Eleven youths, ages 12 – 15 years, completed Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) all-terrain vehicle safety training on May 22, 2010. For a change, the weather was nice at the old airfield on Devil Track Lake. (L-R, front) Trace McQuatters, Larissa Goettl, Andrew Lashinski, Rory Bakke, Jack Wieben, Frankie Miller, Leo Johnson, Jaret Baker, Kyler Johnson. (L-R, back) CO Tom Wahlstrom, Eric Nelms, Hayden Goettl, Charles Silence, CO Mary Manning, Gideon Silence, CO Darin Fagerman. (Not pictured Cassidy Gecas, instructor Steve Lashinski).
Community Education, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Cook County ATV Club conducted allterrain vehicle (ATV) safety training in May, with classroom instruction and a field test on Saturday, May 22. Eleven youths, ages 12 – 15 years, completed the training.
Students started the course with classroom instruction at Cook County Community Education. On Saturday, they met at the old airfield by Devil Track Landing for fieldtesting. Students maneuvered ATVs through an obstacle course set up by DNR conservation officers and volunteer instructors.
The volunteer instructors were Steve Lashinski, Eric Nelms, Charles Silence and Gideon Silence. DNR instructors were Mary Manning, Tom Wahlstrom, and Darin Fagerman.
Participants receiving ATV safety certification were Frankie Miller, Jaret Baker, Hayden Goettl, Larissa Goettl, Leo Johnson, Trace McQuatters, Jack Wieben, Cassidy Gecas, Rory Bakke, Andrew Lashinski, and Kyler Johnson.
Above: Rory Bakke practices traversing—riding along the slant of a hill. Watching carefully are instructors Steve Lashinski and CO Mary Manning.
All of the students who completed the course received a Cook County ATV Club T-shirt. And thanks to funding from the ATV Association of MN annual raffle, the kids were treated to a pizza party at Sven & Ole’s after completing the course.
Instructor Charles Silence, an ATV Club member, said volunteers are happy to hold the training no matter how many kids show up, however, he said he would like to see a higher participation rate.
Silence said, “Statistics show that 47% of all persons involved in ATV accidents are in their teens, 10-19 years old. The major cause of accidents is rollovers and hitting fixed objects. Speed is frequently the cause. That’s why it is so important to catch kids when they are young to teach them about safe and ethical riding,” said Silence.
Some families are a bit confused about the county’s new ATV Road Ordinance, said Silence. “Kids are not
allowed to ride on the road right-ofway. ATV Safety certification allows kids to ride on ATV trails, not county roads.”
Left: Cassidy Gecas demonstrates that he understands how to drive up and down an incline.
Cook County ATV Club President Mickey Brazell encouraged parents to have their children take ATV Safety Training the next time it is offered. Anyone who would like to learn more about ATV safety is encouraged to take the DNR ATV Safety training, which is available on a CD. Contact the ATV Club at (218) 387-9844 to obtain a CD.
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