Learning to ski and board, safely

CORNWALL — Sharon Hospital and Mohawk Mountain are teaming up to offer people who’ve never tried it before a chance to see if they like to ski or snowboard. It’s called First Experience Day. On Saturday, Dec. 22, all first-time skiers and boarders (ages 5 and up) will get a free custom-fit rental equipment package, a lesson and lift ticket valid on beginner lifts.Ticketing and fitting for equipment are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Although there is no cash fee, all participants are asked to bring canned or nonperishable food items or a clean, gently used winter coat to donate to OWL’s Kitchen in Lakeville and Torrington’s FISH food bank. Volunteers from the hospital will be on hand all day to collect the donations.This is the first time the hospital has partnered with Mohawk on First Experience Day. And as a general scaredy-cat, especially when it comes to downhill sports, I think it’s just great that a lot of medical professionals will be on hand as novices and more experienced athletes mingle on the slippery slopes. Of course all sports have an inherent element of danger. I personally find winter sports to be a little more anxiety inducing because they are practiced on snow and ice.Sharon Hospital recommends that all skiers and snowboarders wear a helmet, as a safeguard against concussions and what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) calls traumatic brain injury. Mohawk Mountain suggests athletes visit the website www.lidsonkids.org, which has all kinds of information about helmets and what they can and can’t do.According to the CDC, “Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem in the United States. Each year, traumatic brain injuries contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability. “Recent data shows that, on average, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury annually.”Jill Groody Musselman, communications officer for Sharon Hospital, says that the problem certain exists here in the Tri-state area. Many concussions are treated at the hospital, for patients of all ages.She recommended a visit to the Lids on Kids website and added two warnings of her own: First, don’t use a bicycle helmet in place of a ski helmet; they do different tasks and are designed differently. Second, don’t buy a helmet second hand. Once a helmet has had a severe impact, it no longer offers adequate protection. It’s impossible to know what happened to a helmet when it was in the hands of its first owner. And of course, replace any helmet you already own if it’s sustained a heavy impact.