By Karen Jones
Apopka’s newest attraction—the Apopka Action Sports Park—is finally here! After years of discussion among the community, the $500,000 facility finally underwent a groundbreaking ceremony in January. Starting this month, it’s open to the public, meaning locals of all ages can now enjoy skateboarding in its expansive skate park and cycling along its BMX biking-friendly pump track.
If you’re thinking of dropping by, however, you may want to make sure that accidents and injuries don’t mar your very first experience at Apopka’s new park. In that case, consider packing these safety essentials before heading north of the Fran Carlton Center.
Helmet
Of course, you’ll want to keep your head safe from harm—especially since skateboarding and biking can lead to falls and collisions that result in injuries. With the Apopka Action Sports Park expected to be particularly crowded in its first few weeks after opening, you’ll definitely want to bring some head protection. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, the ideal helmet should be shock-resistant and come with a strap that fits comfortably but securely enough to stay on your head if an impact occurs. Perhaps more importantly, it should be smooth, round, and extend across the head to provide more coverage and prevent snagging in case of falls.
Elbow and knee pads
These are truly essential for any skater or cyclist heading to the new park—and even more so for kids and those new to either sport, as they’ll be more prone to falls and collisions than others. The best elbow and knee pads should be made of a mix of hard shell plastic (to cover the joints) and impact-absorbing foam (for a comfortable fit). It’s also crucial to get the right size pads, as those that are too tight or too loose may end up constricting your range of motion and contributing to accidents instead of preventing them. For convenience, you can get your pads and helmet from the same place so you can ensure all these essentials fit you in one go. One place you can get them is from the leading professional skateboarding brand Independent Trucks. It recently partnered with Triple Eight to release a dedicated collection of skateboarding pads—which comes bundled with the latter’s Certified Sweatsaver Helmet for an all-in-one safety solution available at most skate shops.
Sunglasses
The concrete pavements and shiny metal railings at the Apopka Action Sports Park can easily reflect sunlight, blinding you and robbing you of the precious seconds needed to see where you’re going and avoid accidents. That’s why you’ll need some eye protection. You can browse Oakley’s dedicated range of cycling sunglasses to see what will work best at the park. Models like the Radar® EV Path® boast wraparound lenses that provide central and peripheral vision protection, as well as minimal frames that can be comfortably worn with helmets. More importantly, they come with polarized lens filters specifically designed to block the sun’s glare to provide clearer and sharper vision. Such sunglasses will also be useful for keeping out any dirt or debris that can fly into your eyes as you skateboard or bike, ensuring you can avoid any vision-related accidents your first time at the park.
A first-aid kit
To truly be prepared for anything that happens at Apopka’s newest community hub, it’s best to have a first-aid kit on hand. Though you can easily buy one at your local drugstore, you can also assemble one on your own so it better fits your skateboarding or biking needs. The Mayo Clinic particularly recommends bringing different kinds of bandages—such as adhesive and elastic ones—to account for everything from strains and sprains to simple abrasions. Some other useful items you can include in your kit include instant cold kits, disinfectants like rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, eyewash solution, and cotton balls or swabs.
