Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Jun 08/01) - The Bompas elementary school parking lot was a maze of chalk lines and pylons Tuesday.
The annual bicycle rodeo was held earlier this week, challenging students to negotiate obstacles while demonstrating safety awareness. RCMP Const. Glen Demmon and Bompas staff graded the students' performance, watching for balance and control. They also placed emphasis on using hand signals, wearing helmets and avoiding the sidewalk while riding a bike.
Some of the youngsters concentrated so hard on one requirement that they'd overlook another.
"I sort of forgot about the signals," said a grinning Marlena Tsetso, who is in Grade 2.
A couple of tips that did stick with her were to "walk my bike across the road and wear my helmet," she said.
Taylor Phillips, also in Grade 2, found out that much dexterity is needed to weave one's way through the cones in the serpentine station.
"When you turn the corners and go back and forth, I put my foot down," she said of a minor deduction.
Hillary Deneyoua wasn't intimidated by any of the stations.
"All of them were easy," she declared.
A number of the students were docked points for applying their breaks "Flintstone style," with their feet. In some cases, Const. Demmon noted that the students inherited hand-me-down bicycles that are still too big for them. Other bikes have hand brakes that aren't appropriate for youngsters, he added.
A few of the students were forced to take their hands off the handlebars to reach for the hand brakes because their hands are too small to grip them otherwise, Demmon explained. This prevents the children from being able to brake quickly.
Demmon and his colleagues will be watching for students who continue to wear helmets and use hand signals this summer. Some of them will receive a hats, pins and colouring books.
"Just a little positive reinforcement," Demmon said.
