Crazy People on Trampoline with segway!

[sombody]

Does anyone remember LAWN DARTS- perfectly fun game unless you tried to catch them with your teeth.

rick

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by glen_d

The video shows a parent attending to a child taking a risk by doing something previously unknown. If you listen to the parent, he coaches the child on what to do, limiting the behavior on the trampoline. As it turns out in the video, the parent's estimate of a favorable outcome and the actual result were coincident. Good for him. Perhaps his child will learn something from the incident and not take truly foolish risks. Why would you feel the child will learn not to take foolish risks? Based on what? His father did not learn this. YOU did not learn this. How would a kid learn it?

I think most of the respondents that find the parent's actions irresponsible are concerned not so much for the child's welfare as for their own. They fear that if the child were to be hurt (and he was not!), that such a result would reflect poorly on the Segway and somehow lessen their chance of enjoying their Segway in the future. It's only natural to be concerned for your own welfare, but let's not mistake that as concern for someone else's child or moral outrage. Here you are demonstrating that you are completely unaware of what Shalloway and I are talking about. Others seem to agree with the sentiment that we are speaking of as well. What you say is natural may be natural to you, but if I had to guess, it would be that you are not someone's father. I place the welfare of my children above my own every day, constantly. I will, and have protected my children from harm to my own detriment, and so have several fathers (and mothers). I know many people that would easily take the hit for their kid each and everytime, and never back down...

Thank goodness we all don't get to decide how this parent raises his child – or how you raise yours. I am not sure what planet you live on, but people tell others how to raise their children all the time. Have you never met a teacher? A cop? A politician? A college professor? Your daughter's boyfriend? The kids on your kid's soccer team that have all those questionable suggestions for your kid to do? etc, etc.

Glen

It takes a villiage to raise a child. That is because so many people want to be heard on the way you should raise them...

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by sombody

Does anyone remember LAWN DARTS- perfectly fun game unless you tried to catch them with your teeth.

rick

Catching them with your teeth sounds silly to me. I believe the currently accepted method of playing this game is to set up two trampolines at opposite sides of the yard, and have a pass with them, from one segway trampoline to the other...

[TheRonster]

Originally Posted by KSagal

I believe the currently accepted method of playing this game is to set up two trampolines at opposite sides of the yard, and have a pass with them, from one segway trampoline to the other...

As long as nobody gets hurt on videotape that is edited and made publicly available, I don't see why anyone would possibly mind seeing sharp, pointy, high-speed objects being aimed at another human's chest. (Crikey!)

If playing catch with 35 mph slingshot lawn darts makes you cringe, you must be a sissy or a control freak. A good parent only makes sure the barbs haven't been sharpened THAT much ....

[Jet]

Originally Posted by glen_d

The video does not portray a hypothetical situation. You have not been burdened with making an accurate prediction of future events.

How could you possibly be concerned for the safety of the child in the video when the safe outcome is already known? The child was not injured in the video.

Perhaps you are concerned with what might have happened, not what actually happened. Controlling other people's actions for fear of what might happen is quite a different proposition, isn't it?

Glen

We don't know if anyone was or was not injured - We only know that the actions as demonistrated was very dangerous and rightly can comment how stupid it was.

Allowing a child who appears to be less than 100lbs on a Segway is a dangerous act in itself.

[waynen]

Walking to the bathroom can end in a serious injury too and yeah, I do consider my Segway a toy and a Technological breaktrhough in Urban Transportation! I should have had them wear a helmet, that's my only regret. The truth is, it was their idea and I allowed them to check it out. They would have done it without me the very first time I left them alone with the keys anyway. Did anyone look at my other videos on Google? I also have racecars that go in excess of 230 MPH in a 1/4 mile pass (the video is an 1/8 mile pass) and yeah, the 6 year old rides in the car too although not at that speed. I am also a pilot and own my own aircraft, I have flown aerobatics and my kids have too. We also race drag boats and offshore race boats. Anyone seen this month's Hot Boat magazine? That's me on page 26 driving the drag boat on the top of the page.

Just because I am not same typical antique boring sue happy lazy old Segway owner as many here, doesn't make my uses for my "toy" wrong. When I am in public with my toy, I ride very slowly and I hate the fact that people rent the Segways and knock people over and make them a irritation which could make them not welcome in the near future. It is in my nature however to explore the limits of every toy I own and will continue to do so.

As for him being too young to be capable of riding a Segway at all, that's crazy. He has better skills than many adults and almost all seniors, which a large part of Segway owners are. Where do Segway crashes occur? Most are either unnoticed slippery surfaces (a loose stone or wet spot on the floor), or while attempting to operate near the limitations of the machine, like climbing a hill slowly and losing traction.

I have only fell from the Segway once, I was riding around the circumference of a quarry and got very close to a black bear! While leaving the area as quickly as I could, while looking back for the bear, I ran into grooves and belly'd out the Segway causing me to go over the handlebars. No injury..... Was at Millbrook Quarry close to Manasses Va during Cody's SCUBA checkout dives. Yeah, I am a terrible parent that allows my 12 year old to SCUBA dive too. I have gone down up to 3 stairs on the Segway.... I do have more video, I just uploaded the highlights, didn't skip any accidents.

A ride to the store puts me in a 3000 pound piece of metal, plastic and glass going 55 MPH, meanwhile, two feet away, there is an 80,000 pound tractor trailer coming straight at me at 65 MPH, that's an 120MPH impact with an 80,000 pound object that weights over 26 times the one I am in. I can be the best driver in the world wearing all the necessary safety items and yet one twitch by either driver or a flat tire could cause this impact. I think every person that knowingly puts their child into that situation, each and every day should be in big trouble for allowing that kind of risk to get near their child. Now lets add fatigue, bad weather, and drunk drivers to the mix. How does that compare to falling off of a Segway? Oh that's right, we didn't fall did we....

Originally Posted by dalessiokid

How stupid can a man be?, That coulded end in a serious injury! It also reminded me how upset i get when people refer to the segway as a Toy instead of a Technological breaktrhough in Urban Transportation!


Jorge D'Alessio

Let The Glide Last Forever!

[sholloway]

I understand everyone has different level of risks in their lives. You've obviously chosen a hell of a lot more than others. That's great. I'm just not convinced (nor do I need to be) that letting your kids take part in these activities is a good call. You raise your kids, I'll raise mine. I just know that the chances of my kids being injured or killed in a racecar, drag boat, or acrobatic plane is absolutely zero. The chances of my kids being injured by being on a Segway on a trampoline without a helmet is also absolutely zero. You've clearly increased the chances of your kids being injured or killed in "high risk" vehicles by letting them participate in those types of activities. And of course you're right that people die everyday on the highways but I don't accept that as a reason that it is OK to have your kids try certain types of things. I hope like hell you guys have a great time and none of your kids are ever injured.

[waynen]

Well said. I hope no kid is ever injured, but I wouldn't lock mine in a rubber room to insure it.. Men in our family have unusually short lives due to illness's that are hereditary. We do however live while we can and may be guilty of trying to squeeze in a bit of extra. As I said I do admit I should have made them wear a helmet.

Originally Posted by sholloway

I understand everyone has different level of risks in their lives. You've obviously chosen a hell of a lot more than others. That's great. I'm just not convinced (nor do I need to be) that letting your kids take part in these activities is a good call. You raise your kids, I'll raise mine. I just know that the chances of my kids being injured or killed in a racecar, drag boat, or acrobatic plane is absolutely zero. The chances of my kids being injured by being on a Segway on a trampoline without a helmet is also absolutely zero. You've clearly increased the chances of your kids being injured or killed in "high risk" vehicles by letting them participate in those types of activities. And of course you're right that people die everyday on the highways but I don't accept that as a reason that it is OK to have your kids try certain types of things. I hope like hell you guys have a great time and none of your kids are ever injured.

[Sal]

Originally Posted by waynen

Just because I am not same typical antique boring sue happy lazy old Segway owner as many here...

Welcome to these forums, and don't let this thread thwart your continued participation. We all welcome new members.

Please understand, we didn't know your background, and you could have easily made the same kinds of comments or another regarding someone else in a one off video you found reckless.

We all hope you and your kids enjoy your adventures, safely.

The people of these forums want the best for Segway users first and foremost, and for the Segway as well. Many of us have owned Segways since the reveal, and soon after, that experience and knowhow is priceless, and I hope you'll explore the threads here to learn more about our accumulated experiences.

We know what constitutes, as general Segway operational standards deem as being dangerous, and quite frankly, what your kids were doing on the video was indeed dangerous. Now, in hindsight, I am sure we're all glad that you were there to supervise them, but we all said what we said which came from our visceral reaction for the safety of the kids in the video. After all, what other information did we have apart from the video, we knew nothing about you.

Again, welcome to these forums, and please do have your kids wear helmets next time.

-Sal

[KSagal]

As a father, I cannot endorse riding in the manner that video demonstrated. For me, his justificaton made me fear for the well being of his children even more... I hope all goes well.