The lead-up to the 2022 Can-Am Police-Fire Games is already a huge success.
Exactly 128 golfers gathered Monday morning at Roseland Golf and Curling Club in Windsor for the inaugural Can-Am Golf Series, a major fundraiser for the 2022 Games, which will be held in Windsor. It is the first of a series of golf tournaments leading up to the games.
Golfers lined up in their carts near the clubhouse for a shotgun start, charging onto the course's paths for an 18-hole round with prizes available on some of the holes. Some of the challenges lined up for the golfers on the course included a blindfolded putting contest, skill-testing questions, a closest-to-the-hose or putt-with-an-axe challenge from Windsor Fire and Rescue, and others.
The golf event sold out weeks in events, which more than pleases Bill Merrylees, CEO of the CanAm Police-Fire Games.
"It's exceeded my expectations," said Merrylees. "The purpose of this event was to create awareness for the community, and this is the first time in the history of the Games, in 40 years, that we've had a golf tournament sold out before we've even had the event in 2022. So I think that speaks volumes."
One of the hallmarks of the Games is the promotion of goodwill amongst those working in law enforcement, or as first-responders. Merrylees said fundraising events such as the golf tournament are ideal in promoting the sportsmanship among competitors.
"We're going to see the camaraderie piece here," said Merrylees, a superintendent with the London Police Service. "I already see there's lots of police here, there's lots of fire, there's lots of EMS, and I'm sure there are corrections and lots of emergency services people here."
Merrylees said in his 30-plus years on the job in London, he has seen firsthand how certain incidents have affected those who answer those emergency calls, and that the golf tournament is perfect for supporting the mental health of those first-responders.
The Can-Am Police-Fire Games attracts first-responders from Canada and the U.S. The Games began in 1977 and became an annual event until 1996 when it switched to a biannual format.
Before Windsor hosts the Games in 2022, the next Games will be next summer in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri.
