By Daphne Chen

Among the modes of alternate transportation at Coppell High School, the two getting the biggest reactions – and biggest stares – are the ones with two wheels: bicycles and motorcycles.

BICYCLES: Freshman Jessica Oliver is one of about a CHS dozen students who ride bicycles to school. Oliver’s bright green bicycle is already widely recognized around the school, although few know the face behind the bike.

“I just bought it because it was so unique and I didn’t want just another one of those bikes,” Oliver said. “I’ve probably gotten like 50 comments on my bike, just how cool and awesome that bike is.”

Oliver’s twin brother Josh Oliver also rides a bicycle to school, but like most twins, these two siblings try to avoid each other as much as possible.

“For him, it’s like, ‘No, I’m not going to be seen with you, I’m not going to talk to you, I’m not going to breathe your air’, so we don’t ride bikes together,” Oliver said. “At first, he was a little weird about me riding a bike because he doesn’t really like me to stand out that much, and I don’t listen to him because I’m just going to be myself.”

Fellow bicyclist and history teacher Tim Dixon began biking to work last January because his wife needed the family car for her new job. A former member of the Army and National Guard for 10 years, as well as a former triathlete, Dixon is also determined to bike under any weather conditions.

“I will never let weather stop me,” Dixon said. “I bike through it, period. If I don’t have anything, I will go, I don’t care.”

He challenges himself to go the entire two-mile distance each day without touching the handlebars, a feat which he says he has accomplished four or five times to date. Although Dixon nor Oliver are very attached to their bicycles, both admit that there are dangers as well.

“Whenever some teenagers ride their cars to school, they don’t put their blinker on and it causes some almost-crashes, and they don’t stop to let you go,” Oliver said. “They’re supposed to, but I’ll sit there for five minutes and just decide to go another way.”

MOTORCYCLES: Even though Dixon and Oliver may be skeptical of motorcycles, this was the same initial reaction of Spanish teacher Patrick Melville.

“I never in a million years thought I would be riding on a motorcycle,” Melville said. “The reason why I ended up getting it is because I was unhappy with paying gas all the time.”

In fact, the gas mileage of motorcycles may surprise you – Melville’s Royal Enfield gets approximately 80 miles to the gallon, while senior Jeremy Sonnier’s Kawasaki Ninja gets 51.

“I have a four-gallon tank that fills up every week and a half for about $6,” Sonnier said.

For Sonnier, who is the only student this year who has a motorcycle registered with the school, the major disadvantage is weather.

“If it’s raining, you’re going to get wet or cold,” Sonnier said. “Or like today, I made a mistake and forgot to put on a jacket, and my arms were like numb when I got here.”

It took both aspiring-motorcyclists some time to convince their families about the purchase. With motorcycles, safety is no joke. Both Sonnier and Melville have to be constantly alert when driving to avoid getting cut off by unaware minivans (true story for Sonnier) or school buses (true story for Melville).

“Whether or not you are driving as safe as you are doesn’t really matter,” Melville said. “The biggest problem isn’t what I’m doing, it’s because I’m smaller and it’s what other people are doing.”

Sonnier, unlike Melville, had some help convincing his mom from his father, who began riding motorcycles at the same age and currently owns a Harley Davidson Fatboy.

“I think we bonded a little more because my dad basically persuaded my mom to let me have a bike, because she was nervous,” Sonnier said. “And when we’re driving around, it’s a lot of fun.”

Although Melville owns up to the ‘cool factor’ of owning a motorcycle, (“I did get a motorcycle as opposed to a moped, because I felt really dorky on those”) he also stresses that drivers need to be “responsible and reserved”.

“People have this image that you are just going to pop a wheelie on the highway and go 90 miles per hour, and that’s why I never thought I’d do it,” Melville said.