The Fail Club

[karrittop99]

the gayest thread on the fish: http://www.silverfishlongboarding.co...hall-meat.html

[SeanML]

I wear a helmet whenever I go fast enough that I couldn't run it off... anything short of that, you generally see it coming (so you are prepared enough to run it off or at least avoid injury), and if you don't, it's your own damn fault because you weren't paying attention.

The only times I've ever fallen off my board were when I was doing something stupid... trying to ride over gravel, trying to bomb a hill on a 32" board with loose sidewinders, trying to do standups on that same board in the rain... stupid stupid stupid.

Even when skating 5mph all the time like you it's still a good idea to wear wrist guards.

QFT. My wrists have taken a beating lately, I need to invest in some of these...

[leafdarking]

I can tell I'm beating a dead horse here, but...

My boyfriend was cruising around about a month ago, nothing serious just taking a few little hills that he and his friends do all the time, so of course no helmet. He went around a corner and suddenly there was a deep patch of gravel in a spot where there's never gravel, he didn't have time to avoid it and before he knew it he was flat on his back with his head bouncing against the pavement. He lucked out with a small concussion and whiplash for a week, but his head probably could've been open on the pavement if he'd been going faster.

My best friend was coming down a hill that she and I ride all the time and a car literally pulled right out in front of her, she bailed to avoid hitting them and instead of driving away the car stopped and she somehow bumped off the car and came within inches of cracking her forehead open on the curb. On an easy cruise that she and I took nearly daily last summer.

I understand your sentiment of "I do it all the time, it's just a cruise, I don't want to look like a lamer because being safe is lame," but I think it's stupid as hell. There are so many aspects you can't control when you're out skating and Murphy's law would love to see you with your brains out on the road and all of your friends going "But we were just going for a cruise! And omg helmets are t3h lamexcore!"

[lollygag]

I can tell I'm beating a dead horse here, but...

[senkakureiken]

I used to think the danger was half the fun, until I bailed real hard and damaged my hip. After the fall I laid in a ditch for about 5 minutes trying to asses the damage to my body before I moved. I was lucky that I didn't break anything.

I used to think pads were gay. I begrudgingly bought a full set of pads when I started learning how to slide, and wore them almost out of spite. I messed up a toeside slide and skid on my knee pad and gloves. I looked at the pad I realized that without that knee pad, I would have little skin left on my knee cap.

If your skating isn't very intensive you may not feel the need for pads, but if your pushing the limit of your skills, your going to fall. I'm not trying to diss anyone who skates just for fun or not very hard, but its worth looking "gay" to skate more and safer and without pain.

[j3kk]

watch this and tell me if it doesnt make you change your mind about your "helmets are gay" philosophy.

wipeout

[zatoichi37]

for flatland pumping, pushing around, or even small hills, i won't wear pads/a helmet

but when i go to a garage or big hills, i'll wear my helmet and gloves and some thick jeans (i need to get some knee pads...)

[B Dollar Bill Symbol]

Every single time I've had a bad fall it has been doing my usual route to work/school, and every time I've had my helmet on, and every time after the first one I had my gloves. All it takes is a rock or a sandy patch and you're f'ed.

[Jorelle]

watch this and tell me if it doesnt make you change your mind about your "helmets are gay" philosophy.

wipeout

Good video, I recommend watching it. I'm gluing my helmet to my head now lol.

[SeanML]

Every single time I've had a bad fall it has been doing my usual route to work/school, and every time I've had my helmet on, and every time after the first one I had my gloves. All it takes is a rock or a sandy patch and you're f'ed.

This is why you pay attention to where you're going, and either avoid those rocks/sand or brace for impact and jump off. I mean really, how much of a puss are you when someone asks "why do you wear your helmet to class? you don't do anything crazy, it's just riding around"

and you respond: "because I'm afraid of teh pebblez and sand!"

lame. There isn't even an "I told you so" if you fall and smash your head (no helmet) from hitting a pebble or patch of sand at low speed....at least the way I see it. Just means you don't pay attention, and in that case, you had it coming... it's akin to walking into a pole and hitting your head.

[snippers]

This is why you pay attention to where you're going, and either avoid those rocks/sand or brace for impact and jump off. I mean really, how much of a puss are you when someone asks "why do you wear your helmet to class? you don't do anything crazy, it's just riding around"

and you respond: "because I'm afraid of teh pebblez and sand!"

lame. There isn't even an "I told you so" if you fall and smash your head (no helmet) from hitting a pebble or patch of sand at low speed....at least the way I see it. Just means you don't pay attention, and in that case, you had it coming... it's akin to walking into a pole and hitting your head.

God forbid someone wants to be safe, let's all call him a puss. Even if he's going extremely slow, if he falls and hits his head just right, he could get seriously injured. If he doesn't want to take that risk, who are you to tear him down for it?

[CasterTown]

No one will join your club. I'd much rather risk looking "gay" than risk get hurt and have people use that to justify laws against skateboarding (especially since very few people would agree that I look "gay" while skateboarding down the santa ynez mountains at 50mph no matter how much gear I wear).

If you don't protect yourself, somebody else will...with laws. That's just the way our pathetic system works.

[MacRae]

edit: Nevermind, misunderstanding.

[SeanML]

God forbid someone wants to be safe, let's all call him a puss. Even if he's going extremely slow, if he falls and hits his head just right, he could get seriously injured. If he doesn't want to take that risk, who are you to tear him down for it?

I'm not tearing anyone down, I'm just saying if you pay enough attention, I don't think the helmet is really necessary at low speeds. I've fallen many, many times going very slow - but not once have I ever blamed anything but my own carelessness.

Neg-rep me all you want, but I think riding intelligently is much more important than any amount of safety gear. By all means, if you want to be that careful about it, wear a helmet. Personally, I think a helmet is crucial for anything that would seem dangerous to the average person - but if not (like just cruising around) I attribute that to carelessness, not lack of skill (the latter being a perfectly good reason to wear a helmet).

I apologize for the misunderstanding - I didn't mean to come down on people who wear helmets going slow, I was simply trying to defend the reasoning of those who don't.

[globogim]

Yup, heres last year's club picture...



Sorry, but I dont really like it when people perpetuate the stereotype of helmet=### and protection<style

May give newer riders the wrong impression. I have to go with the helmet, hell I wear mine along with slide gloves, elbow pads and knee pads all the time. I know its excessive for no reason but I feel better knowing I wont be bleeding through my clothes when I hit a pebble on a sidewalk doing 2km/h

[zatoichi37]

How much of a puss are you for being so terrified of people thinking you look lame that you neglect your own safety? I know it's real fun to whip your balls out and act like you're too badassed to fall, but there's situations where you simply cannot control whether you fall or not. What if someone stumbles into you when you're skating past them? What if a car runs a red light and hits you while you're crossing an intersection?

Everyone is better off wearing a helmet. Period. End of discussion. If you don't want to, fine; but calling someone a puss because they want to be safe is the dumbest #### you can possibly do and shows that you know nothing, however well you can skate.

Yes, yes, oh yay.
But, do you ride a helmet to the grocery store when u ride ur bike (or anywhere within a mile)? Do you wear a helmet when you go jogging? Do you wear a helmet when you drive your car? no no and no! Because well it looks like your a stupid ponce.

Now when you get going at like 20+ mph on your longboard, I would hope that you would be smart enough to wear a helmet (talking to everyone out there). You also have to realize that people have control over their actions too. If a car runs a red light you will probably be looking at the intersections and could maybe avoid the collision or you might be able to slow down or jump to avoid it as well.

What is boils down to is a personal preference. So please stop arguing. I think someone on the 'fish once said something about how it's survival of the fittest and the ones who wear helmets and live pass on the helmet wearing genes.

[PhilFTW]

Most of my riding is cruising in streets that I've known my whole life, and that is the only time I don't wear a helmet. Even if I'm taking a new route to somewhere or I'm traveling in a place I haven't ridden, I'll put it on. I know its cliche but "better safe than sorry".

How pissed off would you be if you were debating on wearing a helmet, decided not to, and got hurt.

[SeanML]

^^ Win (at the pic). haha.

Again, I want to stress that I'm not against people who wear helmets/gear all the time - Just against people who try to shove it down my throat when I am well aware of the risks of what I'm doing.

I hate smoking, but I'm not about to go up to every smoker I see and go "hey, you shouldn't do that, it's not safe" because they probably already know that, and they're probably tired of hearing it.

In a nutshell, don't assume people are stupid. I feel like there's a famous quote about that, but I don't feel like finding it

[nokeboarder]

you know this thread isn't all bad now we can stop having epic helmet debates in every other thread. you non pad wearing guys can talk amongst yourselves and there will be much less bickering! so all you helmet nazis get out of this thread and we will leave everyone else to their own business. that being said i'm out of here

[MacRae]

Yes, yes, oh yay.
But, do you ride a helmet to the grocery store when u ride ur bike (or anywhere within a mile)? Do you wear a helmet when you go jogging? Do you wear a helmet when you drive your car? no no and no! Because well it looks like your a stupid ponce.

Now when you get going at like 20+ mph on your longboard, I would hope that you would be smart enough to wear a helmet (talking to everyone out there). You also have to realize that people have control over their actions too. If a car runs a red light you will probably be looking at the intersections and could maybe avoid the collision or you might be able to slow down or jump to avoid it as well.

What is boils down to is a personal preference. So please stop arguing. I think someone on the 'fish once said something about how it's survival of the fittest and the ones who wear helmets and live pass on the helmet wearing genes.

I overreacted, I admit, which is why I deleted the post (not fast enough to keep someone from quoting me, though, haha). But it's funny you should mention riding my bike to the grocery store - I actually got the worst injury of my life doing just that, I lost control because of some gravel (it was at night and I couldn't see it) and ran headlong into a fence and needed ten stitches in my head, as well as breaking one of my fingers. I had to go to the first day of tenth grade at a new school where I knew nobody, with most of my head shaved and looking like I'd had brain surgery.

It was only like two blocks from my house. Ten years later and I still have a big crease in my hair where the scar is, too.