The recent accident at the University of Delaware rink sent Paul Binnebose to the hospital with a fractured skull and left him in a coma. Ice is as unforgiving as asphalt, concrete or wood. Basketball players still play without headgear, but that too may be questioned as play becomes rougher. Ice hockey players started wearing helmets two decades ago. Lacrosse players have worn helmets for years.
Baseball players wear helmets when batting and base running.
Football players are encased nearly head to toe in armor. Yet a figure skater, zooming along at high speeds and performing aerial spins and fast-paced tricks, sometimes with a partner held aloft, wears no protection at all. Competitive skating puts so much emphasis on beauty that its devotees are probably not anxious to cover up its athletes any more than absolutely necessary. Some kinds of safety equipment might even interfere with the exquisite balance and peripheral vision required for difficult maneuvers. Despite that, the skating world should focus on preventing head injuries on ice with equipment appropriate to the sport.