By Jodie Wagner
Palm Beach Post
Copyright 2007 The Palm Beach Newspapers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Whether battling blazes or flinging footballs, Florida’s firefighters are a tough, competitive bunch.
Take German Alvarez, for example.
The Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue firefighter arrived in Palm Beach County on May 14 to take part in the Florida State Firefighter Games’ 7-on-7 flag football competition.
Like his teammates, the Miramar resident wasn’t settling for a silver medal.
“Some people come out here for fun,” said Alvarez, who has taken part in two previous Florida State Firefighter Games. “Myself, I like to compete. I want to win. It’s fun to play, but I play to win.”
So does Joe Ramsey, a 24-year veteran of Boca Raton Fire Rescue who took part in the Firefighter Games’ bowling competition.
“We’re pretty competitive,” the Vero Beach resident said. “The old-timers that we used to bowl with, they’re all pretty competitive. The young guys, they seem to be out for a good time.”
The Florida State Firefighter Games were created 34 years ago for just that reason.
Held each May at rotating sites throughout the state - Palm Beach County is a four-time host - the Florida State Firefighter Games bring together thousands of firefighters from around the state for two weeks of fun, fellowship and friendly competition.
“It’s a way for all of us to provide camaraderie with each other,” Scott Scherr, president of the United States Firefighter Games and director of the state competition, said of the event. “We exchange ideas and information, new technology. We have a lot of friends.
“We see their families grow. When they come and bring their families to the events, we see the kids and what they’re doing. It’s more of a camaraderie thing to get away from the stresses of the fire department so we can let loose for two weeks and try to relax.”
This year’s Games afforded more than 4,000 firefighters that opportunity.
During the May 14-26 competition, athletes from around the state competed in more than 40 events. Venues throughout Palm Beach County served as host sites.
“Everything is out there,” said Scherr, who ran daily operations from the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott Hotel. “We go from archery and arm wrestling to wrestling and volleyball. We cover just about all the aspects of every sport.”
Palm Beach County, with its many beaches (beach volleyball), rec centers (basketball), parks (flag football) and golf courses (2-person, 4-person scramble), is one of the few regions in the state that can accommodate them all.
This year’s Games marks the second time in three years that Palm Beach County has hosted the event. The past two competitions were held in Lakeland and Gainesville.
“We have the amenities and the fields, more so than anywhere else,” Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue captain Scott Raynor said. “There’s almost 40 sports, and you need a lot of different things.
“The one thing about southeast Florida is we have a lot of different fields and everything else. We can do ice hockey, we can do roller hockey, we can do football, we can do softball, we can do golf. We can do all that stuff.”
For 12 days, athletes of all ages gladly strapped on their pads and cleats.
“I just came to compete and have fun, spend time with the guys,” said Jonathan West, a Fort Myers firefighter who competed in ice hockey.
“It’s the camaraderie, and a lot of guys reliving their dreams from before,” added Larry Jones, a Pompano Beach Fire Rescue veteran who took part in flag football. “It’s the camaraderie of playing against the guys you’ve played with or met over the years.”