39th Annual DRPS Children's Games
On Sunday, November 5, 2023, the DRPS Children’s Games celebrated its 39th year.
Guest speakers and special guests were piped in, followed by each team walking in to their chosen team song. The excitement and cheering could be felt and heard across the venue. To announce the start of the games, the top male and female athletes from 2019, Naiya Corbin and Cameron Dass assisted Chief Moreira and Deputy Mayor Bob Chapman with the ribbon cutting.
Sixty-eight athletes registered to attend and were split into eight teams: Public Safety, Traffic, Detectives, Patrol, K9, Forensics, Auxiliary and Tactical. They rotated between eight games, and members of each team kept score to add to a final tally. At the end of the events the points were tallied and the winner of the games and Chief's Cup Award was announced....Congratulations to the Public Safety team!
The final event of the day was a wheelchair rugby game between the winning team and DRPS members...and of course Public Safety kept the winning streak going. Athletes on the winning team were presented with trophies at the closing ceremony, and every athlete was given their medal of participation.
A few years ago DRP Children's Games lost a dear friend and long-time committee member, Laura Zutell. In her honour, the Laura Zutell Spirit Award was created. This award was created for those athletes who, like Laura, exemplify true sportsmanship through their enthusiasm and support of their fellow participants. We were honoured to have Laura’s husband attend and present the Spirit Award to an athlete from each team.
The 2023 top female was awarded to Adalyn Cawwood-Lawrence and top male was awarded to Sebastien Rousell. Congratulations!
At the games, athletes were able to pose for photos with special guests, including the Durham College mascot, the Ontario Tech mascot and Toys R' Us giraffe. Fire Dog Tessa was also on hand for some furry high-fives, putting big smiles on the faces of the athletes.
Many of the athletes and their families came with bags full of pop tabs. A huge thank you to committee members for all their hard work and dedication, DRPS Auxiliary Officers, DRPS members, all of our sponsors, volunteers and the athletes and their families.
Save the date for the 40th DRPS Children’s Games: October 26, 2024.
For more information on the DRPS Children’s Games please visit www.drpchildrensgames.com
