Five Wolf Creek Public Schools bus drivers competed in the recent ASTAC Provincial School Bus Roadeo in High River.
Drivers Sheila Talbot, Debbie Barron, Bruce Glen, Tammy Freerksen and Dodo Freerksen qualified for this provincial roadeo based on their success at the local level.
The Roadeo is co-ordinated by ASTAC (Alberta Student Transportation Advisory Council) and has three sections: a written segment which tests a driver’s knowledge of rules, regulations, and traffic laws; a segment that tests a driver’s ability to ready the bus pre-trip; and a driving segment that tests a driver’s ability to manoeuvre the bus through a variety of seemingly impossible situations.
The provincial course proved to be a challenge for many of the 50 provincial competitors, but Bruce Glen successfully maneuvered his 72-passenger bus into seventh place, and Dodo and Tammy proved they are truly a husband and wife team that can drive a school bus when they tied for third place. Team trophies were awarded to both Bruce Glen and Tammy Freerksen for being two parts of the four-person team (random drawing from the various division and contact drivers) that scored the most points.
Wolf Creek Public Schools transportation manager Chuck Richter was a judge at the event and stated, “It was a tough course. I’m very proud of our team for working hard and getting into the prestigious top 10.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our drivers who participated in the school bus roadeos, and to thank all of our drivers for being an integral part of our school division,” he added.