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PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 13: Shaun White of the United States reacts after his run during the Snowboard Men’s Halfpipe Qualification on day four of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Phoenix Snow Park on February 13, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
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PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 13: Shaun White of the United States reacts after his run during the Snowboard Men’s Halfpipe Qualification on day four of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Phoenix Snow Park on February 13, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Every sport has its own dangerous plays and injuries. Even though footballers have protective guards and other types of equipment, it is a pretty dangerous sport. In the same way, helmets are necessary for the sport of snowboarding. With the high jumps and leaps, it is important for athletes to wear those. Shaun White, with his incredible skill level, wears helmets even to this day.
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He competes in both skateboarding and snowboarding competitions, as they’re one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Hence, he revealed how he started wearing helmets.
Shaun White reveals why he wore helmets
Back when he was young, the snowboarder remembered a scary moment when he was nine. There were many close calls as he revealed one incident which made him wear helmets from thereon. Head injuries are common and they can have an everlasting impact in the future. Brain damages and other problems are common for head injuries, and they can be fatal. White revealed the incident that happened when he was young.
“I was small, so people didn’t really take me seriously. And I had a snowboarder jump off the side of the jump as I was going for it because he didn’t think I would attempt a jump that big,” said White.
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PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 14: Gold medalist Shaun White of the United States celebrates during the Snowboard Men’s Halfpipe Final on day five of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics at Phoenix Snow Park on February 14, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Shaun White started skateboarding at a very young age. Be it snow or ramp, the extent of injuries won’t be any different. Hence, with that incident, he decided to wear helmets for his own safety and encourage people as well. Almost all competitions have mandatory rules regarding helmets.
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While extreme sports are supposedly cool, most people refrain from wearing helmets as a part of their fashion statement. But, it is not a wise decision.
Shaun White’s accident
Back when he was practicing for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, White suffered a serious accident. He had to receive 60-stitches as he suffered multiple injuries. Wearing a helmet would have saved him and prevented him from having much more serious injuries.
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ASPEN, COLORADO – MARCH 21: Shaun White of the United States takes a training run for the men’s snowboard halfpipe final during Day 4 the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix World Cup at Buttermilk Ski Resort on March 21, 2021 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
The greatest part of the story would be how White came back and won the gold medal at that same Olympics.
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To sum up, protective gear is there for a reason. Even though passion is an intricate part of sports, wearing protective equipment should be mandatory, which can save lives. Although it looks cooler to skate without a helmet, it is smarter to skate with a helmet!
