SHORT TRACK SAFETY PADDING

Whether for training or competition, ensuring the safety of short track speed skaters on the ice requires safety padding.  Speed Skating Canada establishes standards of protection required for skaters of different ages and abilities.  These standards are based on the body mass and speed of the skaters who will be training or competing on the ice surface.  Different amounts of padding are required in different areas of the rink, depending on the likelihood of falls resulting in contact with the boards in that area of the rink.


These resources from Speed Skating Canada provide specific direction concerning these requirements:

Speed Skating Canada Crash Protection Thickness Requirements January 2013

Modifications to Short Track Crash Protection Specifications and Guidelines and Implementation Timelines February 2013

Speed Skating Canada Crash Protection and Prevention for Boarded Rinks - Specifications and Guidelines

Speed Skating Canada Crash Protection Thickness Guidelines

Speed Skating Canada Red Book Appendices

For a technical discussion of the design of safety padding, see this 2010 presentation by Sean Maw "The Design of Foam Crash Pads for Short Track Speed Skating  on Boarded Rinks".

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Short Track Crash Protection Zones

Red Zone
The red zone shall extend from the icing line (or 1m from the end of the rink if there is no icing line) through to the track marker closest to the rink’s centre line.
Yellow Zone
The yellow zone shall extend from the track marker closest to the rink’s centre line (end of the red zone) to the rink’s centre line.
Blue Zone
The blue zone shall extend from the end of the green zone to the beginning of the red zone.
Green Zone
The green zone shall extend from the rink’s centre line to the beginning of the curvature of the corner board