Stop the helmet requirement for figure skaters!

Next season a helmet requirement will be introduced during public icetime at Ijshal de Vliet in Leiden. These public skate hours are widely used by figure skaters. While we are not against the concept of mandatory helmets for beginner skaters, we believe that introducing compulsory helmets for all skaters is too short-sighted. Head injuries are rare among figure skaters, as one of the very first things taught during figure skating lessons is how to fall in a way that keeps the head safe. Moreover, a helmet changes your centre of gravity, affecting balance and making it more dangerous to perform spins and jumps. In addition to this, a helmet obstructs the vision, which can lead to more unsafe situations. All in all, helmets are strongly undesirable for figure skaters and effectively make it impossible to practice the sport. In the Netherlands figure skating is a sport that is vastly undervalued compared to speed skating, resulting in too little consideration for the needs of this particular group.

Over the past two years, Ijshal de Vliet has built up a fine reputation as an ice rink where figure skaters can train both often and effectively, thanks to the wide range of available public hours, good ice conditions and its pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. Thanks to these excellent facilities, a close-knit skating community has been formed by people who come to the rink (some several times a week) to skate together during these public hours. If we feel unwelcome at Ijshal de Vliet, we will feel forced to travel to other rinks. By introducing the helmet requirement, we fear we are losing both our training hours and our community.