Free helmets, bicycle stunts draw parents and kids to Las Vegas safety event
As music blared, kids bundled in coats gathered around a tent Saturday morning at a central valley car dealership to land free bicycle helmets and watch cyclists launch themselves into the air.
The free gear and show were provided by the Clark County School District Police Department and Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas, which teamed up to highlight cycling safety, giving away helmets and inviting AAA, health care volunteers, other law enforcement agencies and even professional cyclists to hang out with the crowd.
“We are trying to reinforce wearing the helmets for safety,” district officer Robert Mayer said. “We’re talking about being responsible bikers and pedestrians.”
Families munched on free doughnuts as children looked over the plethora of red and pink helmets — 1,000 were available. Later, they watched cyclists soar airborne from a ramp set up in the dealership parking lot as MTV personality and professional BMX rider Ricardo Laguna, an El Dorado High School graduate, emceed.
“There’s not many 34-year-old guys riding professionally, and one of the reasons I’m able to is because I’m wearing my helmet,” Laguna said as he prepared for the cyclists’ aerial spectacle, which included a rider jumping over a group of riders and police officers.
To Casey Scott, a biking enthusiast from Henderson, the event offered an opportunity to expose his young daughters to a sport he loves.
“They’ve basically grown up and seen me and my passion, and they’ve taken it on themselves,” he said.
Safety will be integral as he continues to involve his daughters in cycling, Scott said.
“Being able to use your head for the rest of your life is really important,” he said with a laugh.
Children were fitted for helmets by volunteers, who checked the tightness and ensured that the headware ended two fingers above the eyebrow. The goal was to put helmets in kids’ and parents’ hands while stressing cycling safety and showing that it can be cool to be safe, Mayer said.
Las Vegas mom J’Anna Hendricks brought her three sons to the event for fun, free helmets and a show of support for the law enforcement officers present.
With their new red helmets atop their heads, her kids played and laughed, and when one slipped and fell, the protective equipment stayed in place.
“It’s important,” Hendricks said of helmet usage. “It’s like wearing a seat belt in your car. Any amount of protection is good.”
Contact Pashtana Usufzy at pusufzy@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow @pashtana_u on Twitter.
