Not even with two blown out tires...

[smurfalicious]

...and a broken rear derailleur would I buy anything from your shop, even if it happened right in front of it. I would walk and limp my bike all the way back to Boulder, through three digit temperatures as long as I could avoid patronizing your store.

You see, today I was photographing the 4th of July parade in Frederick. A pickup bearing your shop's banner rolled by with a group, composed largely of children, behind on their bikes.

Caught up in the excitement I smiled, snapped pictures, and complimented the kids on their sweet, nicely decorated bikes. Then, as they passed, it hit me. Not a single one was wearing a helmet. Immediately I thought about the numerous children who were watching the parade. Those kids along the sidewalk think that those kids are something pretty special. What an amazing opportunity to teach by example gone to waste.

I understand that perhaps those kids were sponsored by the shop, but nonetheless as a responsible sponsor there should be some rules of behavior when representing your shop. I have friends who are sponsored snowboarders and if they want to keep those sponsorships they have very strict rules to follow. If I sponsored those children I would pull their sponsorships and have a serious discussion with their negligent parents who allowed that to happen.

Signed a customer who will never be yours.

[LBTC]

Right on, Smurf! Sadly, I know just the type of shop you mean. It was a large part of why we moved 4 hours south to our new home town 2 years ago. It was a fantastic change for us But, sadly, that shop up there is still influencing kids in such an irresponsible way. Sorry to hear that it's in the wonderful state of Colorado, too.

Sending butterflies to knock some sense into that shop owner....

Any chance you can send one of the photos in to the newspaper or an online magazine with a caption "what's wrong with this picture?"

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Running Mommy]

huh??? What kind of shop would do that? And in BOULDER no less??
WOW!!!
yeah, amen to what you said Smurf, AMEN!

Don't be a squid, wear yer lid!

[OakLeaf]

Smurf, I hope you send them that letter for real.

[grey]

From everything I have heard of Boulder, I am really surprised that happened there!

[Chicken Little]

Boulder children, in a parade, without a helmet? The shop just shot itself in the foot! Quite an error, eh?

[Jenerator]

The parade was in Frederick, not Boulder.

To live up to the stereotype, Boulder would not allow a high carbon footprint vehicle like a pickup truck in a parade, much less allow the kids to go without lids.

[Goldilocks]

I totally agree with everyone's comments here. That said, where were the parents? If it was my kid, even if the shop stupidly didn't require helmets, I know I wouldn't let my kid participate without a helmet. And what about the parade organizers? Shame on everyone for dropping the ball on that one, but especially the shop owner who knows better and, as you said, is in a position of authority on the matter and a position to set an example for others.

[Bad JuJu]

Sounds like you should send the letter not only to the shop owner, but also to the local newspaper.

[smurfalicious]

Sounds like you should send the letter not only to the shop owner, but also to the local newspaper.

Oh I plan on it. I might tweak it a bit but in rereading it doesn't sound nearly as angry as I am. Every parent watching that parade with their children should be angry. The nice part is that I write and photograph for that paper so it could be a benefit or a detriment.

In Oregon there is helmet law for children I believe 16 and under. I know everyone gets all huffy about being mandated to do things, but not everyone is a great parent and sometimes the law has to step in to protect children. There are plenty of laws about how you should treat your kids, don't see this as any different.

In 4-H kids are required to wear helmets for equestrian projects. I think the rules there are a little crazy. Requiring a helmet to brush and saddle your horse is a bit much. I've been kicked, several times despite taking numerous safety precautions, but never in the head.

Even high school rodeo is requiring rough stock riders to wear helmets. I've read a lot of comments in the PRCA and PBR about how the next generation of rough stock riders are, for the most part, still wearing helmets in the pro ranks. Scary thing about that is there are no regulations, no governing bodies approving those helmets. I don't wear one bullriding because they are, in my eyes, very unsafe. They're essentially a batting helmet with a face mask. They're heavy and cause balance issues, and I imagine a lot of strain on the neck. Further they are not designed to break on impact which is kind of the point of a helmet. While they may offer some protection if you were to get stepped on, I can almost imagine them making things worse.

*sigh* Rant over. Can't complain unless I start to push for a helmet law...

[snapdragen]

you ride bulls smurf?

[smurfalicious]

you ride bulls smurf?

Hee hee, um, yeah, sometimes. I haven't in quite a while, and the suck part is the my previous employer's health insurance had a very clear clause in it that said it wouldn't cover any injuries resulting from it.

It all started a few years back when I was talking a big game to my ranch hand buddy that I was gonna learn. So he stacked some hay bales, put a rope around them so I could practice position and such. Then the Paulina Rodeo rolled around and I decided to enter. Paulina Rodeo is in the middle of nowhere and is a totally rowdy and very good old boy.

I went to practice a few times beforehand and much to my own amazement actually got on at the rodeo. Of course the teenage boys I met at practice threatened to push me on. There's a video on my MySpace page and I wrote a rather long personal narrative about it. The video is here http://www.myspace.com/lopinropinhopin.

There is a place around here that has practices but I need my own gear which is spendy. Bull rope and protective vest are about $200 each. My mom is going to make my chaps should I eventually start rodeoing again but I'm still looking at a lot of start up cost.