Bike rodeo organizers award 23 bikes

All the scorecards have been calculated from the North Battleford Emergency Services Bike Rodeo held at the Civic Centre June 14.

To wrap up the event on June 25, all the winners of the various age categories were gathered at the fire hall to receive their certificates, which they could use to pick up bikes. Twenty-three bikes had been offered as prizes in age categories ranging from pre-kindergarten to Grade 6, with winners determined based on the best scores during the bike rodeo.

The bike rodeo featured an obstacle course with six stations set up, and at each station emergency personnel would ask participants true or false questions on road and bike safety. The scores from the questionnaires and from the obstacle course were then tallied to determine the winners.

The bike rodeo had been the first one organized in North Battleford in a number of years. Planning began in March and the effort involved participation from all emergency services — fire, municipal enforcement, the RCMP, WPD Ambulance and Prairie North Health Region — with the purpose to educate young and old riders in the community to practice safe riding and to wear the appropriate helmets.

Fire chief Albert Headrick noted most of the kids who were at the bike rodeo had their helmets. “They just have to wear them,” he said, adding parents should be encouraging their kids to wear helmets whenever on a bike.   

Several sponsors pitched in to make the event happen and provide prizes and food. Twenty-six co-sponsors provided donations towards the bikes and helmet prizes.

In addition to the bike rodeo, further efforts will go on to promote bike safety. Headrick said plans are in the works to enforce the laws on the books for wearing a helmet and this fall there are plans for municipal bylaw and RCMP to issue “positive ticketing” to those following the rules and wearing helmets.