Shootout for a good cause

Feb. 11--It was police officers vs. firefighters at the Stillwater High School gymnasium Friday as they battled each other for bragging rights and raised money to meet community needs.

The annual police vs. fire charity basketball game, now in its fourth year, seems to be well-established with support from Stillwater Citizens Academy alumni, Apha Gamma Rho fraternity and numerous friends and family members.

The police team included players from the Stillwater Police Department, Oklahoma State University Police Department, Payne County Sheriff's Office and Oklahoma Highway Patrol while all players on the firefighters' team were members of the Stillwater Fire Department.

The game is a chance for the public safety community to do good while fanning the flames of the friendly but intense rivalry that exists between police departments and the fire service.

Sheyian Bordstrom and her friend Tiffany Stokes came out to support former co-workers from the OSU Police Department.

It wasn't so simple for Gina Cosden and her son Henry Fielder. She has a feet in both camps as both a former probation and parole supervisor and a former firefighter.

She and Henry finally decided to split the difference with him cheering for the firefighters and her cheering for the police.

City Manager Norman McNickle, a former Stillwater chief of police, wouldn't admit to supporting either team over the other. In a radio appearance before the game, he carefully said everyone on the court that night would be a winner.

The police still believed he was secretly rooting for them.

Heading into the game, fire department supporters were proud to say the firefighters had won each of the first four years.

That winning streak was broken Friday when the police defeated the firefighters 42-36.

The game was originally organized to raise funds to help cover the cost of cancer treatment for Stillwater school resource officer Jeremy Hooten's son. He beat the disease, but the basketball game has lived on to support other causes.

"It's really cool," Hooten said. "It think it will keep going for a long time."

The proceeds from this year's game will be split between the police and fire departments who have each picked a cause to support.

The police will put their share into the Stillwater Police Department's Community Outreach Program to support efforts like the Shop with a Cop holiday shopping program, the Cops and Bobbers fishing program and the Stillwater Citizens Academy.

The firefighters are supporting the Heart of a Champion stock show for children with special needs.

Twitter: @mcharlesNP

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