Blog 4: Safety First!

Safety First!! Yep that's it! Wearing protective gear is one of the most important aspects of this sport. BMX is a competitive sport where both the boys and girls get aggressive and for their safety it is important that they wear the proper protective gear. It is ABA rules that although you get to chose the amount of protection you want yourself or your rider to wear, the rider must sport an "approved basic helmet, long sleeve shirt, long pant, and closed toe shoe." You will not be allowed ride on the track without those basic items of clothing. Cause lets face it, you're going to get hurt in this sport, even its Olympic riders get hurt. Berlin "Bubba" Harris III a rider for the American men's cycling BMX team was practicing in the 2008 Olympics and dislocated his entire ankle, luckily he was wearing proper padding and gear or his injury could have been much worse.

So in this blog I will be telling you why it is important for ABA BMX 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 be competitive with each other and take them out in the burms and turns of the race track. The matter in which these crashes happens is by no means beautiful. 

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 Helmet:
- 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 absorbing helmet that absorbs the impact of the blow to your head. After one good blow, it is recommended to get the helmet checked to see if the shock absorbency is still there, if not, that means its time to get a new helmet. If you have a $40 brain, then grab that $40 helmet.. This is the piece of gear where you don't want to skimp on price.

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, 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 to parents and riders that wearing this gear is important. Plus its all you ever see people in at the tracks so it can also be 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.

for this video skip to 26 seconds.. The guy in all white in second place is my best friend. If he wasn't wearing his gear he would not have come out of this crash walking.

Blog #4 Lauren Geary- Expensive Athletic Shoes

Expensive Athletic Shoes

As you have seen in my prior blogs I have stated about the importance of athletic shoes. They say that the shoes are supposed to help with keeping injuries low. Such as preventing ankle sprains and back problems. Also in one of my last blogs I stated the price of some of these shoes. The Nike FreeRuns are a running shoe that can be used for causal jogs, walking, and running. They are known for being light weight and having good heel support. They usually run for about $100 at most stores. Another shoe that is important to its sport is the basketball shoe. You use your feet alot in basketball running around the court and what not, which can resort in broken ankles or plantar fanciitis which has to do with the sole of your foot. Most of the basketball shoes that are being produced today have more ankle support and are padded. For example Kevin Durants shoes called the KD 5's. They are priced at $115.

• In my opinion I think that it is the name of the shoe that sells and not the actual shoe and how it can help us. Most people know the name Nike and see celebrities wearing it and think it makes them one step closer to being a celebrity if they purchase and wear Nike. Nike is a billion dollar business and can afford to endorse famous athletes and make lots of prime time commercials which makes it seem like their shoes are better and can do more for us. Now on the other hand there are other running shoes and basketball shoes that can do the same thing but are way cheaper. There is a retired athlete and his name is Stephon Marbury and he has his own brand of basketball shoes.They have the same effect on your feet as Kevin Durants shoes but are little heavier but do the same thing. Whats the difference you ask?...While Kevin Durants shoes is 115, The Starburys are only $15 max. Mind blowing right? Now why is this? They are both basketball shoes and do the same thing.....Its all about the name and logo. If Nike really cared about your feet and thought their shoes were important why wouldn't they lower their prices so maybe families with lower incomes could afford the right type of shoe.

• As you have seen in some of my blogs already is that basketball shoes are very expensive. One of the most expensive brands are Jordans. There are about 25 pairs total, but only about half are really popular. There are many reasons to why they are so expensive. One is that footlocker only relases a certain Jordan every couple of years and only in a certain color. Also is that Jordans are the shoes of the greatest basketball player ever, Michael Jordan. People think that by wearing his shoe they will become a great player like him. I myself own a couple pairs of Jordans and love them but the prices can sometimes be ridiculous. For kid sizes 3-7 the prices can be all the way up to $150. For adult sizes the prices can go all the way up to $250. Ive even seen some cases where peole will buy like 10 pair and wait until stores are out of stock and then sell the shoes on websites such as amazon and ebay. Ive even seen some people ask for 700 dollars just for a shoe. Peole dont even wear them for basketball now. They wear them just for looks.

• Athletic Shoes shouldn't be so expensive if they are trying to help athletes out. Not everyone can afford $100 dollar shoes. Some of society doesn't even know about off brand shoes and how they can do the same as name brand shoes. They see name brand every where being endorsed and then see off brands and think that since they are off brand and less expensive that they can't get the job done.

Sources:

LexisNexis

SneakerHead.com

ProQuest Newsstand

Google Scholar

Blog #3 Lauren- Should Athletic Shoes Be So Pricey?

Should Athletic Shoes Be So Pricey If They Are So Important?

As you have seen in my prior blogs I have stated about the importance of athletic shoes. They say that the shoes are supposed to help with keeping injuries low. Such as preventing ankle sprains and back problems. Also in one of my last blogs I stated the price of some of these shoes. The Nike FreeRuns are a running shoe that can be used for causal jogs, walking, and running. They are known for being light weight and having good heel support. They usually run for about $100 at most stores. Another shoe that is important to its sport is the basketball shoe. You use your feet alot in basketball running around the court and what not, which can resort in broken ankles or plantar fanciitis which has to do with the sole of your foot. Most of the basketball shoes that are being produced today have more ankle support and are padded. For example Kevin Durants shoes called the KD 5's. They are priced at $115.

My arguement is that if we need to take care of our feet more and the shoes we wear for sports are so imporant, then why charge so much for them.

• In my opinion I think that it is the name of the shoe that sells and not the actual shoe and how it can help us. Most people know the name Nike and see celebrities wearing it and think it makes them one step closer to being a celebrity if they purchase and wear Nike. Nike is a billion dollar business and can afford to endorse famous athletes and make lots of prime time commercials which makes it seem like their shoes are better and can do more for us. Now on the other hand there are other running shoes and basketball shoes that can do the same thing but are way cheaper. There is a retired athlete and his name is Stephon Marbury and he has his own brand of basketball shoes.They have the same effect on your feet as Kevin Durants shoes but are little heavier but do the same thing. Whats the difference you ask?...While Kevin Durants shoes is 115, The Starburys are only $15 max. Mind blowing right? Now why is this? They are both basketball shoes and do the same thing.....Its all about the name and logo. If Nike really cared about your feet and thought their shoes were important why wouldn't they lower their prices so maybe families with lower incomes could afford the right type of shoe.

Athletic Shoes shouldn't be so expensive if they are trying to help athletes out. Not everyone can afford $100 dollar shoes. Some of society doesn't even know about off brand shoes and how they can do the same as name brand shoes. They see name brand every where being endorsed and then see off brands and think that since they are off brand and less expensive that they can't get the job done.

Sources:

LexisNexis

NBA.com

ProQuest Newsstand

Google Scholar

Blog # 2 Lauren The Importance of Athletic Shoes

The Importance of Athletic Shoes:

As a person who loves sports I love everything that has to do with the sport. I love the competition and action and fans but what I love most is the gear. Not a lot of people know why we were certain shoes for certain sports. I mean most people know you're not going to wear football cleats on a basketball court. The importance of athletic shoes can range from different things, such as for football or soccer you wear cleats on the grass or field so you wont slip and fall. Another important thing for shoes could be more ankle support in your shoe if you have bad ankles or you would to protect your ankle and not break it. Even the lightness of the shoe could be important, you wouldnt want to be running with heavy shoes on. Your feet are the root of everything and if they are healthy and taken care of with the right type of shoe then you should have no problem.

1. On ProQuest Newsstand I found an article called "FEET DON'T FAIL ME NOW ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS STRESS IMPORTANCE OF BEING WELL-HEELED: [Final Edition]"

• The article talks about this woman who had back surgery and was trying to get back in shape but it wasnt really working out because she didn't take care of her feet and have the right type of athletic shoe to work out in. The doctors say that people should find the right type of shoe and make sure that it is comfortable and fits. It also says that you're feet are very important and the right type of athletic shoes will prevent corns and calluses and even prevent back problems. A quote that I really like from the article is, "When exercising, the proper athletic shoes are key in protecting feet from problems. "Some of the athletic shoe stores have just raised the bar (on fitting shoes)," Hendrix said. "They are pretty much in tune with the shoes and the sports. You name it, there is a shoe for the sport."

-At first it was hard to find an article that explained the importance of the actual shoe. Most of the articles just talked about how it is important to take care of your feet. This article did alot of that also but toward the end they started to state that the shoe was also imporant to your feet. Overall it was helpful to my blog.

2. On Lexis Nexis I could not find anything on the importance of athletic shoes. I thought I would atleast find a magazine article or something small that was on the topic. This database was of no help to me for my topic.

3. For my last source which I googled was http://www.ehow.com/about_5531413_importance-athletic-shoes.html . It talks about how athletic shoes are an important consideration not only in traditional sports-related activities but also in everyday concerns for maintaining back, leg and foot health. Choosing the right shoes for daily tasks as well as for specialized activities such as exercise and sports can prove an important preventative measure against injury. Whether you are an avid jogger or a rushed parent transporting children from school to soccer practice, the right shoe can make a huge difference in the aches you feel at the end of the day.
- This article was really helpful for my article. They told you right off the top what would happen if you didnt wear the right type of shoe and what would happen if you did. They told you different types of shoes and how you could prevent injury.