NECK GUARDS
Neck guards protect the tender neck area as well as the upper part of the chest against the very unlikely event of getting kicked with a skate blade. They have been required for short track speed skating in Canada for serval years, and at international competitions and in the United States since 1996.
 

This picture from the Helmet page is a good illustration of the neckguard in place. The skaters have quickly become used to wearing them.
There is more than one kind of neck guard available. Note that the required neck guard must be of the "bib type", the bib part giving protection to the upper chest area.

This picture shows one of each kind of neck guard. The one on the left is the one legal for short track speed skating, the one on the right does not have the "bib", and so is not allowed.

At first, skaters were not very interested in wearing the neck guards, saying they were uncomfortable and distracting...
Dean (below) tries out the new neck guards. "I don't know what the complaining is about", he says. "Mine fits pretty good. The only distracting thing about it is the little tag that hangs down in front. But I can easily cut that off".


 
 

Loren shows us the two different kinds of neck guard. The black one is not legal for short track speed skating (no "bib"). She also shows us what a skater looks like without a neck guard on (the blue one is hers).
Mark shows us the proper neck guard on, only the bib part must be tucked in, his is not. He had it out for illustration purposes.
Either we are showing off our neck guards or our teeth!



You can order neck guards from Dimon Sports.

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