I can’t get skating out of my mind, thanks to recent news of drama and corruption on the ice. Here’s a little reminder to those who don’t have the comfort of a Zamboni-treated ice rink. It’s from an important text titled Everyday Safety, which was written by William A. Evans. Watch yourselves while skating on the pond out back!
1952: Be Sure The Ice Is Strong
Ice skating is a fine sport and is safe provided the ice is strong enough. If you live in the northern part of the United States, you will be able to skate most of the winter, but in the middle section or southern part of the country the winters are frequently so mild that ice skating is seldom safe.
Even if the ice is thick and strong, beware of holes that may be cut through it for fishing or for cutting ice. In streams where the water moves rapidly, the ice may be split in some places and yet there may be stretches of frozen water elsewhere.
If you should meet with an accident and fall into a hole in the ice, try to tread water and life as much of your body out of the hole as possible, spreading your arms wide over the ice so that your weight will be distributed. Taking hold of the edge of the ice may cause additional pieces of the ice to break off.
Source: Evans, William A. Everyday Safety. Chicago: Lyons and Carnahan, 1952.
~ pp. 165-66 ~
This selection was found while looking for some tips on blisters and burns. Earlier today, after hiking along a river, my friends and I were peering over the edge of a dam when my nutty dog decided she’d like to see what was on the other side of the ledge. She went flying over the wall, and before I knew it she was dangling from her leash above the murky waters by the bank, about ten feet down. She dropped into the water seconds later, but luckily my friend was able to climb down to retrieve her as I held on. She was wet and uninjured. My fingers suffered a bit of leash burn, however. Ow ow ow.