Cam FitzPatrick

16 Cam FitzPatrick (right), and Kevin Pearce discuss protecting your head in Jackson Hole.

Think Ahead WORDS: PHOTO: CAM FITZPATRICK WADE DUNSTAN

As far back as kindergarten, I was given a choice: “You may do your work now or you may do it while the other kids are at recess.” For an active and social kid like me, the choice was obvious. Another choice that is obvious to me is to wear a helmet while riding. While I am thankful that ski resorts give us the freedom to decide based on our own beliefs and experience, it’s my personal decision to protect my head by strapping on the brain bucket.

My parents attached a Styrofoam helmet to my head at a very young age when I tagged along on their biking and skiing adventures. The neon and eccentric stickers made it all the more awesome and I often forgot to take it off when roaming the

neighborhoods and campgrounds that were my domain. When skateboarding, my parents made me wear a helmet until there came a time when they weren’t watching and the choice was my own. Since a helmet was natural to me, I didn’t take it off. Perhaps I knew what my future held.

I suffered a fairly mild concussion during a pipe competition when I was eight. Slamming the transition with the back of my head rendered me woozy for a few days. But that was before concussions were taken too seriously by coaches, parents or doctors. A few days later, I was shredding the slopes like any other Jackson Hole 8-year-old who aspired to be a stand-out rider.

At the age of 19, after catching an edge on the lip of the pipe at a competition in California, I was treated to a toboggan ride complete with a C-collar and backboard. Making finals and winning best trick were vague memories that helped soften the blow, but I was out of the running.

Injuries are inevitable and we as action sports enthusiasts know that. Suffering many different injuries and a few blows to the head, I’ve had to be proactive about my recovery, enduring different treatments and learning about the brain’s involvement in pushing the body’s physical limits. I’ve come to understand and appreciate the role of my neurological system. After my most recent head injury this past spring, it has not only changed the way I look at situations in snowboarding but I’ve realized the importance of spreading awareness about brain trauma. See, everyone who has had an impacting injury in a sport can relate to one another. It gives us the power to connect and spread our knowledge. With the support of many different therapies and the dedication to work as hard as I can, I’m now feeling rested and ready for another season where I can challenge myself. I’m hopeful I’ll perform better than I ever have before.

Wearing a helmet while snowboarding is your decision. It’s the same as wearing a seatbelt – not everyone believes it will reduce the extent of injuries they might suffer in an accident. A quick review of information on the internet leads me to believe that there is conclusive evidence to support the benefits of wearing a helmet while riding. It’s encouraging that the action sports world is taking head injuries much more seriously, as they sometimes lead to walking a thin line between life and death. I want to fuel the fire for the youth coming up in the world of snowboarding, that it’s cool to wear a helmet even if idols they look up to choose not to wear one. After a fall I’ve often found myself saying, “I’m so thankful I had my helmet on,” and I know thousands of people can relate to that statement. Wearing a helmet, I truly believe, reduced the extent of my head injuries and I’m glad it was my helmet that cracked, not my head. Knowing what I know now about the brain, I realize I still have so much to learn on and off the hill. I’ll never take that, or the chance to get back to my game, for granted.

17

cf

On the mend from an injury he suffered in April, Cam FitzPatrick is working hard to get strong for the season. Track his progress on Instagram: @camfitzpatrick