The fate of helmetless curling rests with the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. .“The risk in the present case was the ice was slippery and could cause students to fall and become injured,” said Alberta Court of King’s Bench Justice Colin Feasby in a ruling. .“That risk was obvious.”.Feasby ordered a local school district and the curling club to face civil trial for failing to meet a proper standard of care by allowing children to hit the ice without a helmet. .Lawyers for Rocky View Schools in Airdrie, AB, and the Cochrane Curling Club Society unsuccessfully sought dismissal of a lawsuit by a 15-year-old girl who suffered a concussion in a fall. .“The alleged negligent act of failing to provide the plaintiff a helmet did not cause her to fall,” said the lawyers. .Records showed the girl was injured in 2015 while trying out for the Bow Valley High School curling team. Feasby said she slipped, fell, and hit her head, suffering a concussion. .None of the students were helmeted. Curling Canada had no helmet rule at the time and does not mandate wearing of helmets by all players. .The judge went on to say there was no requirement in law “children’s activities be risk-free.” .“Bumps, bruises, sprained ankles, and even broken bones are some times just the price of an active childhood,” he said. .The court ruled the girl’s parents were entitled to go to trial on their claim the school and curling club had a duty to protect students. Feasby said the case “turns on the question of the appropriate standard of care to be exercised in respect of an extra-curricular activity, curling, for which there are inherent risks.”.Curling Canada adopted a concussion policy in 2017, mandating helmets for children under 12. .“Curling Canada strongly recommends anyone who participates in a ‘learn to curl’ program age 12 or older, and anyone who is vulnerable, wear protective headgear on the ice,” said the policy.
