By Tim Pain Van Der Kooi, Staff Contributor
In the bleachers of Dalhousie’s Memorial Arena, 50-year-old Henry Rudolph tightens his laces for a noon-time skate. He talks to two women beside him about the arena’s new helmet requirements as they strap on their shiny, black hockey helmets.
They are the only skaters in the arena.
As of Jan. 1, Dalhousie requires all skaters and staff to wear Canadian Standards Association approved hockey helmets during public skating sessions and ice rentals at the arena. The requirement was introduced after a year of observation by Dalhousie professor and neurologist David Clark. Two people have suffered serious head-related injuries due to falls in Memorial Arena. Those injuries, combined with conversations with other colleagues, led Clark to suggest the helmet requirement.
Rudolph, who usually skates at the arena once or twice a week, has noticed fewer skaters are attending Dalhousie’s public skates since the change.
“I’ve seen nearly 100 come out for these public skates, but now the numbers have dropped dramatically,” says Rudolph.
Sarah Wheadon-Hore, senior manager of Dalhousie facilities, cannot confirm declining public skate numbers because Memorial Arena just began monitoring public skate attendance on Jan. 1. However, Wheadon-Hore says she has received lots of feedback that praises and denounces the new helmet regulations.
“Some people are saying, ‘About time,’” says Wheadon-Hore. “But we knew we would face opposition, you know. ‘We’re adults. We should be able to make our own decisions.’”
Wearing a helmet doesn’t bother Rudolph – his mother strapped one on his head when he was six. He applauds Dalhousie for the new regulation, though he realizes that some skaters will not appreciate the uncomfortable nature of a helmet.
“The people who are complaining are (doing so) just for aesthetic purposes,” says Rudolph.
But Wheadon-Hore says it is more than just looks. She says the greatest opposition to the helmet regulation are figure skaters. While Dalhousie’s figure skating group is exempted from the rule, figure skaters participating in any public skate still need a helmet.
“With public skates you have the full range of abilities. You could be a strong skater and have a weaker skater wipe out behind you, which could take your feet out and then you smack your head on the ice,” says Wheadon-Hore. “You may be a good skater, but it’s the other skater that could take you out.”
Dalhousie’s figure skating club does not have to wear helmets because Wheadon-Hore considered their sessions were in a controlled environment with only 25 skaters. She says a figure skater’s balance and vision could be affected if they wear a helmet. The club is also exempted because of additional waivers and insurance with Skate Canada. But insurance and waivers will not be a loophole for other skaters looking to get on the ice without a helmet.
“It would be an administrative nightmare,” says Wheadon-Hore. “Waivers don’t always hold up in a court of law. They don’t save the facility operator in every situation.”
Amanda Jamieson, a member of the figure skating club, has decided she will not attend Dalhousie’s public skates anymore because of the price of helmets, which can cost $30 to $100. She has been figure skating for 11 years, which makes her confident that she is not at risk to fall at a public skate.
“I think it’s kind of ridiculous because skating backwards or forwards is like walking to me,” says Jamieson.
Wheadon-Hore hopes that educating the public about CSA-approved helmets will help cease opposing arguments.
Lynn Fennerty, a Dalhousie research co-ordinator for injury prevention programs, and fourth-year nursing students have been hosting safety information sessions during public skates. Wheadon-Hore says these sessions have already converted one individual who was initially opposed, but returned the next week with a helmet in hand.
“There is a chance we will never see some skaters again,” says Wheadon-Hore. “But once people are informed, once they see the impact, they agree with the helmets.”
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