Q: Can you share some background about the recent Brawl of the Badges event?
A: I had wanted to start a boxing program for our PAL youth and we did, after the county gave us some classroom space to use. We average around 60 kids in the PAL boxing program with adults teaching, so we could see that boxing is a popular sport. We challenged our SJSO staff to see if there was interest internally in boxing and about a dozen of our employees participate in our boxing wellness program.
Then the idea for the Brawl of the Badges came about and we decided to pit police officers vs. firefighters. Sgt. Krissie Padgett is the reigning Guns and Hoses champion, and she came with me to SJSO from the St. Augustine Beach Police Department. She had experience with this type of competition and was instrumental in setting up the event. We hosted Brawl of the Badges at the Ketterlinus Gym on Feb. 24, right after and next to the Florida Man Games, which were held earlier at St. Francis Field.
Q: How did the event go?
A: It was very exciting and we had about 1,000 people in attendance. Community partners including Woolsey Law, Mastercraft, 201 Wraps and Amp Hardcore Gym ensured that we had no overhead expenses. The night featured eight bouts, starting with two featuring our PAL boxing kids. The female fight featured Maddy Olsen vs. Maggie McHone and the male fight featured Kaleb King vs. Aiden Graves. The six other bouts were adult bouts — three female bouts and three male bouts. All the boxers on the police side were SJSO employees, while on the fire side, employees from the St. Augustine City Fire Department and St. Johns Fire and Rescue were featured, along with a few members from Amp Hardcore Gym and Fight Like a Girl Gym. It was a great night for kids and for boxers and their families.
Q: Did you have judges?
A: We had some great guest judges: James Singletary and Alexandre “Cafe” Dantas, both well known MMA champions; Marcus Pollard from the NFL; Ernest Wilford, a former Jacksonville Jaguar who now works as a detective for JSO; and Brandon James, a St. Augustine High School graduate who played in the NFL and now is a teacher and coach at St. Augustine High School. Veronica Fuata, former Teacher of the Year at Cunningham Creek Elementary School, sang the National Anthem.
Q: Do you have plans for another event next year?
A: We are already looking forward to 2025 and plan to piggyback again with the Florida Man Games. We plan for next year’s event to be a fundraiser for PAL and in fact any extra money we had from this year’s event was donated to PAL. Brawl of the Badges is a great community partnership that highlights the relationship we have with our partner agencies. It’s a good time of camaraderie with our brothers and sisters in fire and rescue and gives the PAL kids an opportunity to show off their talent. It also shows the community that we enjoy life like everyone else!
Q: What is the best way for our readers to contact you with any questions or suggestions about this article?
A: They can email me at sheriff@sjso.org or call me at (904) 824-8304. Also, our website, www.sjso.org has a wealth of resources, from alarm registration to Crime Stoppers to our Neighbors app.
