casto : Californian's Place Top 10 at National Roadeo

Californian's Place Top 10 at National Roadeo

California state roadeo champion Antonio Perez was honored as one of the Top 10 best school buses drivers in the nation at the National/International School Bus Safety Competition held July 15, 2007, in Boston. Also at the roadeo was California drivers Brandy Acevedo, Laura Taylor, Corey Patton, Martin Lopez and Joshua Morgan.

"The weather was great in Boston, but on Sunday July 15th, things changed", said Perez. "The weather forecast called for thunderstorms, but that is not what happened. Instead it was hot and the wind was blowing 20-30 miles per hour knocking over cones, signs, barriers, and almost wanting to flip over both of the tents that were being used for spectator viewing and the competitor waiting area. Thank GOD they were being held down by several large barrels filled with water." says Perez

There were 14 small bus, 51 conventional, and 44 transit drivers competing on this day from 32 different states and from Canada. The small buses were 23 feet long with dual tires, the conventionals were a 2007 International--72 passenger and 37 feet long, and the transits were a 2006 International--84 passenger front engine and 39 feet long, with a huge tailswing! We were given 6 minutes to prepare and figure out how everything worked. The conventional buses had their 8-light system switches on the steering wheel and their indicator lights above the driver's head. The transit bus had a similar switch as in California, but the indicator light was above the drivers head

In the end, they all had a great time Boston and were glad the competition was finally over. Each California contestant received a participation plaque at the awards ceremony and Joshua Morgan from San Diego Unified School District placed 4th overall in the conventional category. Antonio Perez, also from San Diego Unified School District placed 7th overall in the transit category.

"Boston is a very beautiful city with a lot of history. There is so much to see and do. The road, traffic, and subway system was very complicated to figure out, but by Monday, the day we left Boston, we had figured it out. I will definitely be coming back to Boston some day." said Perez.

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