Speed Skating head protection

http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/c...6-3787-4771-layout46-129898-news-item,00.html

Head protection - the Technical Committee proposed and Congress approved the option to use speed skating helmets to protect against injury.

How will this effect the speed? Could this cause considerable differences in aerodynamics? Were head injuries happening to begin with in this event? Do you think anyone will go for the option to wear them?

BTW. I originally posted this confusing the two that MM responded to - thanks for setting me straight MM.

I wonder if the helmets will be the same as the short track skaters wear, or if there will be a special design.

The next paragraph of that document is interesting, too:

"...Individual distances will be raced on the first two days with the last day reserved for Team Pursuit."

This is to prevent another Chad Hedricks / Shanti Davis bruhaha, where Hedricks blamed teammate Davis for costing team USA the gold medal in team pursuit because Davis was preparing for his individual distance races.

Mathman said:

I wonder if the helmets will be the same as the short track skaters wear, or if there will be a special design.

Click to expand...

I bet they will be shaped a little more like the downhill skiing helmets / sans face guard - for the aerodynamics. Maybe they will use those "headrings" that someone recently introduced me to - and I thought I was cutting edge, HA! - but wear them under their "hoodie."

But I really wonder if anyone will even wear them. I never saw it be an issue. It seems like they're going butt first into the pads and seem to catch with their arm before the head hits anyway. I sounds to me a little like what Tatiana Totmianina was saying about, what about the rest of your body. I would worry about keeping the skates away. Well now that makes me wonder if they get tied up and a skate with that kinda blade hit a head - oh, that is not a good thought.

Mathman said:

"...Individual distances will be raced on the first two days with the last day reserved for Team Pursuit."

Click to expand...

That is a idea that shouldn't be necessary, but it is. Its hard to judge the individuals in a individual sport thinking mainly of themselves. You have to ask the question would they be there competing if it wasn't for the team in the first place. If the team is the reason they are there, and there acutely are team events it probably should be honored. Yet should that take away from the individuals opportunities?

Chad should have taken that into consideration to start, and set the times out better to compensate. Shani could have addressed it differently before it even became an issue. And the comity should have seen something like this long ago. That was a blunder in the sport.

I am glad they have that to prevent the childish behavior. It sucked thinking of one of team USA as an ****hole and the other as a selfish brat. At least with Johnny for example, he isn't expected or could contribute to a team event. So his "skate for me attitude" is more acceptable, well if not the way it should be. If your team gets a medal it is good, but your cooperation wasn't needed with another skater to achieve that. Just you doing your best for whatever floats your boat. Ah, FS, So superior!