This was not your typical rodeo. Cows and bulls were replaced with cones and tennis balls while the only horses were under the hoods of several dozen yellow Lawton Public Schools buses.
The rodeo arena was the parking lot at Southwest 38th Street and W. Gore and the contestants were LPS school bus drivers who were dodging cones and tennis balls, honing their backup skills, and practicing right-hand and left-hand turns as the sun came up Wednesday morning. Veteran drivers were brushing the rust off their skills while new drivers were getting a small taste of what it will be like to run a school bus route.
The rodeo was the last tuneup before drivers hit the streets Thursday morning to pick up about 6,500 students and transport them to and from Lawton schools. The drivers rotated through several stations: 15-point student pickup, right/left turn, a serpentine course, a railroad crossing, a straight line with tight lanes resembling a residential street, and backing up between two rows of cones.
“The obstacles we set up on the course today are obstacles the drivers will face. Maybe not daily but at least sometime during the week,” said Executive Director of Operations Jack Hanna, who was overseeing the rodeo. “This enhances their skills and gets their mind ready for school. All the cones represent vehicles, pedestrians or a tree. We plan ahead so we know how to maneuver through the obstacles.”
Veteran school bus driver Dana Owens said that backing up is the hardest obstacle.
“You can see what you are doing when you are going forward. When you start to turn the wheel, the back of the bus starts going. It all sounds simple. The first time driving can be hard,” said Owens, who has been driving a school bus for 15 years.
She said the tight-lane obstacle also can be a challenge. In that obstacle, tennis balls are set up on small cones to represent a narrow lane bus drivers might encounter, such as narrow streets.
“It looks like you are going to hit the tires, but you aren’t. People get nervous. The slower you go, the better it is,” Owens said.
The veteran driver, who delivers students to Freedom, Lawton High and Central Middle schools, explained why she loves her job.
“I’m excited to see the kids again and to get back into a routine. I love it. The kids make my day every day. When I’m having a bad day, they make it better,” she said. “I know the kids. I know how they react to things. They are like my own kids. They start the day with me and end the day with me. If they know what you expect, then the year is smooth.”
Fellow driver Monty May said the rodeo is a way for drivers to brush up after having the summer off.
“The rodeo is a way for us to get warmed up and get ready to go driving. It’s good practice to get the feel of the wheel again and show everybody what you can do,” May said.
Hanna said LPS is still looking for school bus drivers and spoke of the rewards of the job.
“You can still make a difference in a child’s life. You can make their day happier and brighter than it already is. We have precious cargo on board we are responsible for,” he said.
Those interested in applying to be a bus driver may fill out the online application on the LPS website, lawtonps.org, or call 248-3255 and ask for Mike Lewis, driver trainer supervisor.