Area cops and firefighters go to bat for Special Olympics

It was a bit of a struggle to get enough players to field a team from Mount Prospect for Saturday's charity softball tournament.

But the cops and firefighters came together, and they made their presence known.

As "Eye of the Tiger" blared from a boombox, players hammed it up, taking ground balls and practice swings at the Clauss Park and Recreation Center in Roselle.

Teams from six area towns made it out Saturday to compete in the Roselle Police Department's second annual Badge and Nozzle 16-inch softball tournament. Proceeds from the tournament, which last year garnered $2,000, will be donated to Special Olympics Illinois.

Heidi Onion, a Roselle police officer, said she hopes to garner a similar amount this year.

"It's an opportunity to get together with other departments in the area in the spirit of giving," Onion said.

In addition to Mount Prospect, police and firefighters from Carol Stream, Bartlett, Wheeling, Melrose Park and Roselle fielded teams for the daylong tournament.

Carol Stream police officers have participated in several Special Olympics fundraisers over the last five years that included posting police officers on the roofs of local Dunkin' Donuts stores and serving patrons at a Culver's in town. A few officers even make it down to volunteer at the Special Olympics events, hosted each year on the campus of Illinois State University in Bloomington.

"We just like doing our part to keep it going and make sure there's funding," said Pete Spizzirri, a Carol Stream police officer. "It's all for a good cause."

It was Melrose Park's team of police officers, however, which won this year's top prize, defeating Mount Prospect in the final game.

"We just came out to support their efforts," Mount Prospect Cmdr. John Wagner said. "It was a fun time."