PRO BMX rider Ricardo Laguna tells us why he loves Vegas
EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s that time of the year again when Robin is off for his monthlong family trip to Europe. He wound up his travels this week, which began in Greece and covered the beauty of Italy’s Cinque Terre area and the wines and pasta of Tuscany. After a truffle hunt in the hills outside of Rome he moved on to the Eternal City to tour the Vatican and Sistine Chapel before returning home this week to Las Vegas. But he’s thrown himself today right into a TV taping of the new “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” show with Chris Harrison, the “Bachelor” star at Bally’s.
In his absence, a great number of showbiz entertainers, celebrity VIPs, chefs, restaurateurs and Vegas dignitaries stepped forward to write their guest columns. Today, we welcome BMX stunt rider and motorcycle champion Ricardo Laguna, who is a Las Vegas sports hero for all of his daredevil charity appearances.
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Las Vegas is a town of endless possibilities. As someone who likes to be as active as possible, I’m always looking for ways to fill my schedule. Las Vegas keeps me active sunup to way beyond sundown. Whether I am at the BMX track training for a chance to compete in the upcoming Olympics or participating in an event, I am constantly making the most of my city. Here are some of my favorite ways to take advantage of all the city has to offer.
One of my favorite parts of Las Vegas is that we are the home base for the UFC. Watching championship fights at home is enough to get my heart pumping, so you can imagine just how excited I got when I heard I was selected to present the Best Promotion Award at the MMA Awards held at The Venetian.
To no one’s surprise, UFC took home the award and Urijah Faber was there to accept on their behalf. Much to the crowd’s surprise, that wasn’t the only time Urijah would grace the stage, he also treated attendees to a special remix of “Starboy by the Weeknd” — it was truly a hilarious moment.
If there is one thing I’m the most excited about now, and for the future, it’s Las Vegas’ growing music scene. There are many festivals and concerts drawing visitors to our town, one of the largest being EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival). I found myself under the neon sky this year and couldn’t imagine a better place to kick off the summer. Whether you are going to the festival for the music, or just to take in the atmosphere, EDC should be a part of your summer bucket list.
I can’t talk about the Vegas music scene without talking about Hard Rock Live on the Strip. Supporting local talent is something I’m passionate about and that is exactly what Hard Rock Live did when they hosted Battle of the Bands. All judges agreed that We Are Pancakes took the cake and would go on to compete in Florida. Hopefully, they’ll be joining our lineup of successful hometown bands soon!
Vegas and food … I like to consider myself a competitive eater and one of my favorite places to “compete” is at Culinary Dropout in the Hard Rock Hotel! I make sure to stop by whenever possible. The menu is full of enjoyable items — whether I’m indulging in dinner and drinks before a concert at The Joint, celebrating “National Pretzel Day” or sticking to my diet (wha whaaaa), I know I will not leave Culinary Dropout hungry or disappointed.
When I have had my fill of the Strip (or the heat!) I head out to Lake Las Vegas. Lake Las Vegas is an oasis that is normally overlooked but is now home to the easily accessible Lake Las Vegas Watersports where you can go flyboarding and wakesurfing — definitely one of my favorite ways to cool down! Lake Las Vegas Watersports is a new face in the water world but it has teamed up with the veterans at Boulder Boats for the Malibu Rider Experience. This event was full of professional wakesurfers. Not only were these surfers teaching newbies how it’s done (myself included), they were also showing off the state-of-the-art boats that Boulder Boats offers.
Although I might be a newbie in wakesurfing; that is not the case in the BMX world. As I continue to participate in other aspects of my career, I never lose sight of my passion — bikes. I am currently the points leader for USA BMX State Championship. With one race left. I’m hoping to win the state championship, which would lead to me to the Union Cycliste International where I could go on to earn a spot on the 2020 Olympic team!
Finding a way to stay busy in Las Vegas will never be an issue, but having enough time for it all just might be. I can’t wait to see what other opportunities come my way throughout the year. Thank you, Las Vegas for being such a lively city, I love that I get to call this town home!
