With the advent of winter, everyone wants something interesting, available only in this cold season. What could be better on a frosty day than skating on ice? After all, it is excitement and fun, laughter and joy, sport and relaxation at the same time. It’s so wonderful in the company of friends to skate on a cold winter evening! And the frost becomes invisible, and a lot of positive emotions are provided.
Those who for some reason cannot go ice skating can still have some fun on the ice. Most often these are children, they have their own skating rink - most of them skate perfectly and without skates. It can be an ice-covered space near a hill or a small frozen pond.
Nevertheless, if you do not want to turn a pleasant pastime into a nightmare with injuries and bruises, you should remember a few simple points, which are the rules for safe behavior on ice. There are not many of them, and most of them are completely natural, so it will be easy to follow them.
How not to fall under the ice?
One of the main rules: if the skating rink is not artificial, but a crust of ice in a pond, exercise extreme caution, especially on your first visit. On the street there should be a frost of at least 100 C. Moreover, the important condition is that such a temperature should not be kept for the first day. Basic safety rules on ice can be observed intuitively. There are no clear numbers, there are simple nuances. The main ones are:
1. If winter has just begun, or there has been a long warming (temperature near zero), then you need to wait for good freezing, from 3 to 5 days. The waiting time depends on the degree of frost - the colder, the less days it will take to form a thick ice crust.
2. The deeper the pond, the longer it freezes. A shallow pond can freeze very quickly, but special care is required with a river.
3. Closer to the shore, ice forms faster than in the center. Therefore, be careful when conquering uncharted places.
4. If you are rolling, you notice cracks in the layer of ice, or the fact that in some places it is very visible, urgently select another segment of the ice rink for skating.
If you ride on artificial ice, or on a perfectly frozen reservoir, the danger of falling under the ice does not threaten you. Nevertheless, any ice rink has its own rules of behavior on ice, which must be observed both for your own safety and for the safety of others.
How to protect yourself from falls?
To protect yourself from injuries, try to stay well on your feet. If this still does not work out, ride with your knees slightly bent, possibly even crouching. Thus, when falling, there will be no sharp head hit, because you either fall into your hands, softening the blow, or just sit on the ice. Do not make sudden movements and avoid those people who behave inappropriately and who can push or knock you down. Observing these rules of behavior on ice, you will protect yourself from bruises and dislocations. Non-compliance can even lead to grave consequences such as concussion and fractures.
How not to harm others?
And finally, we will discuss the rules of conduct on ice regarding the safety of other visitors to the rink. First of all, if you are skating, it is simply unacceptable to play various virtuoso pa when other people are nearby. Skates are harmless while gliding on the ice surface, however, you can wave them in all directions only alone or in figure skating under the supervision of a coach. Otherwise, you risk serious injury to a person nearby.
There are other simple nuances. Regardless of whether you are in skates or in ordinary shoes, you should not rush on the ice at a frantic speed if you are poorly able to avoid obstacles. Bringing visitors to the rink is not the best idea, and it can even end with an ambulance visit. Do not push while driving past other people. If someone fell, it would be nice to give a hand and help get up.
Observing the simple rules of behavior on ice, you will turn your and others' leisure into fun entertainment and you can avoid negative incidents.