THE
SIGNATURE SIGONELLA, SICILY
MAY 18, 2012
VOL. 29 NO. 19
cnic.navy.mil/sigonella
Ride safely, Sigonella Children from the Sigonella community navigated various skill stations at the first Bike Rodeo held at the Marinai Housing Complex on May 12. The event was designed to teach children general bike safety and traffic rules when riding on the roads. (U.S. Navy photo by MR2 Gary Spence/Released)
BY MR2 GARY SPENCE NAS Sigonella Public Affairs and their families participated in the inaugural Bike Rodeo at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella on May 12. Commemorating National Bike Month, the event was hosted by the American Red Cross (ARC) in partnership with Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) and the Navy Exchange (NEX). The event was designed to teach children bicycle safety and proper bike handling techniques as well as promote a healthy, active lifestyle, all in a fun and safe atmosphere based on the suggestions of Charles Schmidt, co-chairman of the Disaster Services Team at ARC. Schmidt has been involved with Bike Rodeos for years and felt it was something the Sigonella community could benefit from. Working with the Sigonella ARC, Schmidt helped turn his years of experience into an educational community event. "We want kids to learn good bike handling," said Schmidt. "So, instead of calling this a test or schooling we called it a rodeo to give it a fun connotation and to get their attention.” The Bike Rodeo course was comprised of different stations, each focusing on a specific task: starting and stop-
ping; riding in a straight line; dodging hazards; signaling and turning; and how to approach and enter an intersection. Additional stations were designed just for fun to utilize what the participants learned. “We’re in a Mediterranean climate with beautiful weather and people are on bikes most of the year but there was no formal bike safety course here," said Nathan Whitkamp, station manager of NAS Sigonella ARC. "So we thought this was a great opportunity to meet a need in the community and teach kids some bike safety they can use here in Sigonella and also when they go back to the States.” Bike safety is also about the equipment being used. Mario Sergi and Filippo Anza from the bike repair shop at the NEX Depot demonstrated how to perform simple bike maintenance techniques. Also at the event, bike patrolmen from Sigonella Security stressed the importance of abiding by bike laws while on the road. Security recently re-launched bike patrols, which consist of teams of security officers riding around NAS I, NAS II and the Marinai community.
According to bike patrol officer Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Thomas Butcher, bike patrol is not only a great way to increase the security presence around Sigonella, it is also a way to get out and interact with the community. It will also speed up response times should a situation arise. Overall, the event was a definite success. Amanda Raymond, chairman of volunteers for ARC Sigonella, was very happy with the way the event came together; from the number of people who signed up to the enthusiasm of volunteers. More than 50 registered participants and 45 enthusiastic volunteers attended. "We are thankful for the outpouring of support from volunteers, donors and the various commands across the base," said Raymond." Together we were able to teach new skills and promote safety to the youth of Sigonella in a fun, festive environment. That's what the ARC and volunteering are all about."
QUOTE
OF THE WEEK
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
Sigonella SUPERSTAR!
Sigonella School Carnival
Sigonella Sailors volunteer
ET2 Ryan Christian is Sigonella’s Superstar!
Students and their familes celebrate another successful school year.
Sailors help clean-up community gardens.
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