By Ted Schredd

I love going to new different events and learning about the different ways of the world. A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to see my first bike road race at Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC. Road Bike Racing is a pretty darn interesting situation. There were two things that I loved about this bike racing event.

The first thing is that bike racing is about more than people tightening their butts and slicing through the air. There is a lot of strategy, teamwork and good old sweat. The winner isn’t necessarily the fastest biker but the cyclist who has the finished first on the most “point laps”. If you ever get the chance to see a bike race (especially the Stanley Park Bike Fest) – it is a great experience.

The other thing I learned is that no matter how important you are, or how important you think your job is, there is still room to have fun. There were numerous bike activities at the Stanley Park Bike Fest including a commuter race. Participants had to deal with an obstacle course which included; loading up on groceries, dodging pylons and getting in and out of rain gear. One city councilor and three parks board members made up a team that finished first. They seemed more focused on giggling and laughing then winning. When you see their photo you will know what I mean.

So many of our politicians have a difficult time showing the playful side of their personality. I guess their theory is that the more serious you are the more you will be respected. But you could also say that the more serious you are, the less you will be liked. Everybody loves to see that human side of your personality.

Discover fun tips our hat of happiness to (From Left to right in photo) Raymond Louie – Vancouver City Councilor, Lyndsay Poaps – Parks Board Commissioner, Eva Riccius – Parks Board Commissioner, Heather Deal - Chairperson Vancouver Parks Board.

Can you imagine George Bush in a boa? It wouldn’t happen because being playful and being President can never be together. It’s too bad that people repress themselves in this way by shutting down that sense of fun. Fun people are more balanced. I would prefer to have more balanced politicians leading us than stiff goats.

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