Raymond bike Fair a big Success

 Raymond Elementary School held a student-planned bike fair Friday to honor a cyclist who died last year near the school while at the same time raising awareness about bike safety and plans to build bike paths in the area.

A Bike Federation of Wisconsin official said she had never seen a student-run event as comprehensive as Raymond’s bike fair. Students seemed to enjoy themselves throughout the day, especially at a morning kickoff that included an appearance by the Division BMX Stunt Team from Milwaukee.

In the gymnasium of the school, at 2659 76th St., Raymond Elementary’s 400 kindergartners through eighth-graders sat around a bike ramp, pounding the bleachers, clapping their hands and yelling as loud as they could to bring the bikers out for a performance filled with ground stunts, handstands on bike handlebars and plenty of jumps.

The BMX team also did a stunt where they jumped a bike over three student volunteers laying on the ground.

“It was so cool,” said 9-year-old fourth-grader Connor Kilbourne. “They kept doing those stunts and (rider) J.J. (Flairty) even did a flip!”

Aside from the fun, the event also drove home the seriousness of bike safety with a short talk from Jimi Sellars, husband of cyclist and athlete Nancy Sellars, who was killed in July 2008 after her bike was hit by a drunk driver not far from the school on 5 Mile Road, east of 108th Street.

Nancy Sellars’s death and two other biking-related deaths in the area prompted the Friday event and the school’s push to get bike paths built in Raymond. There are currently no paths but students hope this year to identify potential locations and eventually create the paths with grant money.

“These kids are incredible for their age,” Jimi Sellars said. “When I was their age I was not aware of things in the community.”

Jessica Binder, education manager for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, a nonprofit that describes itself as educating and coordinate bicycle interests in the state, said she was equally impressed with the event.

“I’ve worked with 5,000 kids in 20 different communities and I’ve never seen what’s in this room right now,” Binder told students Friday morning before later handing out and fitting free bike helmets for each student.

Binder said she will work with the school to find locations and funding for their bike paths.

Throughout the rest of the school day, students rotated to different classrooms to learn about subjects like road rules, bike history, bike maintenance and cycling injuries.

In one classroom, students were given bike safety pledges to sign, acknowledging they know the rules and will follow them.

Connor said he “definitely” planned to sign the pledge.

“I like riding my bike a lot and my scooter,” he said. “When we grow up and don’t have a car we can know how to ride our bikes.”