- April 18, 2024
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Officer said of his team losing, "We challenged the surfers, and we lost. I guess that means we have to work on our tug-o-war skills.
Local surfers outlasted the strength of OBPD after 25 seconds of stalemate.
Hall of Fame surfer Mimi Munro catches waves before she teaches her surf clinic.
Little mermaids Alexia Coleman and Lilly Sanders
Some months ago, the OBPD hosted the Cops and Joggers running event, in which they proved they could go the distance—If needed—to catch criminals in hot pursuit. This past weekend, some of the same officers went a step further and challenged local surfers in the Free Open Surf Contest at their Badgers and Boardshorts event on Saturday, June 4, at Andy Romano Park.
“A lot of us officers grew up at the beach and are a part of the surf culture,” said Jay Brennan, the Community Outreach Crime Prevention Officer. “When we did the cops vs. surfers, it was really surfers vs. surfers, because a lot of our guys surf too. I think the police department is a reflection of the community.”
In addition to the surfing contest, OBPD, along with Hall of Fame surfer Mimi Munro, hosted a free surf clinic, challenged surfers a tug-o-war battle, and the officers also taught safety awareness.
“We know summer vacation is approaching for the kids, so we wanted to do something to try to keep everyone safe,” Brennan said. “Also, a bunch of people want to learn how to surf, so Mimi and officers showed them.” Along with surfers and officers, mermaids left momentarily left the ocean to hang out at the splash park to take pictures and enjoy the festivities.
Surf results: Men’s Pro: Jesse Heilman, first; Matt Zaccaria, second; Eros Exarhou, third; Free Open: Eric Worley, first; Chase Elmore, second; Dylan Martin, third.
