Pedals at Patana: BMXers on the Move!

by Rodney Fountain, Secondary History Teacher

Last weekend saw Round 4 of the Thai National BMX racing series descend on FBT Sport Park, in Min Buri. Bangkok Patana History teacher Rod Fountain (race number 823) was there, as usual, to race around the 400m track. In BMX races, 8 riders start with their front wheels balanced against a ‘start gate’, which is angled down a steep hill. Once the gate drops, riders pedal down the hill towards the first of many jumps and banked turns, all of which are designed to increase speed and it’s this which makes BMX racing such an exciting spectacle to compete in or watch.

Once riders have completed three heats, or ‘motos’ their score is calculated based on their finishing position and they qualify, or not, for the quarters, semis and finals which are held the next day.

For Rod, the race weekend wasn’t quite a ‘weekend’ as he was helping out at the World Scholar’s Cup on Sunday meaning he could only compete in the motos on Saturday. In order to make it a  ‘just for fun’ experience, Rod decided to leave his regular race bike at home, opting instead to race on a race bike from 1984, which is a dinosaur compared to the modern race bikes he was competing against. Needless to say the plan worked perfectly and he didn’t qualify (but had fun trying!).

If you want to know any more about the bikes, tracks and BMX scene in Bangkok, you can look at www.facebook.com/pedalsreadygo or message Rod on rofo@patana.ac.th

The Wealth Wizard – Raising Money Smart Children

By Andrew and Molly Larsen, Bangkok Patana parents

We created The Wealth Wizard because we saw a real need, not just for children to learn how to save money, but for parents to have the tools to teach their children about money in a way that goes beyond simple math skills. With Andrew’s 10+ years of experience in the finance industry, shaped by growing up with a father who spent more than 30 years in finance, and Molly’s background as an educator for over a decade, we bring both professional expertise and personal insight to this mission. Now, as parents of three, we know firsthand how important it is to pass on financial wisdom early. Most storybooks only talk about saving, and schools usually focus just on numbers, but we wanted to help families build something deeper—a legacy of financial skills that empowers kids to grow with confidence, purpose, and the knowledge to carry wealth into their future.