MTGA Trails Toolkit

The attached guide is Publication # L-2-19 Version 404.2 and Copyright ©2005 by Lois Chaplin

Excerpt:

A rodeo is a bicycle skills event which provides an opportunity for bicyclists to practice and develop skills that will help them to become better bicyclists and avoid typical crashes. Some rodeos are designed as large, municipal events with skills activities, exhibits and games, while others are much smaller in format, requiring a smaller number of volunteers. An evaluator provides immediate feedback to the participant in a positive manner (satisfactory; needs improvement). If the child has difficulty with a particular lesson, he or she has the chance to keep practicing. The goal of any bicycle rodeo is to provide an opportunity for the participants to learn, practice, and demonstrate their bicycle handling skills in a fun, noncompetitive atmosphere.

Many requests come to me for information about how to run a bike rodeo. On one hand, I’m thrilled that there’s a trend away from simply showing a video, handing out a page from a workbook, or teaching hand signals to an assembly hall filled with an entire elementary school. On the other hand, participation in a poorly run rodeo will not do much more to advance the cycling skills of its participants than a matching question on paper will. While it’s easy to organize a bad rodeo, it’s not as easy as many think to do it right, and effectively.

This guide outlines a step-by-step approach to designing a successful bicycle rodeo in your community. Parents, members of community service organizations and teachers were in my mind as I wrote this: it’s designed to help you show kids in local neighborhoods how to be safer on bikes.

We’re going to start with a review of the basic principles that an effective program should encompass. The section on how to run a skills event offers guidelines for success. It involves a graduated approach to skills events; starting small and manageable, building upon success. Good luck!