Fit Families: Skating Safety
By: Tina Shively
Updated: June 8, 2011
"You can just go out and do it anywhere. It's an amazing feeling to just go and ride around." Jesse Morland, 16, is passionate about skateboarding and he's not alone. Competitive skaters came together to rally and raise awareness for the Roc City Skate Park.
It's part of Rochester's 2015 capitol project and a great addition to the city, according to Doctor Edward Tanner at Rochester General Hospital. "Kids love to try tricks and stunts and one of the biggest risks is they're right out in the traffic areas...With these skateboard parks you can put the ramps and the bowls and things in and they can be engineered so its much safer. They tend to be well lit at night, so yes it is safer."
As Chief of Orthopedics at Rochester General Hospital, he treats a lot of skateboard-related injuries. They can include anything from scarred knees to broken wrists. However, there are ways to stay safe. Dr. Tanner says skaters should put on protective gear including knee, elbow, and wrist pads before they get out and give it a try. "It gets you away from the video games and outdoors and there's some coordination to it. There's some aerobics to it. There's some muscle building to it. I don't think the parents take to it as much as they do skiing with their kids but there's no reason you can't get out there even when you're 30, 40, 50."
Jesse's mom Kathy says for now, she'll just watch her son excel at something he loves and stay fit at the same time. "When he's skating for an hour or 2 hours, he's completely exhausted and gets the sweat going and the metabolism going and I see that's a very good workout. It's great because he is having fun and it's not about winning, it's more about doing something he likes."
It's part of Rochester's 2015 capitol project and a great addition to the city, according to Doctor Edward Tanner at Rochester General Hospital. "Kids love to try tricks and stunts and one of the biggest risks is they're right out in the traffic areas...With these skateboard parks you can put the ramps and the bowls and things in and they can be engineered so its much safer. They tend to be well lit at night, so yes it is safer."
As Chief of Orthopedics at Rochester General Hospital, he treats a lot of skateboard-related injuries. They can include anything from scarred knees to broken wrists. However, there are ways to stay safe. Dr. Tanner says skaters should put on protective gear including knee, elbow, and wrist pads before they get out and give it a try. "It gets you away from the video games and outdoors and there's some coordination to it. There's some aerobics to it. There's some muscle building to it. I don't think the parents take to it as much as they do skiing with their kids but there's no reason you can't get out there even when you're 30, 40, 50."
Jesse's mom Kathy says for now, she'll just watch her son excel at something he loves and stay fit at the same time. "When he's skating for an hour or 2 hours, he's completely exhausted and gets the sweat going and the metabolism going and I see that's a very good workout. It's great because he is having fun and it's not about winning, it's more about doing something he likes."
