City bans tobogganing， residents organize“Sled In”

章小玲

Tobogganing is a favorite winter activity for kids and even adults. Can you imagine if it was banned？

The city of Orangeville， Ontario， Canada is trying to do just that at Murrays Mountain， a popular tobogganing location （场所）， and has put a “No Tobogganing” sign on the hill.

But adults and children of Orangeville are not having it， so they held a “Sled In” on Sunday and tobogganed online as much as they liked to make a statement.

“To say no tobogganing publicly is just unfair and such a disadvantage for the kids，” said Rob Stewart， a resident who organized the “sled in” on Facebook.

He understands that the city likely put up the sign to stop them from getting in trouble if someone injures themselves， but thinks theres a much better solution.

“The sign should say toboggan at your own risk—I think thats reasonable. I dont think anyone expects the town to be liable for what happens when youre tobogganing，” he said.

Tobogganing is listed as the fourth most risky sport for serious injuries in the book Catastrophic Injuries in Sport and Recreation by Dr. Charles Tato.

The Town of Orangeville said on Thursday the sign was put up so that it could be easily seen  to people climbing the hill， and that it changed a sign put up in 2009. They were told to do by the towns insurance company because Murrays Mountain is not insured as a toboggan hill.

Some people who have seriously injured themselves while tobogganing have sued the city. In 2013 Hamilton， Ontario man received $900，000 from the city after he injured his spine while tobogganing， and a five-year-old Omaha， Nebraska girl， who became unable to move after tobogganing， was given two million dollars from the city.

Other cities in Canada and the United States are dealing with toboggan bans as well， and Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti of the Canadian Medical Association thinks that will make the childhood obesity problem worse.

“A ban may stop your injuries， but it also encourages kids to stay home and play Nintendo games and adults to stay home and watch TV. Anything that stops or discourages people from going out and having fun I think is bad，” he said.

He instead suggests that adults and kids wear a helmet to increase fun and safety as much as possible.

Vocabulary

adult  n.  成年人

injure  v.  傷害

risk  n. 冒险

liable  adj. 对……负有责任

recreation  n. 娱乐，消遣

insurance  n. 保险

sue  v. 控告

spine  n. 脊椎

obesity  n. 肥胖症

helmet  n. 头盔

Do you think tobogganing bans are good or bad？