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Biking to a better tomorrow

By Becky Malkovich, The Southern

Thursday, January 17, 2008 11:38 PM CST

INA - If a career in architecture doesn't work out, Bobby Joe Wayne Cantrell might want to consider a job with the U.S. Postal Service.

Because Cantrell does not let rain nor heat nor gloom of night stop him from completing his appointed rounds; that is, attending classes at Rend Lake College.

Cantrell, 19, goes the distance without benefit of the usual commuter college necessity - a vehicle.

An RLC freshman, Cantrell makes the trek from West City in Franklin County to the college campus in Jefferson County - a 10.5-mile trip one way - on his red Mongoose mountain bike.

"It takes about an hour to get there, give or take a few minutes," Cantrell said of his commute on busy Illinois 37. "I used to Rollerblade to Thompsonville to go to church, so this is nothing."

Retired Benton Consolidated High School drafting teacher Joe Frick said he is not surprised Cantrell, a 2007 BCHS graduate, is going the extra mile in pursuit of his studies.

"Bobby Joe is a very, very talented student," Frick said. "He was really good at drafting, CAD (computer-aided design), drawing 3-D and architecture. He took home many trophies from competitions over his four years of high school. He really wanted to go to college but he had a lot working against him. But even with no transportation and no money, I knew he would get there any way he could."

Cantrell received an RLC tuition waiver as a result of his high scores in Illinois Drafting Educators Association competitions and he started taking classes at the college in the fall.

Unlike most of his peers, Cantrell does not have a driver's license.

"I had a (learner's) permit but I was never taken out enough to get any real practice," he said. "And now it's the cost of it. I don't have the funding to get a car and pay for the upkeep of it, so I ride my bike everywhere."

Cantrell said he doesn't want to be a burden or depend on others for his transportation. Because he doesn't have a telephone, if a ride were to fall through, he wouldn't know about it and he might miss class.

"I've never been a very social person and I don't know many other people at school. If I was to ask, I'm sure they would help me but I prefer not to ask for any help at all," he said.

He biked to school most days last semester, sometimes catching a ride back to town with a professor. This semester, he will ride with a fellow student a few days a week, so he will only have to bike to class every other day.

He often uses the time on the road to collect his thoughts before class.

"Sometimes I think and sometimes I get lost in thought," he said.

"Sometimes I don't want to think, so I'll just pay attention to where I'm going," especially on days when the weather gets dicey.

"The worst day was whenever it was raining and the wind was pushing against me, almost hard enough to push me backwards. That was a fun day," he said. "I've had a couple of close calls on the highway whenever my bike would mess up. Sometimes it would throw me. My gear shifter broke and I had to replace it with a smaller one so I can't use my back or lower gears. I've had this bike about six months and I've probably put a couple thousand miles on it."

Cantrell said being at the college is worth the extra effort he takes to get there.

"I get to go to class for free and I get to swim," he said.

He uses his downtime to take advantage of the college's computer lab since he doesn't have a computer at home.

Cantrell said he's not sure what he wants to do after graduation, but might attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

RLC Architectural Technology Professor Kevin Weston said Cantrell is in class every day, "some days a little later than others if the weather slows him down. He's a good kid, trying to do the best he can to get himself lined up for the future."

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