After news of Dave Mirra and his apparent battle with CTE broke this week, it would be hard to blame parents for being concerned; however, one local racer is saying that those types of injuries probably wouldn't be seen at this level.
Mirra, a former BMX superstar who took his own life in February at the age of 41, was discovered to have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
The degenerative disease has been a hot topic in the world of football. It can result in depression and dementia, and Mirra's death could signal its entry into other sports.
Jordan Miranda is a BMX racer from Bakersfield who will be competing in the Olympic trials in three weeks, and he thinks that the quality of helmets in his sport helps to counteract any danger of major injury.
"They put a lot of money into their helmets, and a lot of funding into trying to protect out heads," Miranda said.
"It's just cool to see companies coming out and doing stuff that helps us."
Mirra also competed in freestyle BMX, which is arguably more dangerous than BMX racing.
Miranda will be competing in those trials in San Diego against 14 other riders; the winner will qualify for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
