#pump track

once you find out what a pump track is you won’t stop thinking about them

Went to the skate park on International Sailor Moon Day and tried a few new things! Slowly overcoming fears❤️🌈✨

There is an activity that I recently gained interest in. I was not expecting to have so much fun as I did when I went to this new pump track that opened in Longwood, Florida.

One Friday afternoon, I got picked up from school and my mentor told me about a grand opening happening over near his house. I go to his house a lot and that’s usually how I spend Fridays and Sundays. He told me there is something new that had just gotten added to Candyland Park. He said he went to a bike shop called Mr. Bikes And Boards to get a part for his bike and the employees told him about the opening. 

We both went to see what this new opening is all about. When we got there, there were some people who are officials for the City of Longwood talking all about how they made the pump track possible. The track construction expenses were covered by donations, and there were many people who were waiting for this pump track to open.

A pump track has these waves called rollers that you ride on a bicycle, skateboard, or scooter. Riders use a pumping technique to generate momentum and gain speed to go around these curves called corners, and it’s a full body exercise that is a lot of fun. The goal of a pump track is if you are on a bike, you ‘pump’ your bike instead of pedal.

When people started riding it, I was thinking to myself, “That would be really fun to do.” While watching these teens ride this pump track, I wanted to try it out another day, because it was a crowded day and it was a little too cold.

I rode the pump track a couple of days later, and I am super interested in them to this day. It has since become my favorite outdoor activity, and it’s also what I love about biking now. 

There was a news station covering the opening as well, which made the grand opening much more of a big deal to the City of Longwood.

It has closed recently to make the grass grow, because it was very slick and I was slipping on it, while going up the inclines to take a break. It is expected to reopen at the end of March.

Read the full story of its grand opening and how it was built in Longwood here: https://www.news965.com/news/video-longwood-opens-new-bmx-track-funded-100k-grant/yahh1SeK8jFp9R2FDnuPYJ/ 

Lebanon, Oregon

Lebanon, Oregon has a sprawling skatepark with a healthy mix of street and transition obstacles. I took a ride out from Portland to check it out, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The biggest area of the park is a fairly spread-out street plaza, with a raised platform centerpiece and some small features surrounding it. There are a bunch of different ledge and rail configurations, including a ride-on rail for those of us who are a little risk-averse with rails. 

My favorite part of the park is a long series of pump bumps, with some bike jumps mixed in, eventually ending in a bowl corner and spine bowl. This part of the park feels a little like a pump track, with plenty of speed, shiny smooth finish work, and some really fun walls at the ends.