How to Approach an Injured Individual on the Slopes

Key elements when tending to somebody who is injured while skiing/snowboarding. Get involved and learn how to have a positive impact on your community.

Fig. 1. “A ski patrol officer helping somebody hurt on a mountain” prompt, Canva, Magic Media, 25 Feb. 2024.

“Always ensure the scene is safe and call attention to the individual,” said Kent Spillers, a 48-year-old ski patrol officer from Ames, Iowa. In the past year, Spillers has devoted much of his time to becoming a ski patrol officer at Seven Oaks Recreation Center in Boone, Iowa. Like most ski resorts, Seven Oaks is no stranger to dangerous injuries. “I have no medical background, so that piece took a lot of work,” said Kent. He studied flashcards, read over safety materials constantly, and volunteered as much as possible to be placed on the ski patrol staff. With a 50-hour class, followed by a 100-question exam, which Kent aced, it’s fair to say he is incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to injured individuals. 

“Ensure the scene is safe and call attention to the area. Approach the patient and determine if there is a life-threatening injury. Assess the severity of the injury. Report SAILER (sex, age, injury, location, equipment/resources needed). Begin gathering the patient’s info and perform a quick exam,” described Spillers. These steps are part of his easily memorizable guide for how to quickly approach and assess the scene of an injured individual. It’s easy to panic in these situations, so you always want to try your best to stay calm and composed, because the injured individual needs you to help calm them down, one of Kent’s big points. 

Even a trained ski patrol officer, Kent, faced hardships and mistakes in his first few experiences with injuries. He found himself second-guessing his training and doubting his knowledge, but he knew that to help the patient, you must stay calm at all times, and completely trust your training. 

Most people don’t have time to become a ski patrol officer, but anyone can learn the basic treatment tactics and mindsets with which the officers practice. These strategies can be useful to anyone. Spillers described his experience as an officer as rather enriching, “I spend a lot of time outdoors camping, skiing, hiking, fishing, and sometimes we are in places where first responders wouldn’t be an immediate option. The skills are also great since I have two kids in sports.” concurred Spillers. His overwhelmingly positive experience as a ski patrol officer can serve as a lesson to anyone, if you put your mind to something you can achieve it, and it never hurts to know first aid skills. 

Is Recess Really Necessary?

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As a student in elementary school, the classroom was a very interesting and compelling place that I loved; however, due to the stimulations I was susceptive to in the classrooms, I became overwhelmed and easily distracted. Snack and nap breaks were helpful and refreshing but were not as beneficial as recess was. Schools must set aside time in elementary students’ schedules for recess, as it allows students to return to the classroom with a refreshed mindset, better listening skills, and more focus. 

Despite the necessity of recess, 77 percent of school principals report that they withhold recess as punishment, according to a Gallup poll commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In the same poll, 80% of principals acknowledge that time to play has a “positive impact on achievement,” and two-thirds of principals state that “students listen better after recess and are more focused in class.” Teachers also tend to take away recess “as a way to carve out a few extra minutes of learning time in an otherwise packed day.” Recess is vital, and it is saddening that the same people who sing the benefits of recess for students, also use it against them as a punishment.

Image found at https://www.blurton-fdc.com/6-reasons-why-your-child-is-struggling-at-school/

In response to the unnecessary discipline and decrease in rates and time for recess in schools, the AAP issued a policy statement, “The Crucial Role of Recess,” to make clear-cut recommendations to schools. Their claim is apparent and explicit, “recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that may not be fully appreciated when a decision is made to diminish it.” Diminishing recess is far from our best interest. 

Not only are recess and physical play beneficial to physical health, it’s “critically important for mental health.” Students with good mental health can then achieve their academic goals,” argues Amanda Kost, representing the University of Washington faculty. Teachers, principals, parents, and guardians, the biggest aspiration for children should be for them to achieve these academic goals. We cannot let our students down. 

If it is in our best interest for students to be at their highest potential, recess cannot be withheld as a form of punishment. Instead, we need to protect it. It is nonsensical to withhold the physical activity and mental rest that students need and deserve daily. According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, about 50% of districts provide 30 to 45 minutes of recess a day, while a third provides between 16 and 30 minutes a day. Even just 15 minutes outside benefits lives in and out of the classroom. Once I got a short amount of time away from my desk and stiff classroom, with the chance to be creative and feel a sense of freedom, I could approach my learning in ways I never would have thought plausible. 

Works Cited

Demkovich, Laurel. “Washington May Require 30-Minute Recess at All Schools.” Spokesman-Review, The (Spokane, WA), 22 Feb. 2023. Newspaper Source Plus, research.ebsco.com/c/idf4ib/viewer/html/di3e4hcdtb?route=details.

Gonchar, Michael. “Do Kids Need Recess?” The Learning Network, archive.nytimes.com/learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/do-kids-need-recess/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

Murray, et al. “The Crucial Role of Recess in School.” American Academy of Pediatrics, Jan. 2013, dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-2993.

Working With Others to Build a National Culture of Health | RWJF. https://www.rwjf.org/en/robert-wood-johnson-foundation.html. Accessed 14 Dec. 2023.

Students Need Recess

As an elementary student, I loved the classroom. I loved solving math equations, reading books, taking tests, making art projects, and everything else. At the same time, I tended to get easily distracted and find my brain wandering when stuck in the classroom for too much time without a real break. Snack breaks and nap breaks were helpful and refreshing, but not as much as recess. 

Getting out of the classroom is vital for students to return with a refreshed mindset, better listening skills, and more focus. Eight in 10 principals acknowledge that time to play has a “positive impact on achievement,” and two-thirds of principals state that “students listen better after recess and are more focused in class.”

Recess also has a positive impact on kids’ mental health. Amanda Kost, representing the University of Washington faculty, said recess and physical activity are “critically important for mental health,” and students with good mental health can then achieve their academic goals.

Schools have a range of how long they offer recess. A 2009 survey from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction found half of the districts that responded to the survey provided 30 to 45 minutes of recess a day, while a third provided between 16 and 30 minutes a day. Half of the respondents at the time provided two recess periods, with 21% saying they provided three periods. 

Recess is more than necessary for children. Even just a short amount of time outside improves many aspects of their personal life and life in the classroom. 

High School: Check!

A seemingly never-ending to-do list on a sticky note sits on my computer anxiously awaiting to be crossed off and thrown away. High school proceeds to feel like this as a senior in 2023. Consisting of assignments that need accomplished, tests that need to be studied for, events that have to be planned and attended, college applications waiting to be touched, and more, high school, similar to my checklist, feels as if it has started to become one itself.

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As an underclassman, high school didn’t have as much of a “to-do” feeling as it does now. Beginning a new chapter of my life was fresh and exhilarating. There was an abundance of motivation and drive to complete assignments, a genuine longing to showcase my skills on tests, and excitement to plan events and attend dances, games, etc., flooded my bones. High school in 2023 is a faded image with faded feelings regarding what it once was and felt like. 

There are many ways in which high school began to feel like a never-ending checklist. Immediately after being given an assignment that I need to accomplish, I quickly note it on my sticky note. An impatient open square sits next to it. I go to my next class, and the process repeats. Over and over again. All of my untouched tasks stare at me throughout the day. The abundance of motivation and drive that once shone through to take on my homework has unconsciously turned to more of a need to check a box off to gain a few quick points and move on to the next. As a multi-sport student-athlete, involved in activities and clubs, who values grades, friendships, and fun, it can be arduous to want to work on an assignment solely to gain skills and practice in the subject. It has become less of a desire to do the work and more of an obligation to check one box off of a presumably endless list of open squares. 

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Balancing this seemingly ceaseless list of assignments can be exhausting. High school has taken on this exhaust. Other responsibilities that come with being a senior in high school in 2023 include involvement in activities, applying for college, discovering your passion, being active in the community, etc., have become as stressful and ongoing as the list of assignments. These responsibilities seem constant and continual and impossible to complete. The day that all of my boxes are checked off is hopefully soon to come, however, seems like it may never arrive.