Save Your Brain

This guy didn’t think helmets were very cool. Don’t be like him. Wear a helmet.

We are a skate shop, but the most important gear we sell isn’t boards, it’s helmets. If you aren’t currently wearing a helmet when you skate, you should be seriously considering it. All it takes is one silly slip-up and you could be regretting it for the rest of your life. This blog is intended to give you the low down on which helmets are safe why helmets are a lot cooler than you might think.

If you’ve ever been in the shop to witness the sale of a complete board, or happen to have bought one yourself, you have probably seen us pushing helmets and giving discounts. You may have also noticed we will credit you $15 on a safe helmet when you trade in your old silly hats.

What?!? That’s crazy, how come no one else does that?!?!
Well, we’re not really sure, but we think its crazy NOT to promote helmets. The way we see it, we are doing a disservice if we sell a board and don’t promote helmet safety. This is our way of doing everything we can do make sure you can continue to come back and see us.

It boils down to a simple bottome line. The reason we probably all skate in the first place is because we find it undeniably cool and fun. There is almost nothing less cool than a head injury. If you still arent convinced, weigh the options of either wearing a helmet or being spoon fed by your mother for the rest of your life. It may be graphic, but it’s reality. Just a minor concussion is enough to cause seizures and put you out of any potential skating for months on end. Not to mention that you WILL feel dumb.

Lets make sure we do get this clear: When we talk about helmets, we are talking about CPSC certified helmets. If you dont know who or what CPSC is, they are the Comsumer Product Safety Commission. And while they set the standard for bicycle helmet safety, the applications and situations we use our helmets are very much the same. 

This video clearly lays out exactly how unsafe a non-certified helmet is.

{vimeo}http://vimeo.com/55624399{/vimeo}

All the helmets we carry in stock at Flatspot are equipped with CPSC certified hard foam. This great video posted by the Athlete Recovery Fund offers awesomly incredible insight into why a CPSC helmet should be your only consideration. Any helmet without CPSC hard foam is essentially just a silly hat. The biggest offender of this misconception is probably the Triple 8 Sweatsaver. Againt, bring yours in and receive $15 off a new helmet of your choice.

So, get a helmet. Wear it. The Chairman of the CPSC words it well, ” There is no safety rule more important than making sure you wear a helmet every time you ride a bike(skateboard/longboard). It’s the single most critical thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.”
Clearly, no one can MAKE you buy or wear helmet. However, they can make fun of you for being stupid if you’re not wearing one! Realize that crashes are a matter of when and NOT if, and do what you can to reduce the risk of serious damage to yourself and your brain.