Fire, police to battle on the court

By Kate Miller, Record Managing Editor
Posted 11/7/19

Cops and firefighters are hitting the basketball court as adversaries in what they’re calling the Warrenton Battle of the Badges.The event, to be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 4, in the Warrenton …

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Fire, police to battle on the court

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Cops and firefighters are hitting the basketball court as adversaries in what they’re calling the Warrenton Battle of the Badges.The event, to be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 4, in the Warrenton High School gym, is a fundraising effort for Special Olympics of Missouri.Admission is free. Donations, however large or small, will be accepted at the door. There will be a half-court-shot raffle and a 50/50 raffle.Because it’s May the fourth, or what some are calling, “May the fourth be with you,” Star Wars characters will make an appearance from 5 to 7 p.m.Officer Kevin Swofford is organizing the event. He said 20 to 25 police and firefighters will be playing for bragging rights and a trophy.“The money that we raise helps fund the things athletes do at the Special Olympics,” said Swofford.On Friday, April 26, Special Olympics comes to Warren County with the third Wright City Annual Track Meet at Wright City High School. The annual Law Enforcement Torch Run will be held Thursday, May 30.While Battle of the Badges is for charity, players are not ruling out skinned knees and bruised egos. Trash talking started on their Facebook pages a while back with snarky posts and hashtags.In a video post, firefighters are in full firefighting gear, outside on a court, playing hoops. A firefighter makes a basket. A police officer posts something about how many tries did it take to get that one shot.All in good fun, and for a good cause.“It’s kinda fun for people to watch fire and police go at it,” said Warrenton Police Department Patrolman Paige Boehmer, one of the players.She predicts that her team is going to win, adding police are better conditioned.“Police are definitely going to win. We’re always on the go, we’re always moving. They’re probably not practicing. They’re probably playing NBA games on their Xboxes,” Boehmer said.Firefighter Brett Garrison disagrees. He said they work out wearing an extra 105 pounds of gear.They aren’t feeling the stress.“We are not worried about the cops. It’s just another day for us,” said Garrison.“Make sure you thank them for their service, because I know the only thing we will be thanking them for is that trophy,” he added.The police department will be posting a video to its Facebook page that includes a showing of the trophy.Garrison isn’t surprised the trophy will make its public debut on social media; the police department makes a lot of videos, he said.“They probably should spend less time making Facebook videos, and more time on the court,” he said.At 7 feet tall, Warrenton firefighter Jeff Dunn looks like he could be an imposing figure on the basketball court. He said firefighters aren’t doing much practice.“We’re going to wing it. We have that much confidence,” Dunn said. “In general, we’re in better condition, with all the physical activities we do as firefighters versus police officers.”In looking at advantages, officer Boehmer said she played basketball in middle and high school.“I’ve got some pretty good 3-point shots up my sleeve,” she said.“We have Boehmer as a ringer,” Swofford said. “They have (Dunn), but he’s not much of a threat. They have height, but they have no skill. We’re going to go Muggsy Bogues all around him.”Bogues played in the NBA for 14 years and stood at 5 feet, 3 inches tall. Bogues was known for his passing and stealing skills, and his speed.Dunn said people make assumptions about his basketball skills because of his height.“For the last 15 years, I’ve heard people ask why I don’t play basketball. If you want to see it, come on out,” he said.Both sides are hoping this one game will turn into more. Or, as Boehmer said, there will be another Warrenton Battle of the Badges because, “When fire loses, they’ll want a rematch.”All kidding aside, Swofford said, the razzing is about getting people excited about the match-up.“The trash talk is in good fun, but really, the event is not even about the game,” Garrison said. “It’s about raising money for the Special Olympics.”“We want to get the word out and build excitement,” Swofferd said. “This is going to be a fun family event where you can enjoy time together and help Special Olympics.“With it being our first one, we didn’t set a fundraising goal,” he said. “We just want to raise as much as we can.”

Warren County police and firefighters will face off on the basketball court Saturday, May 4, at Warrenton High School. They are raising money to benefit Special Olympics of Missouri. Pictured, from left, are firefighter Jeff Dunn and Police Officer Paige Boehmer in what became the event’s publicity photo. Boehmer isn’t short. Dunn is 7 feet tall.

Submitted photo

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