So in this blog I will be arguing that it is most important for the ABA to uphold these basic rules of safety for their riders. With the amount of concussions, fractures, and broken bones received in a riders lifetime, it is important to keep these rules and regulations. The process in which these events happen is somewhat mesmerizing. Friends that race together are not afraid to go after each other but sometimes will just stop and watch what happen, and they'll be in the middle of a race! The matter in which it happens is by no means beautiful, but it is definitely graceful.
While looking through my options of academic and non academic sources it wasn't to hard to find articles on bmx and its riders that have crashed.
Now we all think that we know why its important to wear helmets and full on gear, but lets pose the question why for a moment? Why is it really important for riders to wear the gear that they do? But before answering that all for lucid question of WHY, let me give you a little bit of background on the gear and its purposes.
So first The Helemet:
- This is obviously the most vital part of equipment worn in the sport because it protects the most important part of your body - the brain. The helmet in BMX is exactly like the one worn in motocross because it is a shock obsorbing helmet that obsorbs the impact of the blow to your head. After one good blow, it is reccomended to get the helmet checked to see if the shock worth is still there, if not get a new helmet. If you have a $40 brain, then grab that $40 helmet.. This is the piece of gear where you dont want to skimp on price wise.
The Shirt and Pants:
- Race-specific jersey and pants are most recommended by ABA. The shirt gives more protection while keeping the rider cool with its mesh design. The pants provide more protection for your knees, hips, and shins. And believe me, you'll want that extra padding if you're getting ready to eat dirt. Although it is acceptable to wear short sleeves and shorts to the track it must be followed by full elbow and knee pads.
The Gloves:
- The gloves are not required to wear but are wanted if you have ever gone down in an asphalt turn and ripped up their hands. Gloves come in all sorts of materials and designs so your hands will feel normal, but safe.
The Shoes:
- Any tennis shoe will do for racing bmx, but the flatter the soul, such as skate shoes, the better the gription on a platform pedal. As you move up in the ranks (Intermediate and Expert) you might want to move to clips, a spring loaded pedal and cleated-shoe that clip your feet into the pedals so while riding your foot doesn't slip and cause you to crash.
So now that you know more about the gear used in the sport of bmx we will go back to the question of why.
Why wear this gear, and why be mandatory?
- Riders should wear the gear because if they didn't I'm sure there would be fatalities. It has never been heard of that at national races or local track races where not one kid or even adult doesn't crash. Whether it be fatal or not there are always going to be injuries in the sport of bmx racing. It should be common sense that parent and riders that wearing this gear is important. Plus its all you ever see people in at the tracks so its also a fashion statement. If you're not wearing gear most of the time you're a spectator in the stands, and from what I've learned so far that can be a little insulting to a rider haha.
Now that you know a little more about the sport and the gear that is required by the Association, I hope you may consider hopping on a bike and maybe riding down to your local track. The bxm community always welcomes new riders with open arms and are always ready to help.
Sources:
ProQuest
Newsstand - http://0-search.proquest.com.opac.sfsu.edu/newsstand/docview/324373138/13D4F71B37D583FD4F5/37?accountid=13802
USA BMX - http://usabmx.com/site/sections/6#helmet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCMA23knzbI
No comments:
Post a Comment