PORT ANGELES — Raincoats might have been more appropriate on Saturday, but the brand-new skateboard helmets given away at the Port Angeles Skate Park will protect against more than a drizzle.
Dozens of local skaters braved the deluge for slices of pizza and a massive safety gear give-a-way.
The effort was spearheaded by the loved ones of 14-year-old Frank Russo, a Port Angeles skater and park regular who died as a result of injuries received while skating at the park June 16.
Willie Feeney, Russo’s stepfather, called the accident “one in a million.”
“If we can save that one in a million from happening again, that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.
Also on hand helping were Russo’s mother, Lisa Feeney, his grandfather, Ken Laidlaw, and his aunt, Anita Mauger, as well as friends of the family.
Plan to wear helmets
Gabe Possinger and John McCarty, both sophomores at Port Angeles High School, took a place in the helmet line while munching on slices of pizza.
The two 16-year-olds professed their allegiance to street skating on “every day that it’s dry,” Possinger said — as opposed to skating the “bowls” of the park.
However, both said they would use their new helmets if and when they skate the park.
“I wear my helmet most of the time,” McCarty said.
“I can’t remember where I put my other one.”
The helmets — 125 of them, along with 125 sets of knee, elbow and wrist guards — were purchased with $2,600 raised after Russo’s death.
The money was turned over to the YMCA to help coordinate the helmet purchase, said Mauger.
