Intermediate School students got a chance to practice their bike riding skills during a different kind of rodeo on May 11-12.
Bridges to Wellness collaborated with the school, Siloam Pedal'rs and local businesses to hold a bicycle rodeo in celebration of Bicycle Safety Month and National Bike to School day, according to Barbara Price-Davis, director of the non-profit organization.
The goal of the rodeo was to get kids hooked on the fun of riding bikes while increasing their bicycle skills and knowledge about safe riding.
The school's basketball courts and soccer fields were filled with students riding through obstacle courses, racing to see who could go the slowest, not fastest, and trying distance riding around the fields.
Inside the school gym, school resource officer Alan Wiles told a crowd of students that every year 300,000 kids go to the emergency room because of bicycle-related injuries and an average of 618 children are killed in bicycle-related accidents. He taught students about bicycle-related traffic laws, such as staying off of sidewalks and signaling turns.
Price-Davis gave a presentation on bicycle safety and taught students how to check their bicycles for common problems.
The event was great for Intermediate School students -- fifth- and sixth-graders -- because they are at the age that many begin riding their bicycles independently, according to school principal Tim Hornbuckle. He explained the school had some safety concerns about encouraging students to ride to school and instead decided to have them ride bicycles at school.
Riding bikes is a great way to encourage kids to be physically active, he said.
Dogwood Junction helped with the rodeo on May 11 and Cross Country Cyclery helped on May 12. Students used school-owned bicycles and helmets for the event. Dogwood Junction also provided some trikes so students who had never ridden a bicycle could get a taste of riding, Hornbuckle said.
"Every kid has been so excited to ride bicycles at school," Price-Davis said.
General News on 05/20/2015