A different kind of roadeo
KELLOGG – It appears that not all rodeos involve buckin' bulls and barrel racing.
The Kellogg School District's Transportation Department put on their annual school bus roadeo this Tuesday, which saw all of the drivers in the department take to a unique obstacle course.
Set up in the parking lots of the current and former Kellogg Middle Schools, drivers navigated their way through the various school bus themed challenges — each with its own set of scorers.
Each obstacle is designed to mimic a certain skill or maneuver that every bus driver needs to know how to do on a nearly daily basis.
From stopping the appropriate length away from children at a bus stop, to making tight turns and stopping at railroad crossings, the roadeo is a true test of a driver's skill.
Even before the driver's turn the key, their knowledge is tested in the pre-trip portion of the event. This is where judges see if the driver has completed all the necessary maintenance and safety checks before getting on the road.
As drivers progress through each challenge, judges award a certain amount of points available at each area. Whoever has the most points at the end is declared the winner.
KSDTD dispatcher trainer (and event organizer) Joanne Mendive explains that the event as a whole is supposed to ensure that all the drivers know what they need to do, while also making that process fun with some harmless competition.
"The challenges in the competition are made up of things we use everyday," she said. "this is a way to make it a little more fun."
At the end of the day, Allison Carney (the first driver to hit the course) was named the overall winner with 470 points.
Transportation Director Lori Osterberg was pleased with how the event went this year and was thankful of everyone who played a part in getting the roadeo going.
"This is a great experience for our back-to-school training," she said. "Not one of those drivers has been in a full-sized bus since March 17, so this was a great way to get them ready for the new school year."
Bus roadeos are common in other school districts and there's even state and national level competitions.
