Photo By Staff Sgt. Stephani Barge | Senior Airman Mark Serrano, 436th Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dog...... read more read more
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The 436th Security Forces Squadron hosted a Bicycle Rodeo at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, May 22, 2021.
The first-of-its-kind event was created by Master Sgt. Rachel Marks with the assistance of Tech. Sgt. Lauren Cerda, both 436th SFS flight chiefs. The goal was to strengthen community ties while educating base youth on safe cycling habits in a fun and interactive way.
The event’s main attraction was a bicycle obstacle course. Children tested their stopping and starting skills while maneuvering through a serpentine path, as well as a simulated crosswalk and pedestrian obstacles.
"Bicycles were an important part of this event, as the weather is warming up and children will be utilizing them more frequently to get around the base," said Marks.
The 436th SFS Ravens also contributed with a training demonstration where children learned self-defense skills using batons.
“For defenders, this is a way to simulate hand-to-hand combat with suspects,” said Cerda. “Kids were able to utilize the same training batons that security forces use to defend the base populace.”
Other attractions included a Combat Arms Training Maintenance (CATM) booth for weapons exposition, a Military Working Dog demonstration and a free raffle that provided each attending child a chance to win bikes, skateboards and helmets.
Other agencies such as the Airman and Family Readiness Center, USO, Defenders Association and City of Dover Police Department supported the event with booths to educate families on available resources, activities and services.
“There was a lot of teamwork, communication and eagerness involved in bringing the event from an idea to reality,” said Marks. “Without the support and enthusiasm of each entity involved, we wouldn’t have been able to bring the community this opportunity.”
Many people from the Dover AFB community attended the Bicycle Rodeo, enjoying the time outdoors with family, friends and work colleagues.
“My family and I loved it,” said Octavio Otero, 436th Airlift Wing chief of protocol. “[The base] usually has events that are adult or staff-only, but we were able to bring families and [the event] helped kids along the way because they learned about bicycle safety and got to meet law enforcement.”
Marks stated the event could become an annual occurrence and hopes it grows in both organizational involvement and attendance.
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.26.2021 19:40 |
| Story ID: | 397527 |
| Location: | DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DELAWARE, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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