Ready to display a variety of speed, agility and balance skills, scores of youngsters gathered at Prospect on Saturday, October 2 to participate in the opening event of Police Week 2010: a bicycle gymkhana.

Gymkhana, derived from the Hindi-Urdu word for "racket court," is an Indian term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place.

The meaning is usually associated with equestrian events testing a range of skills and aptitudes.

Saturday's gymkhana featured children on bikes of various sizes participating in a series of challenges, including sprints, slow races, negotiating obstacle courses, 'pop a wheelie' challenges, dress up race, BMX display and relay races.

A number of schools were represented, including Warwick Academy, St. David's Primary, Purvis Primary and a significant delegation from Whitney Institute.

Whitney M1 students Jahzardae Samuels, Blair Jones, Roger Wears and Khalid Smith had all turned out to represent their school at the urging of Physical Education teacher, Erika Russell.

Khalid Smith was participating "'Cos I like racing my bike and I like participating."

He usually rides his bike in his neighbourhood, Kilderry Estates, or at Clearwater, and was looking forward to the day's events "Because bike riding is a fun sport and good exercise."

He has ambitions to participate in the May 24 event sometime in the future, but acknowledged, "It's going to be a lot of fun, but it will be really tiring when I get to the end."

Both Jahzardae Samuels and Blair Jones were there to support their school, Blair adding, "So that we can become the best school in Bermuda."

Later in the day Blair won the Pop-a-Wheelie Contest and the Obstacle Course Race.

"It was fun," he declared, "wicked really, because you had the opportunity to win a lot of prizes."

Jahzardae, who won the boys' Slowest Race, Last Man Out and Fastest Lap, summed up the day: "It was good; you had fun. It was challenging, and the races were exciting."

Roger Wears made an extra effort to attend, travelling by bus from his temporary residence in St. George's to Spanish Point where his bike was stored and then cycling to Prospect.

He was there, "Because I thought it would be fun just riding a bike."

Five-year-old Simeon Hayward, who attends St. David's Primary, won the opening, 50-yard race.

When asked how he felt about coming with his older bother Seth, and dad Kelland, he stated, "Happy, it's nice to be here."

As a father, Kelland Hayward was also pleased with the programme.

"It's timely," the IT consultant noted, "and the community definitely could use more of it. It represents an alternative to the activities some of our young people are involved it. It also brings the police into contact with young people in a positive environment and not in the negative situations where they usually meet."

It wasn't just boys at the starting line. Purvis Primary student Nakeah Simons was there with her mum, who works at Police Headquarters, and a brand new bike bought just for the occasion.

Diamond O'Connor, another Whitney Institute participant, was there because her auntie, Power Girl Patrina O'Connor from Power 95, was emcee.

She was pleased to have crossed the finish line last — in the Slow Race for girls, in which participants had to take as long as possible to travel the course without going out of their track or putting their feet on the ground.

"It was fun," she noted. "At first there weren't many girls but eventually they showed up and we had a blast."

Would she come again? "Yes, because it's fun. You get to ride your bike."

Accompanying her was nine-year-old Samoy Iris, who was there "because my auntie said I should come."

She admitted that, "At home I didn't want to race, but when I came here and saw people racing, I wanted to race."

And her assessment of the day? "I'm enjoying myself right now."