More Important Things Than Fighting in Hockey

If you have an interest in sports or look for sports on the web, or in the print media. You will be aware that a large quantity of ink has been spilled lately on fighting in hockey, since the Tragic Death of Don Sanderson.

While it is one thing to ban fighting in hockey at the minor league level, calling for a ban at the professional level is ludicrous. For one thing professional hockey is played by groan men being paid a huge amount of money to do so, it is not only sport, it is entertainment.

Which brings me to the second point, the fans enjoy the odd fight in a game and get pumped up when there is an altercation on the ice. Fighting is also a deterrent for stick work and other cheap shots and it would be a big mistake to take it out of the professional game.

Anyone who has played knows that there is some method to the madness of fighting in hockey. So for all the bleeding hearts out there, get over it.

The point that I am leading into today is on another track completely. The sport on the web that I am talking about today is Snowboarding. Here is a little bit of what happened to a friend of mine back on Super Bowl weekend. I will speak in the third person to protect the privacy of the people involved.

They make it look so COOL to fly on your board without a helmet

On  or about Jan. 30 a young teenager goes to her dad and asks if she can go Snowboarding with her friends.  The father making sure that there was supervision says ok. Many hours later the father goes to pick up his daughter and instead of a smiling face, he is faced with a parents worst nightmare—his child in an ambulance being rushed to emergency with severe trauma to the head as a result of going down a hill without a safety helmet.

The child in question had rented all the proper equipment, but at some point was told that it was not required. It should also be known that this young teenager who was a novice to snowboarding was on an intermediate rather than the beginners hill.

Here is what in part the parent of this child has said:

What I learned about the downhill skiing and snowboarding sport and industry has caused me concern that in some way my daughter was let down simply because “that’s the way we do things” kind of mentality. I was told that many people ski and board without a crash helmet on and that many resent and refuse such protection!

In a day and age where society has decided that we need to take a more proactive role in public safety, the skiing industry seems to hold itself above all that..and to the greater expense of us all. Imagine for a moment what several MRI and CAT scans, several days in ICU and higher level care has cost the health care system, and then multiply that by the annual number of cases from similar accidents, and you’ll soon get a picture of MILLIONS of dollars of cost, and then consider the immeasurable costs in human suffering.

And so much of it totally PREVENTABLE!

To anyone who thinks that they can safely navigate even a modest hill on a snowboard or skis without a helmet should consider that even WITH a helmet on...serious concussion is imminent from an impact to the head at a speed of over 25 MPH. Speeds in excess of 25 MPH are common!

With impact with other skiers, trees, fences and even buildings a high possibility on a busy hill, to ski without a helmet seems to be inviting injury.

Why therefore doesn’t the industry support a requirement to wear safety protection? Why don’t the operators of ski hills deny access to patrons without proper skiing equipment INCLUDING safety items?

What are the legal ramifications for such a lackadaisical attitude towards safety issues?

What are the huge costs for insurance policies at these ski resorts?

These questions should be addressed. Now due to very poor judgement and lack of proper supervision a young lady sits with a fractured skull and is very lucky to be alive.

Here is a taste of Snowboarding accidents and I am sure you could find many more if you searched for them on the web.

“No Guts Mo Glory”

Walt Webb