Nah (and the few who did simply shook it off and continued playing). We weren't a bunch of wussies back then. By today's standards the sharp metal playground equipment of my time would have been labeled as super dangerous. Not only that, but the local playground (in the town park) was situated in a heavily wooded area, on the side of a hill, with dirt/rock ground (no "soft" base), the equipment was either bored into tall pine trees or granite boulders (don't swing too high or go under the V-shaped merry-go-round bars), and was surrounded by tall, dense manzanita bushes, tons of sticky bear clover ... and a few abandoned mine shafts. The 1-acre playground here was an adventure in itself.
Incredible that is. My brother was one time hanging from a thick pronged hook off of a field soccer goalpost and got deep cleaves wounds. From soccer in the early seventies. I neglected to mention, by his wrist! Hanging by his wrist. It went clean through. There was a hell of a puddle of blood.
This post was edited by CosmicWunderkind at July 15, 2026 8:10 AM MDT
I was about six or seven years old. I was at our small-town playground with my older sister and brother (they were about eight and ten). I loved the slide. It had a relatively large amount of air from the bottom of the slide-itself to the ground below.
One time I climbed to the top and I thought it'd be great fun to ride the slide sitting and facing backwards, and not holding on at all at any time. I started sliding down backwards with my hands held high over my head until I slid off the slide at bottom, hit the ground and broke my collar bone.
I can't remember how my sister and brother let my parents know and/or got me home. But I have no bad memories of any of it. Ha. :)
Bad thought but if you take a swing set seat and plant them on the other side you can eliminate them.
This post was edited by CosmicWunderkind at July 16, 2026 6:09 PM MDT
We lived across the street from the elementary school. Back then the monkey bars and slides and swings were so big and HIGH it's amazing we all made it. I say adults are miracles. I fell but never was hurt to the point of having to go to doctor or ER. A little girls fell just as she reached the top of the steps to the top of the slide. She had to go away in an ambulance. I didn't see her actual fall, just the commotion and distraught parents and kids. By the time I had playground age kids, everything was lowered and softened and not even almost as good as the old big dangerous ones.
Shuhak 