Hog, Not Bull, Riding at This Rodeo: More Than a Hundred Law Enforcement Officers Showed Off Their Skills at the 17th Southeast Police Motorcycle Rodeo Saturday in Coral Springs
By Wanda J. Demarzo, The Miami Herald
Apr. 2–The rodeo in Coral Springs on Saturday did not showcase cowboys trying to stay seated on the back of thrashing bulls.
There weren’t any men in hats chasing down calves or wrestling them to the ground.
And there was no bronco busting.
These rodeo participants were decked out in full police uniforms, and rode bulky motorcycles bearing the insignia of the agency they represented.
More than 100 law-enforcement officers showed off their motorcycle riding skills Saturday at the 17th Southeast Police Motorcycle Rodeo.
Officers negotiated narrow, snaking paths marked by orange traffic cones in the parking lot of the Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs.
“This is my seventh year competing and it’s great,” said officer John Bork of the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland. “We have fun while training and get to enjoy this beautiful weather.”
It was raining and gray in Maryland on Saturday, Bork said.
Twenty-eight teams with 144 riders from around the country took part in the annual event, which benefits COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors) and the Muscular Dystrophy Association of South Florida.
All the proceeds from food, T-shirt and raffle sales benefit the two charities. The event has raised $250,000 over the past 16 years.
The raffle prize — donated by Harley-Davidson of Fort Lauderdale and Harley-Davidson Motor Co. in Milwaukee — is a 2006 Harley Davidson Sportster bike. The free event was sponsored by the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Coral Springs police department.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, riders lined up outside the yellow tape that outlined the course. The roar of the motorcycles barely masked the blare of the music — a little bit of country and a little bit of rock and roll — emanating from the grandstand.
As the officers lined up, preparing to maneuver through the intricate course, their families, friends and motorcycle enthusiasts cheered them on.
But there were pitfalls.
Touch a cone, you lose a point. Knock down the cone, you rack up five penalty points. Drop the motorcycle, and you can forget about winning first place.
For the officers who participated, the rodeo was not only fun but also a good training exercise.
“Every exercise is a simulation of a road hazard that law enforcement officers encounter on the job,” said BSO Captain Wayne Adkins. “For example, some of the weaving in and out of the narrow spaces is the way that officers have to weave in and out of traffic.”
Ramsey Crossen, 10, attended the event with his father, Bill Crossen, a civilian spectator. The younger Crossen sported a sheriff’s pin on his shoulder and carried a calendar that featured officers sitting on motorcycles.
“He loves motorcycles, and who knows? Maybe someday he’ll be a motorcycle cop,” said Bill Crossen of North Lauderdale. “I used to take my other son to all the air shows when he was young and now he flies helicopters for the Navy.”
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Miami Herald
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