Advocacy Project
Skiing Injuries
Skiing is a very dangerous sport. Every year thousands of skiers are injured from either wrecking on a slope, to a malfunction with the ski lift and having a gondola falling thirty feet and killing the people inside. People should be aware of the risks of skiing. The main skiing injuries are broken wrist, torn ACL, and head injuries. According to NSAA there are 54 skiing/snowboarding fatalities a year, which might sound like a large amount but that has been reduced by 50% over the last thirty years (Hawk). Although that might seem like a lot, skiers could easily reduce the amount of injuries and fatalities by doing very simple procedures before they decide to ski. People should become more aware of the risks of skiing and snowboarding.
Know The Risk
If every person who decided to slap on some skies and hit the slopes knew the risk that they were taking then they would be a lot more aware of what not to do. Now, I'm not saying that every skier should be terrified or even decide not to go skiing because they are afraid of getting hurt. There are several times where I go skiing and don't get hurt. This isn't because I don't ski down the big slopes or because I don't go fast. It is because I know the risks I take and I make sure I am always smart about my choices. Everyone who skis will wreck over and over again when they first start. My first trip I went on I was on my butt more then I was on my feet. As frustrating as it was, it was also safe. I wrecked hundreds of times that day and yet I did not get hurt once. That was because I had a helmet on, the proper clothing, and most importantly I wasn't trying to ski down I double black diamond. I was on the bunny slope with all the other beginners. I knew that skiing was dangerous, but when you first start out skiing it doesn't matter what slope you go down you feel like you are going very fast and it get's your adrenaline pumping, and that's what makes it fun!
Reducing Injuries
The majority of skiers and snowboarders wear the right gear. It is smart to wear a helmet and enough cloths to prevent frostbite. Wearing proper cloths is a very important mart to skiing. If a skier does not have the proper clothing on they could get frostbite. A skier can tell they are getting frostbite when the tips of their fingers or toes start to tingle(Schimelpfenig). Once this happens go to a lodge and warm up. Some people decide to wear helmets while they ski. Wearing a helmet can sometimes be uncomfortable or some people consider it "uncool" to wear a helmet. But, what some people might not know is that wearing a helmet could save a their life. Wearing a helmet is the number one way to prevent getting a concussion while skiing. Concussions are caused by traumatic head injury (Kiechle). Most skiers do wear helmets, but currently only 53% skiers from the ages of 17-24 do not wear helmets. Now I get it, some people think "How can I get a concussion while skiing? The worse case scenario is I wreck and hit my head on fluffy snow." Those people have obviously are obviously beginners or never went down hard. The snow is like concrete, and it definitely feels like it when you wreck. Skiing also involves weaving in and out of trees, so there is a decent possibility that someone could smack their head on a tree. Also, Although it might sound odd, cramps are very common in skiing. While going down the mountain, you have to make your body move many different ways and while doing so it is very easy to get a cramp (Shaw). I know personally that the main reason I wreck while skiing is because I get tired. It is getting late and dark and I know that I am going to have to drive a few hours back to my house soon so I'm wanting to get the most out of my visit. Instead of taking a break and rest like I should I decide to go down another black diamond, which usually results in me hitting the ground and skidding for a few hundred feet down a mountain. Skiing is just like any other sport, once you get tired your body just will not preform the same way. Especially going down more advanced slopes a skier needs their body to do exactly what they want because one simple mistake will lead to a injury. It is always best to just take a break, get some water and just relax. Doing so may cause you to not break your arm or leg. So, what can the skiing community do to better improve to reduce injuries? For one they can make it mandatory to at least pick up a helmet from the ski lodge, unless the skier already owns one. Also, as a skier just remember to take breaks. Skiing and being tired is never a good mix.
Knowing your limits
Skiing is all about knowing your limitations. That's why there are always giant signs indicating what type of slope you are about to go down. If you are a beginner skier you should never try to ski on a slope that is too advanced(Delia). The number one cause of injuries in teen skiers is when they try to go on slopes that are more advanced then they are use too. Many schools, including the one I went to, had a ski club. At the ski club several times throughout winter the club went skiing at a local mountain. For many students this is their first time skiing. These students don't know what to expect, they might think they will be able to ski but it is a lot different when you are on top of a snowy mountain looking down. But, what are these students suppose to do? Even though they are scared the only way to get down is.. well going down. Having an inexperienced skier go down a experienced mountain is a train wreck waiting to happen. The student always has the option to just ride the life back down to the bottom, but then he/she would look like a "coward" to all of their friends. Theres a reason why the number one age group of skiers that get injured are ages 17-24 (Hawk). Teenagers and young adults want to impress their friends by skiing over their limit. Like I said in my previous paragraph only 53% of skiers aged 17-24 wear helmets. So, what is the solution to fixing this problem? Well for starters every school should make the entire ski club do ski school on their first trip. Now, I joined ski club my freshmen year of high school, and by then I would have considered myself an experienced skier who knew my limits and would have absolutely hated going to ski school and being forced to go down bunny slopes. But, making a few experienced skiers upset is well worth reducing injury. That way the first time skiers know what it is like to be on a slope. During ski school they will all crash several times, but it will be on a bunny slope and this way they won't get hurt as bad and they will know their limitations.
Conclusion
There are millions of ways a skier could be injured. Theres a reason why skiing is considered a extreme sport. Some people may forget that they are skiing on mountain that is 5,000ft+ high, in weather that sometimes drops below zero while going 15+Mph down a mountain. If every skier would look at the evidence of ski injuries and knew what caused the accidents then they would be more aware of the risk. Know, while reading my essay you might think that I am over protective or something like that. It has nothing to do with that, I love going fast down mountains, it's the main reason I ski. I just hate seeing people in my community that I love get hurt when they can prevent it. If every skier would exhaust every safety measure they could possible use then the amount of skiing injuries would be reduced by 50% if not more. If people were aware of the risks of skiing then there would not be as many injuries.
Overall, the skiing community is about having fun and going fast!
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Annotated Bibliography
Hébert-Losier, Kim, and Hans-Christer Holmberg. "What are the Exercise-Based Injury Prevention Recommendations for Recreational Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding? A Systematic Review." Sports Medicine 43.5 (2013): 355-66. ProQuest. 5 Dec. 2016. This text talks about how skiing contributes to the a large majority of the ski sport injuries every year. Seeing how my essay is mainly about skiing injuries and how to prevent them this essay helped me a lot. Upon reading this article I was able learn a lot of information about skiing related injuries. The main reason I decided to use this article in my essay is because the article talks a lot about how helmets help prevent head and neck injuries and how much recent literature supports it. Also, the author says "Individual preparation and practice of a sport with respect to known injury factors is vital in the prevention of said injuries". Which I talk a lot about in my essay, how people should prepare and practice a sport and know the risks they are taking.
Cusimano, Michael, et al. "Evaluation Of A Ski And Snowboard Injury Prevention Program." International Journal Of Injury Control & Safety Promotion 20.1 (2013): 13-18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2016. The reason I decided to use this text in my essay was because this article is all about preventing skiing injuries. This article helped me realize all the different ways that skiers could prevent the risk of injuries, and the main way would be for them to know the risks of they take when they begin skiing. This article conducted an experiment where they had 69 children took a class on skiing before skiing to see if it would help prevent the risk of injuries. This was very helpful in my essay because I could see if people actually took a class on skiing if it would help prevent injuries.
Roberts, Delia. "Injury Prevention For Ski-Area Employees: A Physiological Assessment Of Lift Operators, Instructors, And Patrollers." Biomed Research International (2013): 1-12. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2016. This article, like the previous article, talks a lot about how to prevent ski injuries. But this time the prevention was for the skiing operators and employees. I thought this article was useful in my research for my essay because it is important to know that the people running the ski resort are safe and taking the right steps in being safe. Because if the employees are not safe then there is a greater chance that a skier could possibly get injured. I didn't use this article in my essay but I did use it to formulate ideas for my main points in my essay.
Kiechle, Karin, et al. "Subject-Specific Increases In Serum S-100B Distinguish Sports-Related Concussion From Sports-Related Exertion." Plos ONE 9.1 (2014): 1-7. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2016. This article is very important in my essay. I decided to read more on concussions because that is a very common injury in skiing. This article talks a lot about how concussions are caused and even better how to prevent them. Also, upon reading this article I found out a lot of useful information on what to do if someone gets a head injury while skiing. Many people ignore or shake it off if they get in a wreck and hit their head but really they should go to the hospital because theres a really good chance they might have a concussion.
Elizabeth Anne, Shaw. "Time to prep your body for winter sports." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2016. This article talks about how to prepare your body for winter sports. Seeing how there are many types of injuries a person can get while skiing it would be smart to take certain precautions to prevent unnecessary injuries. The majority of skiing injuries can be prevented as long as people take the right steps, and thats what my essay is mainly about. This article talks about ways to prepare your body so you don't have to take these risk. It shows certain workouts a skier could do to make their body parts stronger so when someone falls they might not break their wrist.
Hawks, Troy. “NSAA FACT SHEET.” NSAA FACT SHEET, 1 Oct. 2012, www.nsaa.org/media/68045/NSAA-Facts-About-Skiing-Snowboarding-Safety-10-1-12.pdf. This website gave me so much knowledge about skiing that I did not know. NSAA is short for National Skiing Area Association. This website knows everything there is to know about the dangerous of skiing. Not only do they have a lot of information, the website also has graphs and charts proving what they say. This website was the most useful source I used in my essay.
Schimelpfenig, Tod. "December Dilemma No. 3." Esquire 148.6 (2007): 72. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Dec. 2016. These instructions are very important to my essay. I didn't know too much about frostbite except for well that it happens when it is cold outside and that a person can lose their limbs because of it. Seeing how I was doing my essay about skiing and the only time people ski is in the cold, these instructions are perfect. Upon reading this book I got to learn a lot about frostbite along with how to prevent it and what to do once it happens.
Evans, Elizabeth C. "Hemodialysis-Related Cramps And Nocturnal Leg Cramps -- What Is Best Practice?." Nephrology Nursing Journal 40.6 (2013): 549-553. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Dec. 2016. This source was useful to me because in my essay I talked a little about cramps and dehydration. I did not know that much about cramps so I wanted to get a source on it that way I knew a little bit more. I was very surprised about how complicated cramps are. More importantly This source was helpful because it talks how to prevent cramps. This source will also be important in my life when I go skiing again because every skier gets cramps and it will help me a lot now that I know how to prevent them.
McHugh, M. P., and C. H. Cosgrave. "To Stretch Or Not To Stretch: The Role Of Stretching In Injury Prevention And Performance." Scandinavian Journal Of Medicine & Science In Sports 20.2 (2010): 169-181. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Dec. 2016. This source was also important to my essay. Just like every other sport, people stretch before they ski. But, I know stretching before playing sports is controversial for some reason that I did not know. I always stretch before I ski and I even say people should in my essay. I wanted to know if it is actually a good idea to stretch before skiing. This source was able to tell me that yes, it is important to stretch before playing sports. Without stretching, a athlete could tear something and since skiers are always on their legs, they could easily tare a hamstring.
Lutz, John. "Skiing From Top To Bottom: The History Of Skiing In Canaan Valley." Southeastern Naturalist 14.(2015): 447-454. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Dec. 2016. This source was probably my least important source of my essay. While righting my essay I realized I didn't really know too much history behind skiing. I only knew that it actually became popular in the last 50 years but that's it. I did not cite this source any in my essay but I still read it and learned a lot of information from it.
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PHOTO ESSAY
The skiing community is all about going fast down large mountains. There are four different types of slopes (trials skiers go down) on a mountain. The first and easiest is a green slope. The green slopes are for beginners who are just starting to ski and are trying to get the hang of things. The second type of slopes are called blues. Blue slopes are for intermediate skiers who are starting to get the hang of things and are too good to be going down green slopes. The third type of slopes are called black diamonds. Black diamonds are for advanced skiers who have been skiing for some time and are really advanced. The final and most difficult slopes are called double black diamonds. Double black diamonds are for the most advanced and usually professional skiers. Double black diamonds are what the professional skiers who are on the Olympics go down. There is only one double black diamond in West Virginia and it is called Shay's Revenge. The reason I am so interested in Skiing is because I enjoy going fast and hanging out with my family. My father has been skiing since he was a boy so I was very excited to learn. The skiing community is unique because I think it takes a certain type of person to ski. It requires a lot of cardio to continue to ski and it's always freezing. So the only reason someone would stick with skiing is because they truly love it.
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Reflective Piece
The advocacy project definitely fulfills the learning objectives of the English course. While making the advocacy project I had to formulate research questions to look up for my sources. If I had not been able to formulate research questions, I would not have been able to come up with my ten sources. For example I had to think of good things to research in order to compose a solid advocacy essay. Over the course of the class while talking about the advocacy project, the class engaged several times to talk about the advocacy project. Writing the advocacy essay I had to attend to the issues of the audience several times to back up my claim or else my essay would not have been a strong well developed essay. Writing the advocacy essay I had to come up with ten sources. Doing so I had to work up with different text and articles to formulate and backup my thesis. This to me was the most challenging part of the essay. Coming up with the ten sources was very difficult. Writing my advocacy essay I had to think critically about the risks skiers take when they decide to ski. I had to decide what was important to add in and what was not important. Grammer is one of the most important things about essays in my opinion besides the flow of the essay. If it was not for grammer, the essay would not flow correctly. The reader would not be able to read my essay easily, they would have to constantly try to think of what I meant, rather then just being able to read it easily.
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Works Cited
“ADVICE FOR SAFE SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING.” ABLE PHYSIOTHERAPY HAMPTON HILL, 8 Jan. 2015, ablephysiotherapyhamptonhill.wordpress.com/category/skiing/.
Sim, David. “Russia's Sergey Volkov Crashes during the Men's Freestyle Skiing Moguls Qualification Round.” Thrills and Spills on Ice and Snow at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, International Business Time, 11 Feb. 2014, www.ibtimes.co.uk/thrills-spills-ice-snow-sochi-2014-winter-olympics-1436002.
Greg Melville. “Rob Zabrowski/Shutterstock.” How Can I Become a Ski Patroller?, OutSide Online, 14 Feb. 2013, www.outsideonline.com/1783456/how-can-i-become-ski-patroller.
Sibylle. “Double Black Diamond.” Running Stories, 29 Mar. 2008, archives.clubfatass.com/blog/sibylle-tinsel/double-black-diamond/.
SkiPro. “Heli Skiing.” Social SkiPro, 16 Jan. 2013, social.skipro.com/heli-skiing-an-introduction-to-the-extreme-sport-that-takes-you-where-few-have-gone-before/.
“One of Those Days 3,” director. QuickSilver, 23 Feb. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1NagZN2kjY.
Credits:
Created with images by Prophetic_Blogger - "Sun on the piste" • blesslay - "slope snowboard ski resort" • fred_v - "Le (p'tit) loup" • kcxd - "Flatiron Peak ski tour" • David, Bergin, Emmett and Elliott - "DSC01010"