Team “ Dirty Dodgers ” of Monmouth County Detectives Local 256 . From left , Charlie Trucillo , Dylan Lovgren ,
Steve Hodge , Kayla Santiago , TJ Mano and Chris Schirripa
Dodge for the cause
Monmouth County Detectives Local 256 leads PBA support of Dodgetoberfest for SONJ n BY AMBER RAMUNDO
A player gets nailed in the shin by a hard-hitting Nerf ball . The referee blows the whistle loudly and signals for the athlete to drop the ball and clear to the sideline — he ’ s out .
The scene is enough to trigger memories of middle school gym class , where girls and boys either cheered or shuddered at the mention of a dodgeball tournament . But on Oct . 21 at the Robbinsville Field House , the game was elevated to a whole new level as first responders stormed the courts for the 4th Annual Dodgetoberfest .
Among the refs calling the shots at the event was Robert Flanigan , a Monmouth County Detectives Local 256 member who rarely misses a chance to volunteer for Law Enforcement Torch Run events that benefit the Special Olympics of New Jersey ( SONJ ).
“ It ’ s a great time and it ’ s something different ,” Flanigan said , having participated in the Torch Run , Snow Bowl and plenty of Polar Bear Plunges over the years as a state committee member of SONJ .
Flanigan and his partner ref , Todd Smith of Freehold Township Local 209 , manned one of the three dodgeball courts set up in the field house , while their sons Liam and Jake helped to keep the balls in bounds for the competitors to launch at one another .
Over the years , Dodgetoberfest Event Coordinator Ed Dean has advertised the event with the slogan : “ If you can dodge a wrench , you can dodge for a cause ,” paraphrasing the popular quote from the movie “ Dodgeball .” But they didn ’ t just dodge for a cause . The 12 teams of local law enforcement , firefighters and athletic organizations from across the state pegged , ducked and dove in support of Special Olympic athletes , while also letting off some steam from their busy lives .
“ It was an idea that we had to engage younger law enforcement officers ,” Dean shared . “ It gives people an excuse to lay out some aggression and play a fun sport while raising funds for a good cause .”
The event is intended to provide firefighters and law enforcement officers with a chance to have some lighthearted fun , but the first responders and other local teams proved that there ’ s no way to play dodgeball without some competitive flair .
“ People get mad and even yell ,” Flanigan said . “ I have to remind them that this is a charity event and I ’ m a volunteer . But at the end of the day , everybody realizes why they ’ re there .”
When team Dirty Dodgers lined up on Flanigan ’ s court , he knew
Robert Flanigan ( center right ) stands with members of Monmouth County Detectives Local 256 at the trophy table after refereeing Dodgetoberfest .
the team of six was going to be especially vocal . Not only were they up against team Wolfpack , the defending Dodgetoberfest champions , but the Dirty Dodgers also happened to be members of Local 256 . They thought that they ’ d be able to get Flanigan to call the game in their favor .
“ Help us win this one . This team ’ s really good !” the officers joked with Flanigan , who had no intentions but to call a fair game .
Six dodgeballs were spread evenly across the centerline of the turf court . Local 256 officer Dylan Lovgren stood at the ready with the Dirty Dodgers to launch into action . Lovgren may not have played dodgeball since grade school , but his natural knack for the game came right back to him as soon as the first whistle blew .
“ It was always one of those games you looked forward to ,” Lovgren described . “ Any time we ’ re able to get together and have some fun , laughs and a little competition , it ’ s always a good thing .”
As the game began and the balls started flying rapid-fire across the court , the officers quickly shifted into survival mode to avoid getting hit . The game may seem carefree , but for these first responders , it ’ s a chance to exercise their strength as a unit and build camaraderie among the team .
“ I think any time you can get out with your partners and do things other than police work is important ,” Lovgren stressed . “ You need to go out and have fun as a unit and set work aside . The dodgeball tournament was a great way to do that . You make connections in the process .”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 56 www . njcopsmagazine . com ■ NOVEMBER 2017 55