October 24, 2003
Hockey Anyone?
We took Alexei skating for the first time last Monday. It was an interesting experience, for lack of a better adjective.
He really wanted to go into the arena but we told him he had to get his skates and helmet on first. The skates were okay, they are just strap-on, two bladed skates, that we attach to his Bob the Builder rubber boots. The helmet was another matter altogether. He didn't want to wear it...at all. It also had a chin strap that was a little tight to make the experience that much worse. We compromised by wearing the helmet without the chin strap, realizing that this isn't as safe, but also realizing that the helmet isn't CSA approved anyway and is more for appearance than protection. It even says so on a sticker on the back, one of the funniest warning labels I have ever read.
This helmet is not for use on or in ice hockey street hockey, in-line skating, bicycling, football, equestrian sports, motorcycles, off road vehicles, any vehicle on highway use, automobiles or cars. This helmet meets no government or recognized industry standards. It has not been certified by Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and does not meet ASTM, HECC, NOCSAE or ANSI Z90 standards. This helmet affords no protection from neck and spinal injuries. Some reasonably foreseeable impacts may exceed this helmet's protective capabilities. Severe head, brain or spinal injuries including paralysis or death may occur despite using this helmet. Made in China.
Now you are probably asking yourself "Why would any self-respecting parent purchase a helmet for their two year old that has a warning sticker like that?" Well, the answer is disturbingly simple. It was the only one we could find that would fit. They don't make hockey helmets for kids that small. They really should. In fact, some of the older kids, around five or six years, were wearing helmets that were obviously too big, and I question their effectiveness. Some were wearing bike helmets, which was an option we probably should have explored a little more. Although they look like they may protect a child's head during an impact they seem to be shaped improperly for a backwards fall and would put a lot more pressure on the neck. As we all know that a helmet has to fit properly to protect the way it was designed, and I don't think bike helmets were designed for the ice.
Anyway, I was going to talk about the skating experience itself and the laughter and the crying therein, but I kind of got off topic. Maybe next time.