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Old     (tampawake)      Join Date: Mar 2008       09-08-2014, 11:39 AM Reply   
My 8 year old finally got into wakeboarding after having a sweet ronix set up for 3 years!! Anyway I see alot of kids wearing helmets behind the boat on this WW. What is everyones thought on this.
Old     (DenverRider)      Join Date: Feb 2013       09-08-2014, 12:01 PM Reply   
My kids started younger than that. They are 10 and 11 years old now and have never had a helmet nor a head injury. I do require them to use a helmet for bicycling, skate boarding, and hanging out with Ray Rice but neither of them are even throwing big jumps much less aerials that may require a helmet.
Old     (mwilliams0135)      Join Date: Oct 2012       09-08-2014, 12:12 PM Reply   
I think whatever makes a parent feel comfortable. Just know the extra width will stop faster when it hits the water, which is increasing chances of concussion. Maybe shed the helmet when they start riding faster speeds and jumping, etc.... I know my daughter won't have to wear one unless she's hitting rails.
Old     (jward10)      Join Date: Mar 2007       09-08-2014, 12:33 PM Reply   
The difference with kids is the size of the board vs. their height. Compared to adults, the boards are huge for kids. Also a child is WAY more flexible than an adult. The head hitting water is not the concern. The concern is a fall with a big board and a flexible body = board hitting the child in the head. Shapiro wrote a great blog about this. I've heard several stories myself of this happening.
Old     (baitkiller)      Join Date: Jan 2010       09-08-2014, 1:47 PM Reply   
If you are under 18 you will wear a helmet behind my boat. I have four. Pick one that fits nice and tight or you dont ride.
It is my obligation to take any action I can to forestall a preventable injury to a child behind my boat. Anything less is (or could be construed as) negligent.
The scorpion effect is real and real dangerous to children.
My opinion on helmets Vs concussions differs from the popular voice on this forum.
Old     (MBofTexas)      Join Date: Aug 2013       09-08-2014, 2:27 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by baitkiller View Post
If you are under 18 you will wear a helmet behind my boat. I have four. Pick one that fits nice and tight or you dont ride.
It is my obligation to take any action I can to forestall a preventable injury to a child behind my boat. Anything less is (or could be construed as) negligent.
The scorpion effect is real and real dangerous to children.
My opinion on helmets Vs concussions differs from the popular voice on this forum.
100% Agree. We have same policy. I even make a strong recommendation to the adults on my boat to wear one.
Old     (allzway)      Join Date: Feb 2014       09-08-2014, 2:37 PM Reply   
My daughters now 13 & 15, have been wakeboarding since they were 7&10. They didn't wear a helmet at all until a couple of years ago. A couple of hard falls, the oldest busted her ear drum and the youngest took a couple of big falls that left her with a head ache.

They don't always wear a helmet now, but if they plan to do much jumping then they wear it. Neither girl likes to wear it, so they have spent much more time wakesurfing this year and hardly any wakeboarding.
Old     (Nordicron)      Join Date: Aug 2011       09-08-2014, 4:06 PM Reply   
In my opinion helmets for kids and even women that don't know what they are doing need to be wearing helmets due to scorpion effect. I think they may also help with conclusions despite what some say.
Check out this recent thread about the guys wife:
http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/...83#post1083083
Old     (baitkiller)      Join Date: Jan 2010       09-08-2014, 5:23 PM Reply   
Its kinda funny how you can build a culture>> We have lots and lots of different kids aboard any given day. We ride off a beach populated by all my friends and their kids all of whom we have taught to ride and some to ski and foot.
The kids now assemble their own crew on the beach and we go take a set. All the kids know the drill and the rules. last week a 13yo girl had strapped in, jacket on handle in hand and off she went. No lid. All the boat kids saw the no helmet thing before I did. They snatched the handle back, told me to take a lap and dropped off a lid for the girl. Now that is a good crew!
My kids and all their friends don't feel right riding empty headed. Just the way they came up I suppose.

Im a hypocrite.. I skate and carve empty headed but bolt on a helmet if Im going to do any jumps.
I still cant wrap me head around snow skiing with a helmet..Me and Sonny Bono ... Im gonna try it this year though. (hypocrite) The kids, of course dont know any other way.
Old     (baitkiller)      Join Date: Jan 2010       09-08-2014, 5:30 PM Reply   
you are soooo old if you got the Sonny thing..
Old     (razorjaw)      Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Australia       09-08-2014, 10:36 PM Reply   
Great chance to set good habits early I reckon. I'm a big believer in the "helmets reduce concussion" debate so it's a double bonus IMO. From a legal perspective, if you are ever in a lawsuit and asked how you have shown due care, making riders wear helmets is another way to demonstrate this (particularly from an outsiders/doctors POV as to anyone outside of wakeboarding helmets are a no brainer - pardon the pun). I'm with Baitkiller on this one
Old     (Bit)      Join Date: Aug 2014       09-09-2014, 5:13 AM Reply   
i'm pro helmet, because of the ear protection (eardrum). It may happen to you or not, but if....

Last edited by Bit; 09-09-2014 at 5:15 AM. Reason: be more clear
Old     (fly135)      Join Date: Jun 2004       09-09-2014, 6:36 AM Reply   
Ear protection with flaps and no board in the head lacerations are a good reason to wear a helmet. I don't buy into the argument that it increases the possibility of concussion. I've never seen any actual data on that. It's likely all conjecture from people who couldn't solve a simple physics problem anyway. You can't go wrong putting helmets on your kids.
Old     (Ttime41)      Join Date: Nov 2011       09-09-2014, 8:26 AM Reply   
I agree with most that had been said, being an instructor at a wake camp I have seen the scorpion many times, a few resulting in staples. For that reason alone I like when parents send their kids (under 12 at least) to camp with a helmet. I will say though, when young kids catch their edge while wearing a helmet and smack their head, they most often complain that their neck/back hurts, which is always pretty concerning to me. I attribute this to the extra swing weight on their head and their necks not being strong enough to support it yet, but I could be wrong. I certainly don't think it prevents injuries that result from impact with the water, but overall I think the positives outweigh the negatives.

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