Top left: Bike mechanic Jay Arrowsmith- DeCoux works diligently under supervision. Above: Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy Julie Collman helps a youngster with directions. Right: Grandpa Jim Zunker listens as his granddaughter Johanna Olson receives instructions from Shalom, one of 20 people who volunteered to help at the bike rodeo.
There was no “giddy up rawhide, slap your horse and gallop away” at the Cook County Community Center on Thursday, May 24, but there was a lot of giddy-upping on two wheelers at the annual Bike Safety Rodeo held after school.
For one youngster, a boy of about 5, who was slowly “pedaling” his bike through the obstacle course, he had a moment of confusion. At the first stop Cook County sheriff ’s deputy Julie Collman instructed him to stick out his right arm to signal a right turn.
Hmmmm… He looked at his hands in quiet desperation before he got some needed help from a patient, smiling Collman. Success and a beaming smile came to his face as he signaled with his right arm and pedaled to the next stop where, little did he know, he was going to get asked to signal a turn with his left hand.
Between kids, parents and 21 volunteers there were about 100 people attending
“There would have been more kids but 30 Sawtooth Elementary students were gone to the Science Museum,” said Safe Routes To School Coordinator Maren Webb. “Also, this fall the fourth-grade classes at Sawtooth and Great Expectations will again have the in-school bike education program, so those missing third-graders will have a more extensive opportunity to learn this fall,” added Webb.
As bike mechanics worked diligently to make sure bicycles were safe to ride, checking air pressure in tires, tightening loose bolts, adjusting brakes if needed, some kids were fitted with bicycle helmets while other kids navigated through the bicycle course, learning how to steer a bike with some help from instructors along the way.
The Bike Rodeo is sponsored by the Safe Routes to School Committee and is always a well-attended event. This annual rodeo is a great summer kick-off for kids who like to ride their two-wheelers during their long break from school, bicycling with some new skills, a safe bike and a properly fitted helmet.
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