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Image courtesy of Empower Adventures Tampa Bay
Thanks to a creative public-private partnership, the tiny burg of Oldsmar, Florida has built a winning reputation around adventure sports.
Oldsmar — a coastal community of just over 13,000 residents, located about a half-hour drive from either downtown Tampa or the Gulf Coast’s white-sand beaches — has more park space per mile than anywhere else in the Sunshine State. The stately suburb is located at the top of Old Tampa Bay, so boat ramps and canoe launches are spotted throughout the neighborhoods of porch homes.
But, the area known for its small-town charm has also become a can’t-miss destination for fraternities, sororities, birthday organizers, church groups, youth sports organizations, school classes, parks and recreation groups, cheerleading squads, vacationers, corporate convention attendees, bachelor and bachelorette parties, date-night couples, and even professional sports teams.
For seven years, Empower Adventures Tampa Bay has provided a local attraction with 3,000 feet of zip lines, an aerial obstacle course, and a suspension bridge over water, all situated in the Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve’s breathtaking setting. What’s your preference? Thrill-seeking? Stepping out of your comfort zone? Communing with nature? Learning team-building skills? Using the physical challenges as part of a big-picture leadership curriculum?
It’s all here.
Even the most courageous daredevils might think twice about soaring over treetops, 65 feet above the ground while cascading down a 650-foot zipline. Practically everyone who completes the exhilarating experience raves about the adrenaline flow and the unexpected bonding.
Image courtesy of Empower Adventures Tampa Bay
For the city of Oldsmar, which partners with Empower Adventures Tampa Bay, it has become a huge victory. It provides another adventure-sports offering to complement Oldsmar’s internationally known BMX Supercross track. It was also a part of the revitalization of the Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve, a gorgeous, but underutilized piece of shoreline. Empower’s presence offered a unique way to showcase the park to visitors and residents.
“The leadership from years and years ago decided that having open spaces, an ecological landscape, and environment-friendly parks were important,” said Oldsmar City Manager Felicia Donnelly. “Those things were developed long before I was here, and they set the foundation for what makes Oldsmar a very special place. We use that as the foundation for everything we do.”
Donnelly said Empower has become an invaluable component of the city’s strategic brand of outdoor sports adventures. She uses the acronym of CHEER (Community Building, Health, Environment, Economy, Repeat) to determine the success of the city’s recreation program offerings and Empower checks each of those boxes.
“It’s such a unique partnership because the city of Oldsmar really thought outside the box, utilizing this chunk of property that was in conservation to produce an eco-friendly adventure activity that brings awareness, along with revenue,” said Joe DeRing, founder and president of Empower Adventures.
“I truly believe that parks and recreation experiences will change your life,” Donnelly said. “In this case, with Empower Adventures, that bird’s-eye view changes your perspective of the world. We probably don’t have a good view of where we live due to our busy, busy lives. But when you get up there, when you see the tree canopies, the mangroves, and the bay, it’s overwhelmingly beautiful.”
“I went up there myself with my brother and nephew and it was amazing to see their faces light up as they saw the world through a different lens. We did a log-rolling event, and my legs were shaking even though I was in a harness, and it was perfectly safe. All of us were pushed from our comfort zone and given a unique experience. People were rooting for each other— You can do it! — even if they were strangers. This is a big attractor to our city. I have gotten lots of feedback and not even one complaint and I credit Empower’s organization and professionalism. This is an activity that people will remember forever.”
DeRing became fascinated with leadership and team-building skills while serving as an infantry officer for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq. “I learned that the most important form of leadership was leadership of self,” DeRing said.
He believes that Empower’s challenge can allow anyone to coach themselves through adversity, fear, and temptation. In addition to thrill-seeking, DeRing notes that skills are learned in self-coaching and leadership, which is why Empower often appeals to CEOs, coaches, teachers, administrators, religious leaders, and parents.
He went on to say that sometimes, people stay a week in the Tampa Bay area and then block off a few hours before their plane departs, getting in some last-minute ziplining fun at Empower before being whisked away to the airport.
Image courtesy of Empower Adventures Tampa Bay
Sara Stirling, Director of Marketing for Empower, said the facility is aggressively promoted through advertising, social media, and partnerships with the city of Oldsmar and Visit Tampa Bay, a non-profit tourism corporation. Empower has 125,000 followers on Tik Tok and one of its videos generated over 10 million views.
“The values of Empower Adventures are perfectly aligned with the things that are invaluable to a community,” Donnelly said. “We believe we have a very robust community that values the outdoors, park spaces, and natural beauty. Empower is an experience-maker, not just a retail transaction. So hopefully after experiencing something like Empower, people will come back to Oldsmar again and again.”
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