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4- PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, August 5, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Bus wrangler Seagrave school bus driver places ninth in international rodeo event By Chris Hall Port Perry Star Seagrave's Rhonda Thomson wrangled herself a ninth place finish at the North American rodeo for some of the best bus drivers in Canada and the U.S. After capturing both the company and province crown, the driver for Stock Transportation's Sunderland division made the trip to Washington DC two weeks ago to compete in the North American championship. While both nervous and excited about the event, Ms Thomson said she was able to calmly ease herself into the top-10 standings. "It was a pretty good event. I got to compete against drivers from 37 states and three other provinces and finished ninth overall, which is pretty good," she said last week. "I'had a lot of fun being there competing and representing my province and coun- try." Ms Thomson's pre-competition fears about having to use air brakes were all for naught, as organizers decided not to use buses equipped with those systems for the event. "They didn't have air brakes, thank- fully. There's different regulations in dif- ferent states for many different buses and they decided not to use them, which 1s good because I didn't know how-to use them." After only two years of driving con- ventional school buses (the large, long 71 passenger vehicles), Ms Thomson said winning the company and provincial championships was just unreal. "When I started working here I really didn't expect to be competing in a North American tournament two years later," she said, describing the testing process at the rodeo similar to the ones she endured and passed in Canada. "We had to do a written test, which was a real doozy. It was on American rules and regulations, and I had to study from at least a half-dozen text books before the competition to get it right," she said. "We also had to know about drug test- ing and other general information, as well as how to perform a pre-trip inspec- tion on the bus. Some things were the same and others were a bit different. In some cases there were some minor vari- ances, hike smaller measurements and other things like parallel parking, some- thing we never do here." During the event, drivers must manoeuvre through a tight obstacle course, weaving between barrels and parking between markers with precise accuracy. The only disappointing part of the trip for Ms Thomson was that her friend and teacher, Marg Prevost, could not attend the championship because of stipulations by event organizers. : "We were really looking forward to going together," she said of Ms Prevost, who finished second behind her in both company and provincial championships. "She couldn't go because each company is only allowed to send one person to compete in each event." Never the less, Ms Thomson says she was treated well, and had lots of fun. "Stock's just great for sending me there and putting me up in places, and the other drivers there were so nice. We saw all the sights and had a wonderful time." drives for Stock Transportation. Rhonda Thomson of Seagrave managed a top 10 finish when she took part in an international bus drivers' rodeo recently in Washington, D.C. She oe 2A #1 IN THE SWING: Once again this year, the Great Blue Heron Charitable hw. Casino will be holding its golf tournament, a fundraiser for the hospital in Port Perry. This year the tourney's at Thunderbird golf course, followed by dinner at the Island casino. Seen here preparing for the event are facility manager Thomas Kellner (left), marketing director Perry Steiner, Mississaugas of Scugog Island representative Lisa Edgar-Menzies, Hospital Foundation director Cindy Lister, and Foundation VP Kent Farndale. To sign up for the Sept. 16 tournament, call the Blue Heron at 985-4888. Health department issues alert after second rabid bat's found Durham Region health officials have issued a warning after the discovery of two rabid bats in one week. A child in Pickering is currently under- going a series of vaccination shots after the second incident, health officials said last week. The child's parents found the bat in the room in which the child had been sleeping last Monday (July 27). The incident came a week after a rabid bat was found in Oshawa. The incidents have led Associate Medical Officer of Health Donna Reynolds to warn people to avoid contact with bats, and outline steps to take in the event contact does occur. "While rabies in bats is rare in Ontario, rabies in humans is exceedingly rare," said Dr. Reynolds. "The last case of human rabies in this province was in 1967." Never the less, the incidents have led to public concern, and a higher number of bats are being tested than usual, Dr. Reynolds noted. She's urging anyone who finds a bat in the house to report it, just to be safe. | Bats have needle-sharp teeth, and can bite a human without leaving a mark, she noted. "People who are sleeping may not know that they have been bitten by a bat," said Dr. Reynolds. She said that in the event exposure occurs, the best option 1s to have the ani- mal tested. Exposure includes touching a bat, waking up to find one in the room, or finding a bat in a room with an unsu- pervised child. It should be handled with heavy gloves, and double wrapped in plastic and kept in a freezer. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will collect and inspect the animals; call 985- 1870. If the bat's not available for testing, health officials say those exposed should consider treatment for rabies. Rabies is a virus that is fatal if con- tracted. Inoculation against the virus is the only effective treatment. Goreski's charity poker run is Aug. 22 A Charity Poker Run will be held on Saturday, Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Goreski's Lakeside Recreation, 225 Platten Boulevard, Scugog Island, Port Perry. There will be three categories: Personal Watercraft, boats up to 20 ft. and boats 21 ft. and over. The cost is $35 per vessel and the price includes captain, 1st Mate and one child under 12 years. Additional passengers are $5 each (must be registered). A barbecue and prizes will be provided. Entry forms are available at Goreski's Lakeside Recreation.