By Ashlea Prouty
BRIDGEVILLE — March 12, 2010 — Firefighters from around Sullivan County, along with sponsors from local businesses, met at Holiday Mountain Ski & Fun Park in Bridgeville on Saturday for the annual firefighters race.
The yearly fundraiser has been a joint effort between the Rock Hill Fire Department and the Sullivan County YMCA to support the “Strong Kids Campaign.” This program helps local children participate in youth sports and activities when a family does not have the funds to cover the fees.
According to Rock Hill FD member Jody Mitchell, they have been joining forces with the YMCA for the past three years.
It was a sunny and warm day that brought out nine adult and six youth ski teams. Each team consisted of five members skiing through a slalom course while hanging onto a 50-foot fire hose. Each member is required to ski wearing a fire jacket and a fire helmet.
Races took place in three divisions. The Business Division was won by Team Jamoka with the overall best time of 14.69 seconds.
Jerry’s Angels won the Youth Division (ages 9-15), with a time of 17.75 seconds.
In the Fire Department Division, Rock Hill Fire Department dominated the hill with a race time of 14.86 seconds.
The Rock Hill Fire Department team also had the honor of winning the Town of Thompson Division, a competition between the Monticello Fire Department and the Rock Hill Fire Department. The winning team gets to hold onto a special trophy until the next annual race.
The ski race was both exciting and humorous at the same time. As teams maneuvered their way down the hill, many smiles and much laughter followed. After all, skiing as a team to support two exceptional causes is a great way to spend the day.
The final overall results were as follows:
Business Division: Bib 0 – Team Jamoka, time of 14.69 seconds; Bib 79 – Roark’s Tavern, 15.24 seconds; Bib 80 – Monticello Wood Floors, 15.45 seconds; Bib 77 – Built to Last, 17.04 seconds; Bib 82 – YMCA Adult team, 24.17 seconds
Youth Division: Bib 76 – Jerry’s Angels, time of 17.75 seconds; Bib 81 – YMCA Youth, 24.85 seconds; Bib 78 – Danny’s Restaurant, 26.77 seconds; Bib 73 – Monticello PBA, 28.19 seconds; Bib 74 – Team K, 29.46 seconds; Bib 75 – JR Lawn Maintenance, 29.64 seconds
Fire Department Division: Bib 91 – Rock Hill FD, time of 14.86 seconds; Bib 84 – Lumberland FD, 15.75 seconds; Bib 88 – Monticello FD Auxiliary, 17.35 seconds; Bib 90 – Monticello FD, 18.40 seconds.