Successful Bike Safety Rodeo at Cape Coral's Christa McAuliffe and Oasis Elementary Schools

 Thanks to everyone who helped put on this 4th annual bike safety rodeo, and to the 100 students who participated.  Wouldn't it be great if more schools throughout Lee County put on these bike safety rodeos?  If you have kids in school, get involved and help make this happen!

On Saturday Feb 7^th families and students from Christa McAuliffe and Oasis Elementary Schools participated in their fourth annual Bike Rodeo, promoting safe bicycle operation and proper rules of the road.  With the help of many sponsors including Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club, Golisano’s Children Hospital, and Hollywood Bicycle Inc., and BikeWalkLee, roughly 100 students were properly fit for helmets, had their bikes professionally tuned, and rode through an eight station safety course organized and operated by BikeWalkLee's Steve Chupack and Dan Moser.   

Of the event Chupack said, “No other elementary schools in Cape Coral have a four year track record of being committed to this kind of bicycle safety "clinic" approach that takes place during the Rodeo.” 

 Also, with thanks to each school’s PTO, Zivkovic Family Medicine, TowBoat US, Northwestern Mutual Insurance, and Zivkovic and Associated Real Estate Services, eight children’s bikes were raffled off to participants.

 

Bicycle safety rodeo at Cape Coral charter schools

Kudos to everyone who helped with Saturday's successful bicycle safety rodeo in the Cape.  BikeWalkLee hopes that this example inspires others to host these important safety training events for school children in their communities.  Thanks to Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club for the photos.

More than 80 eager first through 5th graders learned the ABC's of  bicycle safety at the 3rd Annual Bicycle Safety Rodeo held at Oasis Elementary last Saturday morning.  The  event was sponsored by the City's Oasis Charter Elementary and Christa McAuliffe Charter Elementary schools.   BikeWalkLee helped get the Rodeo started and has been a sponsoring partner all three years. 

Dan Moser, certified bicycle safety instructor, led the training.  He is also the Injury Prevention Consultant for Lee County EMS (and BikeWalkLee steering group founding member).  Caloosa Bike Riders Club volunteers were at each of the training course stations providing hands -on help and encouragement. 

The Rodeo is a serious educational undertaking but its success is also due to the large element of fun that is built into the event.  Kids love to bike!  This mix once again proved to be a winning formula for kids, parents and trainers.

Hollywood Bicycle Center owner Rob Ossichak provided the free bike safety inspection, making sure each bike was safe to ride.  Loaner bikes were provided to any child who needed one, from the Lee County EMS trailer made available to Dan.

  

Lina Quintana of  Golisano  Children's Hospital  made sure each child had a property fitted helmet.  The Children’s Hospital donated a helmet to anyone who did not have one.  She was assisted by Mary Ossichak, of  Hollywood Bicycle Center.

Support for the Rodeo was provided by the Charter Schools Administrator, Dr. Angela Pruitt and the school principals:  Jacque Collins at McAuliffe Elementary and Steven Hook at Oasis Elementary.  Assistant Principal Kevin Brown coordinated planning for the schools and Alex Gomes was parent coordinator.  Teacher Wendy Hearyman headed up the effort at Christa McAuliffe.

 Each child was accompanied by at least one parent who provided some hands-on encouragement or cheered from the sidelines.  An estimate 125 children and adults were at the event. 

Stations at the Rodeo included: helmet-fitting, Rules of the Road, navigating through cones, hand signaling, starting and stopping, and avoiding road hazards.  The highlight of the Rodeo for many was the “the Snail Race” competition. ("How Slow Can You Go!"). 

Eight child-size donated bicycles were awarded to the winners in a free raffle. 

Businesses and organizations helping  make the Rodeo a success included:  Sandbill Realty Group Inc., SP Designs & MFG, Publix Super Markets, and Cape Coral Police Department.

 This event is believed to be the only school-sponsored and school-based Rodeo involving two elementary schools in Cape Coral. BikeWalkLee hopes this Rodeo can serve as an example of what could be done at all  elementary schools. To learn more about the Rodeo contact Steve Chupack at 239-218-8496  or schupack@bikewalklee.org. 

Report by Steve Chupack

Helmets Given to Kids at Cape Coral Austen Youth Center Fair

It was a Very Successful Health, Fun, and Fitness Fair held at the Wm. "Bill" Austen Youth Center in Cape Coral on Saturday, April 14^th. Many kids of all ages were invited to attend from neighboring schools in Cape Coral to have fun & learn about fitness, health and safety.

Mary Orselli Ossichak, co-owner of Hollywood Bike Shop, located at 2728 Santa Barbara Blvd in Cape Coral, generously donated her time to help fit about 60 bicycle helmets on kids ages 1-16. Mary has over 23 of experience and is active in helping out with community events such as the Bike Rodeo that was held at Oasis Elementary School earlier in Feb.

This was the first time Holly Ford initiated a helmet distribution, and she hopes to have similar events in the future. Holly lost her son when he was riding a bike and was hit by a car. She says, "a helmet could save your child's life." She is donating her time and effort to helping the area kids. She doesn't want any parent to suffer what she has gone through and hopes to continue the program with the youth center. She says any child or teen needing a bicycle helmet should have one. Florida law requires that a child up to age 16 wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. Many parents and kids are unaware of the law.

Contact her if your child needs a bicycle helmet: SideWalks4Kids@mail.com
Website: www.SideWalks4Kids.com

Report submitted by Steve Chupack, BWL's Cape Coral Representative

News-Press: Bicyclists learn safety at rodeo

Kudos to News-Press for covering last weekend's successful bike safety rodeo at 2 Cape Coral schools, co-sponsored by BikeWalkLee.  Thanks again toBWL'ers Steve Chupack and Dan Moser!

Lindsay Downey, Special to news-press.com (2/9/12)

More than 150 cyclists practiced safety techniques and stood in line to have their bicycles professionally inspected Saturday in Cape Coral. They weren’t Spandex-wearing athletes showing off high-tech Schwinns, however.

These bike riders maneuvered pink Huffys and Rhinos with training wheels around the asphalt at Oasis Elementary during the school’s first Bicycle Safety Rodeo.


Students at Oasis and Christa McAuliffe, Cape Coral’s charter elementary schools, were invited to learn proper riding techniques during what organizers hope will become an annual event.


“There are a lot of kids on the road nowadays and not all of them know the rules of the road,” volunteer Tim Wilson said. “This event can probably save a future accident (from happening).”



Vincent Penta and his 5-year-old daughter, Sophia, watched while Hollywood Bicycle Center employee Robert Ossichak studied Sophia’s princess-themed Huffy, complete with streamers, petal-shaped pedals and heart cutouts at the spokes.



Sophia shook her pink-and-silver helmet “yes” when Ossichak asked if she felt comfortable braking, and waited while he tightened her handlebars.


At the nearby obstacle course, children weaved their bikes between orange cones and practiced a “rock dodge,” rolling their tires between bumps in the road. They prepared for a “snail race” for balance later in the day, during which the slowest rider would win.


It’s important for children to learn safety from the get-go, particularly in a warm-weather city where biking is popular, said Wendy Hearyman, physical education teacher at Christa McAuliffe.


About 17 percent, or 8,000, of the roughly 51,000 cyclists injured in the U.S. in 2009 were under 14, according to the latest statistics available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.


“This is the Sunshine State,” Hearyman said. “I see a lot of kids riding their bikes to the bus stop on the way to school.”
Rachel Edwards, 32, watched during the event while her 9-year-old daughter, Savanna, rode her blue Diamondback bike along the course.


“I wanted her to hear the rules of the road from someone other than me,” Edwards said. “It’s good for them to have outside reinforcement.”


The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida provided helmets for children who didn’t have them, and five organizations donated bikes for a giveaway. Each child received a raffle ticket for a chance to win a bike .

For more information

To learn more, visit bikewalklee.org. For more on Cape’s charter schools, visit capecoralcharter.org.

Successful Bicycle Safety Rodeo at McAuliffe and Oasis Charter Elementary

Thanks to BWL'ers Steve Chupack and Dan Moser for making Saturday's bike safety rodeo in Cape Coral a big success!

BikeWalkLee's Press Release:

 More than 90 kids age six to ten participated in the First Annual McAuliffe Charter Elementary and Oasis Charter Elementary Bicycle Safety Rodeo last Saturday morning. BikeWalkLee joined the two schools as a Sponsoring Partner. 

Dan Moser, certified bicycle safety instructor, provided training two days before the Rodeo for parent and other volunteers.  He is affiliated with Lee County Emergency Medical Services for clinics such as this and oversaw all the activities related to teaching the kids and parents the basics of safe bicycling. 

Lina Quintana of The Children’s Hospital made sure each child had a property fitted helmet.  The Children’s Hospital donated more than sixty helmets to those who needed them. She was assisted by Mary Ossichak, co-owner of Hollywood Bicycle Center.

Many of the volunteers wore the “Three Feet, Please” shirts donated by Bert Hamilton of Harvey Software.

Hollywood Bicycle Center co-owner Rob Ossichak provided the free bike safety inspection, making sure each bike was safe to ride.  Loaner bikes were provided to any child who needed one, from the Lee County EMS trailer used by Dan Moser.   

“Bicycle Officer” Kelvin Thompkins represented the Cape Coral Police Department and was a big hit with the kids who saw that wearing a helmet is "cool."

Five child-size donated bicycles were awarded to the winners in a free raffle.  Fifty and $25 gift cards were also awarded.

BWL’s representative in Cape Coral, Steve Chupack, suggested the Rodeo event to the schools last October and helped the schools plan for the Rodeo. 

Enthusiastic support for the Rodeo was provided by the Charter Schools Administrator, Dr. Lee Bush, and the principals:  Jacquelin Collins at McAuliffe Elementary and Steven Hook at Oasis Elementary.

 “This bicycle safety event could not have happened,” Chupack said,  “without this strong administrative support and amazing work done by each school’s physical education teacher: Wendy Hearyman at McAuliffe and Kevin Brown at Oasis.”  Kids loved getting their  “bicycle license,” with their picture on it.  The idea was suggested by Wendy & Kevin.

Each child was accompanied by a parent and sometimes by both parents and siblings, making it a family oriented activity encouraged by the schools. An estimated two hundred people were at the event. 

The Rodeo is a serious educational undertaking but its success is also due to the large element of fun that is built into the event.  Kids love to bike!  The Rodeo links the safety and fun parts in a unique and effective way.  

Stations at the Rodeo included: helmet-fitting, Rules of the Road, navigating through cones, hand signaling, starting & stopping, avoiding road hazards.  The highlight of the Rodeo for many was the “the Snail Race” competition. ("How Slow Can You Go!)

This event is believed to be the first school-sponsored and school-based Rodeo involving two elementary schools in Cape Coral.

One goal of the Rodeo was to demonstrate that it could be a very effective “hands-on,” outside-the-classroom activity that supplements in-class instruction in a school’s health/safety curriculum.   BWL hopes  this Rodeo can serve as an example of what could be done at all  elementary schools.

This was a collaborative effort and there were seventeen contributors or donors whose generosity was so critical to the success of this Rodeo.  

Report by Steve Chupack, BikeWalkLee's Cape Coral representative

Island Reporter: Bike Rodeo stresses safety, being alert on island roads

By JEFF LYSIAK, May 19, 2011

Last Thursday afternoon, more than 80 youngsters and their parents attended the annual Bike Rodeo & Safety Fair, staged at The Sanibel School's outdoor pavilion, where riders of all ages were taught the most important lessons of riding safely.

"It's important for all riders, not just the youngsters, to know how to properly use the shared use paths on the islands," said Mary Miller, president of the Sanibel Bicycle Club, at last week's Bike Rodeo & Safety Fair. "Everybody should know that you have to be more aware of bikes using the roads here on the islands."

According to Miller, one of the most critical safety measures taught during the event included the importance of wearing protective head gear. She and her fellow Bike Club members demonstrated the point using an egg — wrapped in a thick foam pocket — dropped from shoulder height. Seeing the fragile egg survive a fall from four feet onto concrete was a real eye-opener for the young participants.

Click here to continue reading.

Kudos to the Sanibel Bicycle Club, Billy's Bikes, the Kiwanis Club, the Sanibel Police Department and other volunteers that put on this important safety training.

Sanibel Bike Rodeo Returns on Thursday, May 12.

The third annual Bike Rodeo will be held on Thursday, May 12 at the Sanibel School Pavilion, starting after school at 2:30 PM and running until 4:30 PM. All beginning and intermediate cyclists are invited to this fun and educational event. The Bike Rodeo is designed to teach bike riders the basic skills needed to cycle safely and confidently.

Admission is free, and parents are encouraged to “pass the word” about the Bike Rodeo to their children. Participants should bring their own bikes and helmets if they have them, but loaner bikes and helmets will also be available for use at the event.

Events at the rodeo will include:
• Bike Safety Check to make sure tires, brakes, handlebars and chains are in working order.
• Helmet fitting and inspection to insure proper sizing, fit and condition.
• Egg Drop Demonstration to show how a bike helmet can protect a fragile package like an egg…. or a rider’s head.
• Straight-line Riding Exercise designed to teach the skill of riding in a straight steady line.
• Proper Turn Exercise designed to teach the proper way to signal and execute a turn.
• Slalom Course Riding Exercise designed to teach proper control on a curving path.
• Stopping Exercise designed to teach proper use of brakes to anticipate and execute a safe stop.

Cold water and snacks will be available to all participants After completing the Bike Rodeo course, participants will also receive a gift package containing bike related items and safety information.

The Bike Rodeo is supported by numerous island organizations and businesses. The principal organizer is Billy Kirkland of Billy’s Bikes, supported by the Kiwanis Club of Sanibel Captiva and the Sanibel Bicycle Club, whose members will provide volunteer staffing for the event. Additional contributing sponsors include Finnemore’s Cycle Shop, Dairy Queen, Bailey’s General Store and Island Graphics.