head. Seems straight forward. But why then do so many people choose to ride without.
There’s plenty of reasons. It’s not cool. It messes with my hair. I don’t need one. The list goes on.
So what’s the deal? Let’s debunk a few myths.
Wear your helmet today so you can ride tomorrow..
It’s not cool…
What’s cool with riding scooters is the tricks. Big insane mad tricks taking heaps of technical skill and guts. I mean Dakota Schuetz has a bit of a following in the scooter world. If he rocked up to your local skatepark and started laying down a few tricks, I don’t think you’d be standing around saying I’m so much cooler than him… Everyone look at me instead cause I’m cooler. That Kota guy wore a helmet at the last world championships so he’s so uncool.
There’s heaps of reasons why someone is “cool”, but not wearing a helmet isn’t one of them.
It messes with my hair…
Seriously? Do you realise how that actually sounds? Maybe you should focus more on your skills and less on how pretty you think you are. Or perhaps take up another activity so you can keep your hair looking picture perfect at all times. I’m thinking lawn bowls and maybe a can of hair spray. You’ll look divine. But if you must figure out how to look your best after wearing a helmet, try water, try brushing, try a different style, try anything but not wearing a helmet. It’s what the pros and other top riders that have images to worry about do in every extreme sport.
I don’t need one…
Umm.. Seriously!?.. You must be the only person ever in the history of the world to never ever make a mistake. Never have tripped. Never have bumped into anything. And you’ve certainly never come off your scooter. On top of that nobody in any skate park has ever made you switch direction, run into you, dropped in on you. It’s always clear for your runs. Your head is harder than concrete and metal and more resilient than a moving car. You are truly invincible.
If I were to swing a slab of concrete at your head it would hurt right? Maybe cause serious damage? You’d want to move out of the way or slap on a lid to protect you. The problem is when you slam, you don’t get that choice. You can’t move out of the way. And if you’re not wearing a helmet you can’t throw one on mid slam. The only chance you get to protect your head is before you ride.
The Reality of Wearing a Helmet
Everyone slams. Some hit their head. It’s concrete, concrete always wins. The only chance you have to avoid serious damage is to wear a helmet.
Experience
I have personally slammed a number of times at skate parks. The first time I hit my head was at a private park, so helmets were compulsory. And my hit came from a long way up. I was about 4 foot out the top of a 12 foot vert ramp, so around 5 metres in the air. And I shifted my weight at the wrong time, tried to bail, and ended up slamming my head into the transition on the way down. I was out for a few seconds, then came to. All good, but it’s the helmet that saved me. They say wise people learn from others mistakes whilst fools learn from their own. So which are you?
Note to Parents
Most people are aware that kids heads and concrete don’t mix well. And a parents job is to protect their child. So when you’re out and about finding one for your kid, don’t skimp. Don’t buy a cheap helmet thinking it’ll do the job. Get something of quality that’ll do the job well.
Helmet Fit
Be sure to get a helmet that fits like a glove. If it shifts when your riding it can cover your eyes and create its own problems. You’ll be less likely to wear it and leave yourself open to injury. Get the right fit and secure it properly.
Moral of the story is we don’t get many chances in life when it comes to a mistake of this nature. If you hit your head it can mean the worst. And in that case you won’t be able to ride the next day, or the day after that.. And they are a great place to slap stickers.. Wear your helmet today so you can ride tomorrow..
