Is Helmet Gay
 

Hey learning to jump, (as you can read in my other post) but took a massive header last year and basically knocked me out for a second. Had concussion and couldn't remember about 2 hours of my life. So, thought about helmet for this year to learn and get comfortable jumping. Is that Gay, I am a bit tentative to jump since that accident but also you just don't see too many people behind boats with helmets. Parks make you wear one, so thought it would be a good idea behind my boat. Thoughts?

I've only seen a handful of people ever wear helmets and not be hittin' sliders. OWC doesn't even require you wear a helmet if you are just riding.

BUT.... If you want to wear one why not? Don't worry about being cool. :D

they are not gay imo.

If its purple with a large rainbow on it, Its gay...

If not is prob a very smart Idea... Whatever makes you comfortable...

I've had several concussions and wear one all the time now. It makes me feel better riding because I'm not as scared about another concussion and I haven't had nearly as many bad falls with it on. It's whatever makes you feel more comfortable riding and allows you to have more fun behind the boat.

Don't worry about it dude - Wakeboarding is like any other sport: you make it your own. In the end, remember that the only people who might make fun of you are 15 (and they'll grow up, get a concussion, and quickly throw on a helmet too). You are your own standard in this sport.

Definitely not gay! Wearing a helmet says you care about yourself and understand the consequences of repeated concussions and long-term health. Get a good helmet. The Shred Ready helmets are good and look cool also. I like the Super Scrappy.

Taking care of your health in not gay. I just got a Standard Full Cut 2 weeks ago. I need to go to work on Monday so my health and my family are what matters to me. Shred Ready gets my vote.

BTW, they offer a CF helmet that is "pimptacular".

Mario-

Rock the helmet man! Protecting your head is what matters. especially if youve had a head injury already. Plus there's some cool lookin helmets out there. The only ppl who are gonna judge you are the young kids who probably can't do much on a board anyway, just sit in their daddys boat to look cool. I always think its awesome to see someone riding with a helmet.

Anybody who tells you that wearing a helmet is gay is an idiot unless they own the boat you're riding. Those guys are always cool.......

Besides, if protecting your noggin makes you more comfortable, you'll enjoy your day a lot more if you're sportin' one.

Yeah sure its gay. Just the same as wearing a life vest and knee brace , not drinking when driving the boat and having an all round sense of common sense are gay. I'm actually pretty surpised to see the use of the word Gay. I'm not, but I'm sure using gay as a bad thing made some people uncomfortable who are, one of the things that I've never seen in the wakeboarding community.
If you're thinking it would look a bit stupid, I'd start caring alot less what other people think and start worrying about your own health.

Helmets are not gay. Just don't wear a giant Styrofoam one from Wal-Mart

When you back edge melon slap so hard you puke your lunch up before you can get out of the water, are afraid to go to sleep and have a headache for 4 days.......then you will understand.
If wearing a helmet makes me gay then both my sons and I are as queer as a three dollar bill.

If you're worried about how you look, I'd recommend you don't wear a helmet....but definitely wear boardshorts over your wetsuit.

Yup, wearing a helmet makes you straight as a button...

Personally I don't wear one unless I'm hitting rails, but that's just my choice. Calling people stupid for not wearing a helmet is just as idiotic as calling people stupid for wearing one. I don't wear a helmet when wake riding because you can't crack your head open on water, which is one of the main purposes of helmets, to protect your noggin from hits like that. Hitting the water is al about deceleration, which is an argument that has been hashed and rehashed on this site plenty.

wearing it is not gay. wear it until you feel comfortable. When I try a new trick on the water for a first time I'll usually throw it on just incase. When you know you got things dialed in then you can worry about how cool you actually look!

rawk a bern helmet...real dope

Unfortunately, this is not really true. My board came off my feet and smacked me on the bridge of my nose and forehead on the same fall. I can't say that a helmet would have protected me, but you can still have an accident out in the water.

Mario-

Beware the Scorpian...

Scott, you will find people making the argument that a helmet actually increases your chance of getting a concussion when wakeboarding. The theory behind this has to do with impacting the water based on its density etc etc etc but I think this is completely bogus. Helmets definitely decrease the impact of falls, 100%. When I was riding everyday trying pretty technical tricks that generally came with pretty nasty falls, I wore a helmet. I noticed a huge difference in the head shots I used to take vs. the ones I was taking wearing the helmet (which were minimal at best). I would take one fall a set where I would get my head rung trying a new mobe, new spin, new glide, whatever and it was taking its toll. I started to get scared anticipating the falls and as you know, if you go into a trick with fear, it will not go well. I started wearing the helmet and I no longer had any concerns and the level of my riding increased dramatically. When you get your helmet, just make sure it fits nice and snug and you should be good to go. I don't think you need to go as far as Mario with a helmet with ear covering unless you are prone to blowing your ear drum. The other style helmet is just as effective, and frankly doesn't look as goofy lol. Just go out there and have fun. Don't try anything that is out of your comfort zone or above your ability level. This doesn't mean don't try new tricks. It means if you learn a backroll, don't make your next trick a roll to blind. I'm personally a fan of the pro-tec stuff. I like how they look the best and they have done me very well over the years.

Thanks everyone. To the one guy, yes bad choice of words, since I am 35 with 4 kids and friends that are gay I should have known better than to use that word in a negative sense. Otherwise, I think I am gonna rock the helmet this year unless I am just out for a fun ride. If I am learning or "Trying" stuff then for sure. So, that leads to the next question, where to buy one? Shred Ready is where I am looking, can use opinions on which to buy since there are a ton. Thanks again everyone, if anyone is ever in Central Indiana look me up.

1. Ear protection muffles music.
2. I "need" to hear music when I ride.
3. Need to get more speakers...


All part of a plan.... *insert Dr. Evil voice* MUAHAHAHA

Mario-

I think the SUPER SCRAPPY is where I am leaning... thoughts?

I didn't know "helmet" was a verb.

I ride with a helmet. Had several concussions riding and also it really avoids the ear smack with the little ear flaps.

Everyone in my family wears a helmet when we ride.

It will protect you from cracking your head on your board to prevent a concussion but... it will add weight to your head which can increase whiplash if you catch a back edge.

...But if you wore a giant styrofoam one from Wal-Mart, I think that would also count as a coast guard approved life jacket. Two birds, one stone...I am going to do it.

i will not ride one without one! even on a wakeskate.

ive been knocked out a couple times behind the boat and not remebering a thing the last thing that i remembered from one fall was waking up the morning before. its not the best feeling ever!

i was always worried about flling and it really hurting so i would never try new stuff, then i bought myself a helmet for christmas for cable and never stopped wearing it, first time it was tested i came off a raley at cable and caught my ts edge when i landed! i got up not even feeling any pain, if i did that without a helmet i would of had a headache for ages!

better to be safe then sorry

ive done some graffiti work on my helmet so it looks pimping!

There is no scientific evidence to indicate that wearing a helmet leads to feelings of sexual attraction towards people of the same gender. However, several studies have proven that wearing a helmet makes "dirty diggers" hurt less, and can even cause the wearer to look "ballin" and "dope" to outside parties.
Pros outweigh the cons.
Super Scrappys look pretty sick, talk to AL Wake, they rep Shredready and can answer all your questions.

If your helmet is a dude, and you catch it humping another male helmet, then yes, it is gay. But gay people usually have superior fashion, so technically if your helmet was gay, it would look good to wear it?

this isn't based on scientific evidence, but more from personal experience.

a helmet will help prevent concussions. not 100% prevention, but it's helped me avoid several of them.

anyway, who cares what people think? wear it if it will make you feel more comfortable. if people are judging you because of the helmet, they're the ones that are gay.

"You cant crack your head open on water" Uh huh. Tell that to that kid that was riding the Delta and came down on a barely submerged log or whatever and wound up with like 50 staples or something crazy like that. Or the guy who has one foot come out, goes out over the front and the board swings around and blam, against the back of the dome. More staples...

Wear a helmet to save your ear drums
 

I've never hit the water hard enough to hurt my head, but two years ago I buried the front of my board after a failed 360 and slammed the side of my head into the water. About an hour later I was at Instacare getting a prescription for some Oxycotton. I had ruptured my ear drum when I hit the water. I've broken some bones, etc. but nothing has ever hurt more than rupturing my ear drum. My ear slowly oozed blood and fluid for the next few days. I wear a helmet with ear guards just so that will never happen again.

I'd say same as Brian and Kyle. 3 years ago I was learning a new trick and I was taking as far as 10 hard falls every day. The day before I landed it I was so desperate, so all I was doing was to start, take a round (I ride cable) then take a slam. Every next fall was harder and harder. Then the last one was so hard I knocked out - can't move, can't breathe, can't see... and below the surface. Just a spark of mind not to try to breathe... and wait. Then somehow I felt my face out of the water, the light came back and I took a breath... A friend of mine was swimming towards me, he told me I was not moving for around 10 seconds. The next day I realized that the helmet I was wearing floats really well. It pops your head out of the water. And that was the mysterious way my face came out of the water. So:

- The falls WITH helmet on are softer. Tryed both ways, for me that's sure.
- The helmet pops your head out of the water in case of knock out.
- Protects ears, even without earflaps.
- Protects against blown faces, broken noses, etc. on sliders.
- Protects against the sun and the wind.
- Helmets are mandatory for most cableparks

I always wear a helmet now.

And... I actually have a gay wakeboarder friend, so its really not nice to use the word gay for "bad" or "lame".

Thank you, Georgi!

Scott,

I really don't get the correlation between being gay and wearing a helmet. I don't wear one, but certainly would not think it was lame for a rider that chose to do so.

needed if you hit obstacles. if you dont, I personally find it useless. it just adds more weight to your neck and head when you catch and edge

If anyone calls you gay for wearing a helmet take it off and hit him in the face with it. Lets just be honest who cares wear it if you like and feel safer.

since a helmet increases the surface area of your noggin hitting the water, it will decelerate (stop) your head faster than without a helmet...your brain is still moving at the same rate (with our without helmet) and impacts your skull with more force...your brain hitting the inside of your skull is what gives you a concussion. for an example, slap your board against the water...see how it stops instantly?? compare that to what happens when you slap a baseball bat against the water...see how it contiunues through the water...absorbing energy and decreasing the deceleration. simple physics lessons...force = mass X acceleration (deceleration)...in this helmet vs. no helmet case the mass (of your brain) is the same...the deceleration is greater (i say) with the helmet i.e. the force (which you brain impacts your skull) is greater with the helmet and your chance of concussion is increased.
granted, a helmet has some energy absorbing EPP or EPS foam that can also decrease the deceleration of your head as it hits the water...and I would need to do some actual studies to see if the effect of increased surface area is balanced (or overcome) by the foam.
my feeling is that the effect of a helmet for preventing a concussion is probably nothing...and they look dumb.

ohhh yes... i definantly think helmets are attracted to the same sex...

Rock the helmet! I had read a few posts on here about blown ear drums and what not when I first joined this site. I wanted nothing to do with it and decided early on to rock the helmet with the ear flaps. Like was mentioned earlier, the beauty about this sport is you make it your own! I ride with a dude that wears gloves and a helmet. Whatever works for YOU.

Tony

Would you rather get hit in the side of the head with a board wearing a helmet, or not wearing a helmet. I would chose the helmet.

hahaha, while I understand the physics lesson above, I wear one in fear of the board hitting the back of my head (and I've known people this has happened to.) I'll play it safe, look a little less cool, and continue to rock one.

not to mention the physics lesson is flawed...... the difference between surface area of your bare head and a head with a helmet on is nowhere near large enough to offset the impact absorption by the foam in the helmet. In other words the helmet's impact absorption is going to greatly outweigh the slight increase (if any) of head speed to the water due to increased surface area. not to mention protect you from a nasty hit to the head from a board edge. "bare head" vs "helmet head" to water does not equal "wakeboard" vs "bat" to water.

scott i had a concussion on a getoff on my dirtbike . i lost 12hrs of time and was quite foggy for about a week. then tim tebow got a concussion.i started researching the subject. much better to be a man with a helmet and a brain than a man without a helmet that looks cool but can't find his brain. only one chance to protect yourself and thats before the accident. wear a helmet. ride safe

+1 for Ben B, -1 for Nickbot. The foam in a helmet absolutely reduces the deceleration rate of your brain... why else would all types of helmets even have foam... the foam and padding spread the impulse of impact over a greater period of time which equates to your brains hitting you skull with less "G" force. Take a hammer and hit a concrete floor. Now take hammer and hit the floor through a peice of foam and rubber... which way would you rather have your brains hit your skull? Search my posts. I wrote this all out in gory detail the last time a helmet thread came up.

-Uj

Ya I don't wear a helmet when I skateboard or snowboard because it just increases the surface area and the likelyhood of shaking my brain!!! Haha just kidding! Try it out. If you find the helmet is just not working for you then toss it but it doesn't hurt to try it out.

+1 for Ben, +1 for Uncle Jessie and a big ---1 for Nickbot. Here's my physics lesson: three seasons with helmet, no bell ringers, before, many bell ringers! Everyone needs to do what THEY think is safe!

Whats a good wake helmet brand? What model?

i like pro-tec value and style

Wear the helmet. My children wear their helmets constantly, friend Darrin wears his constantly, and I bought one for myself so my Melon is safe also. To us helmets are COOL!!!

We have Pro-tec and Hyperlite, price was right and seem to be just fine.

If you're wearing helmet, no. If you're giving helmet yes.

Helmets are not gay, 2 guys riding on 1 board while wearing helmets and bumping YMCA on the boat is

I have heard that their are only a few states you can get married in if you wear a helmet.

yes its true, helmets are not gay. Take the test and smash your head a few times:D

Don't forget the false sense of protection a lot of people get from wearing helmets. I have seen a lot of peeps get served thinking that their helmet was going to "save" them from getting hurt. If you wear one, be sure it doesnt change your approach or attitude towards progressing your riding; don't start hucking things because the helmet is there.

I saw a fella get knocked out cold from a water hit, while wearing his helmet. He was C-ed up big time. On a personal note, my helmet just got delivered by UPS, special edition rainbow colors! OMG, I'm like, super duper, excited!!!

I don't see anything gay about helmets...here's a newer model for your consideration...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/...ch=18039;image

Best post of thread ^^^^^

new goal in life = ride cable with a Dark Helmet helmet on

Who cares what anyone else thinks? If you want to wear one for any number of the reasons listed above, do it. And be proud of doing what you want, regardless of what others think.

It is now declared:

I will be the sacrificial lamb for all of you on here. I'll continue to proudly wear my helmet, kneeboard, neoprene slalom shorts and gloves, so you can all ride with whatever you want knowing that there's someone out there that looks more ridiculous than you:D

Love the "Helmet" .... great post..... Yeah I am thinking I may rock the rainbow helmet in spandex shorts....Since everyone is all cool with it...I am gonna rock the lake this year.

overheard
 

gay and gay colors are cool now...