First BMX Bike Tournament: A community initiative that benefits all

By Rich Mancuso/Sports Editor

David Lapore, a NYC police officer at the 49th Precinct, was busy late Thursday morning  with the final preparations of registering kids for the first BMX Bike Tournament at Loreto Park Playground over in the Morris Park section of the Bronx.  And with thunderstorms in the forecast, there was no stopping Lapore and the kids from staging a bicycle tournament that brought the community and those who serve and protect together.

13590272_1026869834057638_6368380495528307498_nThis was the first of many new initiatives that Lapore, in his first year as head of Community Affairs, has brought to the table.  He noticed the kids on their bicycles doing moves at Loreto Park, and in the community that sometimes go to the extreme.

And though this was not the “X-Games seen on national television, or the Olympic trials of bicycle racing, close to 200 kids from the surrounding area showed their skills and competed for prizes that were arranged by local merchants.

“Figured in this area a lot of the youth are intrigued by bicycles,” said Lapore as he greeted the sponsors.  Jacobi Hospital, Planet Fitness, New York Sports Club  got involved with the local Morris Park Community Association.  “Kids today are competing against each other for prizes to show what they can do on a bike.”

biketournyThere were the “wheelies” that are accustomed to the bicycle part of being extreme and the race around the playground oval. Of course, safety was a priority and competition was in the age brackets of 10-12, 13-16 , and the oldest of 17 and up.

Added Lapore: “This is part of dedication to community outreach and t reach out to each sector of the community.  The event is expected to become an annual event at Loreto Park and leads into “National Night Out” August 2nd.

“We want to let the community know we are here for them,” Lapore said.

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