First annual bike rodeo goes Saturday

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

The first annual bike rodeo will be held this Saturday, Aug. 6 in Strathmore in the parking lot of Wheatland Elementary School. The event will run from 10 a.m. until noon.
This event is being offered as a fun and free program for all ages to learn safety rules on bikes. Children will learn basic neuroscience and the importance of protecting your brain, proper helmet fit, bike check and road rules.
Children will be taught the importance of putting safety first and making good choices, including scanning for traffic and wearing a properly fitted helmet.
The rodeo will offer obstacle courses where children can practice balancing and weaving, and the day will end with a slow race designed to encourage children to take their time and exercise caution while operating a bike. The slow race winner will be the last one to cross the finish line.
Aia Clamp of Macaroni Kids Strathmore is hosting this event and will be using helmet fitting guidelines according to Parachute Canada, along with manufacturer safety standards for helmets.
Clamp said some children may be unaware of their surroundings at certain times, and the bike rodeo will teach them how to become more mindful of scanning for traffic.
“Kids are quite engrossed in their play and not necessarily paying attention to their surroundings,” said Clamp. “They can be quite busy and fixated on what they’re doing, so they can forget, definitely. Even adults forget. The kids could be forgetting to be mindful of traffic around them for sure.”
But teaching bike safety rules is not just limited to this workshop. Parents are also encouraged to take an active role at home in educating themselves and their children about bike safety.
“Teaching also comes from the home where parents are going to be hopefully carrying all this information, so definitely a bit of parent education will go hand in hand with it,” said Clamp. “Hopefully they will be taking those key messages home and practicing with their children as they go forward.”
Three prize donations will be awarded from a random draw at the bike rodeo. A scooter donated from Canadian Tire in Strathmore; a bike helmet donated by Walmart in Strathmore; and a movie prize pack donated by the Clamp family. All kids to register will receive a goodie bag.
Macaroni Kids Strathmore is an online resource for parents with free calendar listings of low cost events in the area of Strathmore and Wheatland County. It is dedicated to providing events for kids in the community. The site also features articles that include recipes and parenting information.