By Sallie James
The Sun-Sentinel
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — With engine revving, the officer on the big Harley dipped to the left, then lurched to the right, inching carefully around orange traffic cones Friday with seeming ease until his bike suddenly tipped.
The hoots and hollers from his raucous peers drowned out the grating sound of metal against asphalt. The officer was unhurt, although his ego may have suffered a scrape or two.
It was a scene that played out over and over as more than 100 motorcycle officers practiced behind the Pompano Citi Centre in preparation for Saturday’s 19th annual Southeast Police Motorcycle Rodeo.
The event, which is free and open to the public, showcases riding skills and raises money for the families of slain law enforcement officers and for muscular dystrophy research.
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the public can watch officers from as far away as New Jersey and Canada test their riding skills against their colleagues from across the Southeast United States.
A 2008 Harley Davidson XLH Sportster 883 will be raffled at the end of the event.
“Most deputies and sheriffs are riding Harley Davidsons which weigh 750 to 800 pounds,” said Broward Sheriff’s Sgt. Allen Adkins. “To turn this motorcycle in an 18-foot radius is very hard. All these exercises test our skills with this heavy motorcycle.”
The competition will be on courses littered with traffic cones behind the shopping center, at 1944 N. Federal Highway. The courses are identical to those used for training police officers.
“They can’t touch a cone or put their foot down,” said Dave Amchir, national president of the Wings of Gold Motorcycle Club, whose members serve as volunteer judges for the event.
Lee Girard, who works for the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, was impressed with the setup.
“It’s challenging,” he said Friday as he watched officer after officer attempt a tricky course called the “Fun Run.”
“I made it about halfway. The cone patterns are tight, hard to turn. You’ve got to be careful. I laid my bike down,” Girard said.
Shaun VanBeber, a Lauderhill motorcycle police officer who has competed in the event the past four years, agreed the course is tough.
“Some of the exercises are pretty tight,” VanBeber said. “You can turn the bike in a 360-degree circle. Harley Davidson designed it to do that within 18 feet. If a circle is designated at 19 feet, you don’t have much room for error.”
Copyright 2008 The Sun-Sentinel