– I was an unfortunate victim of a flying gold suitcase hitting my head, says Guro Bostad.
Together with seven other girls, she was on a roller ski trip early on Sunday morning. They are training at Team Midt-Norge, and getting ready for the ski season which will soon begin.
The women walked on the pavement, and were met by two young boys who asked them to use less space.
They took the comment to heart and stayed to one side.
– He lifted up the suitcase and we thought he was fooling around, but it came, yes! He threw it at us, so Guro flew into the ditch, says Alise Einmo.
Here are the women from the circuit team during Sunday’s roller skiing session, before the session was disrupted by irritated passers-by.
Photo: Private / NRK
The women explain that they tried to talk to the irritated pedestrian, but then received a death threat in return.
They therefore chose to leave the situation.
– I came away with a few scrapes and a broken screen.
The training mates did nothing more about the incident, but have subsequently reflected on whether they should have reported the matter.
The outcome could have been much worse.
– We were probably so shocked that we couldn’t think, conclude Bostad and Einmo.
Not unusual for conflicts
The two women who belong to Strindheim IL explain that this situation was abnormally extreme. It is unlike anything they have experienced before.
Nevertheless, they can tell about other situations and conflicts that may arise.
– There are a number of motorists who honk and point the finger. There are also some dangerous overtakings where they almost run over the skis, says Einmo.
Bostad adds that the vast majority of motorists behave in traffic.
– But motorists must remember that we are also road users. And I don’t think everyone understands that we don’t have brakes like a bicycle. One must prepare in advance before a turn.
She adds that it is easy to get stressed when the cars are close together.
– If you slip on a leaf or fall, that car doesn’t have much to go on, she explains.
Everyone has a responsibility
It is not only roller skiers who react to the interaction in traffic.
The Swedish Road Administration works with this through several campaigns, and finds that the interaction usually goes well. Nevertheless, their surveys show that there is a lot of frustration and irritation.
– But it shouldn’t end in someone getting death threats or suitcases sent after them, says Elin Fykerud Johansen.
Elin Fykerud Johannessen is project manager for the collaboration campaign in the Norwegian Road Administration.
Photo: Private
She points out that it is not just motorists who have the right of way – and that both soft and hard road users are responsible for the interaction going well.
– We must show consideration and understand that these traffic groups have an equal right to use the road. Roller ski users must also show consideration for motorists – and, for example, help when they can pass, she says.
Important for everyone who bets
Bostad and Einmo agree that everyone has a responsibility to ensure that the interaction works.
– Our responsibility is to stay to the side and wear reflectors. Then motorists can uphold their responsibility to show consideration and drive carefully past us, says Einmo.
Interaction in traffic is an important issue for Guro Bostad and Alise Einmo.
Photo: Nora Garnes Flatjord / NRK
The athletes say that it is important to show how they experience such situations.
– After all, there are 14-year-olds who are also out roller-skiing, and it should feel safe for them too, says Bostad.
She explains that this is not just an important issue for her and Einmo, but for everyone who skis throughout the country.
They alternate between training long distances on the road, and intervals in facilities such as Granåsen. Bostad says that this variation is important for both the head and the overall training.
– The road is, after all, our office landscape.
The women are now looking forward to the ski season starting in mid-November.
– It will be good to get on snow now. Then we will be out of the way, says Bostad.
2023-10-27 18:59:32
#roller #skiers #received #death #threats #suitcases #thrown
