There'll be a Rodeo in Texas...

A bike rodeo! IPMBA's bike rodeo workshop will have you
lassoing good cheer from your community in no time.

by Dan Ganzel, PCI # 097
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (FL)

Let's take a trip back in time, to when you were in elementary school. The teacher told you that local law enforcement officers were having a bike rodeo, and that you would be participating. The teacher also said that there would be no class that day, so you were going to have some fun. That's how it was when I was in elementary school. A rodeo was about no class and riding our bikes on the playground. I had one of those bikes with the banana seat and the chopper style handlebars - you know, the Schwinn Orange Crate 5-speed - the cool bike. All the kids back then wanted one. My brother had a Schwinn, too, but he had the Lemon Peal. Anyway, thinking back to that day on the playground - taking a bike class, learning how to ride in a straight line, using your hand signals, learning which side of the road to ride on, and riding in a figure eight - did you ever think that someday you would be teaching it?

Well, chances are that you will. When someone decides to have a rodeo, they immediately think, "Hey, let's get the bike cops or the bike medics to do this. They're the experts!" If you are like most bike cops or medics, the first thing you do is panic. You think, "last time I did one of these, I was six years old!" Panic no longer. IPMBA is offering you the opportunity to learn first-hand what you need to know to put on a great rodeo: Bicycle Rodeos: From A to Z, a hands-on workshop being offered at the 14th Annual IPMBA Conference in San Antonio, May 6-8, 2004.

Bicycle Rodeos: From A to Z is designed to help you find your way around the bicycle rodeo. You'll find out everything from what types of stations you will need (such as helmet fit, bike fit, and the demon highway) to what kind of goodies to give away. It will prepare you, the public safety officer, to give back to the community in more ways than you can imagine. I offered this workshop for the first time last year in Charleston, Wv. I didn't know what to expect. Just before the conference, I was told was how many people would be attending the class. It was standing room only, wow! One officer who was sent by his department got funding just so he could take this workshop. His community wanted him to put on a rodeo for the elementary school and other groups. Some of the officers who attended the workshop said this was the best workshop ever. Here's why.

The coolest thing about this workshop was that, after a short classroom talk, we took a field trip to a local elementary school, where about 30 school kids would take part in the rest of the workshop. The officers were given handouts that showed what stations they would be setting up for the rodeo course and put to work. The kids loved it, and so did the cops and medics who participated. There were two school resource officers from Blue Springs, Mo., in the class. One officer was about 6'6" and his name was Mike; his partner was named Colby. They were the hit of the rodeo. As the kids would finish the course, they would park their bikes and sit down to watch the rest of the class finish. Officer Mike and his partner started pretending to be cars and trucks and making "vroom" sounds. While the kids were waiting for the others, they started getting antsy, so Officer Mike picked a few kids and turned them into cars and trucks. They had to make the "vroom" sound, too. After the bike rodeo, the kids asked all of the workshop participants to have lunch with them. Now, that's what I call success! Do you know how many bicycles crashes involving fatalities happen in your state? Does your state have helmet laws, and how are they enforced? This knowledge can help you help keep the children of your community safe. Bicycle Rodeos: From A to Z will help answer such questions as: Who will help me, the Rotary Club or the teachers? Where will I put on this rodeo, at a school or at a park? How many and what kinds of stations do I need - helmet check, bike fit, rock dodge, slow race, more? What about props? Come to San Antonio and find out first-hand how to provide the very best rodeo experience possible! Dan can be reached at bikedeputy1@aol.com. [ Click for more Conference info ]

What is IPMBA?
The International Police Mountain Bike Association is a non-profit educational organization providing resources, networking opportunities, and the best, most complete training for public safety bicyclists. IPMBA has been setting the standard in public safety bicycle training since 1991.

International Police Mountain Bike Association
583 Frederick Road, Suite 5B
Baltimore, Maryland 21228
PH: 410-744-2400
FAX: 410-744-5504
E-MAIL: info@ipmba.org

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