Ouch. Skating injuries can be rough. I've seen some nasty ones in my day. Most of the gruesome ones involve collisions between skaters on a session (blades are sharp and pointy, lest we forget). Gashes, slashes and stabbings are more common than one wants to admit...but don't let that scare you away from the sport. If you're vigilant and courteous during practice sessions, you will more than likely never have to contend with a blade to the head (or anywhere else).
Blunt force trauma, on the other hand, is usually self-inflicted, and harder to avoid. Tripping and falling is usually no one's fault but your own. The good news is, the majority of blunt force traumas on the ice sound worse than they are. The crack of a forehead on the ice, or the boom of a body colliding with the boards is loud (and unforgettable), but the boards are forgiving, and the lowered friction of the ice adds momentum to your trajectory (I'm so not a physics expert) and spreads out the impact, kind of like parkour. The ultimate irony of these injuries is that 99 percent of the time, they come from hesitation and fear when attempting maneuvers. Holding back is more dangerous than going for it. That's a good life lesson outside the rink...
And there is a third type of injury, distressingly common among younger skaters--the stress-fractures and growth plate cracks and other types of slow-burning injury that can wreck you for life. I don't know how to avoid those, other than to go easy on yourself?
Anyway, I hope Kaetlyn recovers in time to compete in the major events that occur in the winter, like Canadian Nationals and Worlds. Her skating is decent, and she has an entertaining style on ice. (Hope she rethinks her costume choices though for a little more coverage down under...)
No comments:
Post a Comment