Imagine growing up as a young boy, constantly being told to be careful. Not the kind of “be careful” where your mom catches you roughhousing with your sibling; this kind of “be careful” is the one where a doctor tells you not to ride a bike or play sports

A young boy told at an early age that he can’t ride a bike, play football, or play soccer seems a little unfair.

Such is the childhood endured by Adam Wilson. Born with a blockage that caused one kidney to deteriorate while impacting development of the other, “be careful” was an everyday staple of Wilson’s life.

But did he listen?

What do you think?

Against doctor’s orders, he still rode bikes and enjoyed a relatively normal childhood, just minus the sports. This routine followed him all through high school, ultimately causing the military to turn him down.

Of course, none of this would stop Adam Wilson.

Fueled by an extremely competitive attitude he knew sitting on the sidelines had gone on long enough.  He started running ultimately setting his sights on an ultra-marathon. His nephrologist insisted that he give up long distance running because of the pressure it puts on the kidneys so Wilson made a deal, “I would come right back after my ultra-marathon (the North Face Endurance Challenge in Atlanta) and if my kidney function had dropped I would stop.”   After the race, Wilson returned to the doctor and was delighted to learn that his Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) numbers had actually improved!  Scratching his head, the doctor decided that Wilson’s one kidney was more efficient than most. Deemed essentially healthy, he was given the green light to pursue whatever he wanted.

Since the ultra-marathon, Wilson joined the Gastonia Police Department’s SWAT team, a highly-regarded squad that has won many competitions including a world championship on ESPN. Wilson saw this as an opportunity to pursue a dream he coveted since his childhood: he wanted to be part of a team. “I’ve always had a ‘going to the extreme’ personality,” he said. “If I am going to start running, I want to run an ultra- marathon, If I am going to be a cop, I want to be SWAT. If I work out, I want to make it as crazy as possible.” SWAT is not just any team, Wilson says.  “It’s about as intense as it gets.”  And to better his performance as part of that team, and to better himself, Wilson took up CrossFit®.

He got hooked right away.  If he wasn’t competitive before, he most certainly is now. “CrossFit® is about mental toughness and who can keep pushing forward whenever you feel like quitting,” he says. “You can never be finished getting better.”

Adam Wilson will participate in next summer’s World Police & Fire Games as part of its first ever CrossFit® competition and he is going to enjoy every minute. “I know that the WPFG does not come around my area very often and I don’t know how many chances I will have in my career to take part in an event like this.  I want to make the most of it.”

With his wife, Amy, and their three-pound Yorkie, Ben, in his corner, Adam is ready to take on the world. Even with one kidney he is clearly a force with which to be reckoned.

Laurel Hill Golf Club – You may be surprised to learn that Laurel Hill’s majestic landscape was once the site of Lorton Prison/Reformatory for much of the 20th century. Golfers can still see the prison guard towers and dormitories from the 11th tee.

Designed by course architect Bill Love, Laurel Hill is a true test for accomplished golfers as well as the many amateurs that play here on a regular basis. Laurel Hill successfully hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in July, 2013.

Love’s overall design objective for Laurel Hill was to respect the existing features and let its natural beauty dictate the character and challenge of the course. By all accounts he succeeded as the golf media continue to describe the course with accolades like “one of a kind,” “visually stunning,” and “five star resort.” Laurel Hill is a 7010 yard par 71 course.

 

  

 

---

 

Lansdowne Resort – A golf experience unlike any other in the Washington, DC area awaits you at Lansdowne Resort. The golf club at Lansdowne offers 45 holes of golf designed by world-renowned architects Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and Greg Norman.

Our rounds will be played at the Robert Trent Jones II Course. Robert Trent Jones showcases his master design touch across the Virginia countryside incorporating fields, woodlands, natural stone outcroppings and centuries’ old rock walls. While friendly, the strategic layout will test the skills of both the accomplished and novice golfer.

This par 72, 7063 yard course promises to be a memorable round every time.

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

Evergreen Country Club – This 18-hole par 72 golf course was completed in 1968 and matured into one of the most popular in the area. This course measures 7096 yards from the championship tees and provides a challenging and enjoyable round for golfers of all levels. Greens and tees are bent grass while the fairways are comprised of Bermuda grass.

Evergreen Country Club, designed by Algie Pulley, has a layout which features water on 6 of the 18 holes. The very unique figure eight style golf course ensures that there are no parallel fairways. It also offers a cohesive environment where a golfer becomes one with nature. Some of the prestigious golf tournaments previously and currently held at Evergreen Country Club include, Virginia State Open Championship, USGA U.S. Amateur Qualifier, and a multitude of charity events. A new state of the art multi-row irrigation system and continuous concrete cart paths were added recently.

 

 

Roughly 4,000 people live in South Jacksonville, IL, a rural Midwestern town roughly two hours north of St. Louis (or a four hour’s drive southwest of Chicago, take your pick). Of those 4,000 residents, one of the town’s more prominent citizens is Joshua Hallock, a patrolman with the South Jacksonville Police Department.

 

An officer only since 2008, the 38-year-old Hallock has become surprisingly accomplished in PPC, or police pistol competition. In other words, this guy is good with his handgun … and actually, his hands for that matter. After all, Hallock worked as a studio drummer for 15 years prior to joining the force.  

 

As recruit with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Hallock began experimenting with police pistol shooting, and more specifically PPC.  Hallock recently registered to participate in the PPC competition at next summer’s World Police & Fire Games.

 

“All officers should take an interest in shooting skills,” Hallock says.  “It is my belief that a police officer should be extremely proficient in the use of the pistol and marksmanship as they can be the most important tools used to save an officer’s life.”

 

Since his arrival on the force, Hallock founded the Central Illinois Police Pistol League in the Jacksonville area and competed in numerous PPC events around the country.  This past September, Hallock competed in the 2014 NRA National Police Shooting Championships in Albuquerque. He earned third place in the 7- and 15-Yard Standing Without Support competition in the Municipal Division, finishing two places better than in 2013.

 

 “I use my time at these PPC matches to gather the knowledge from my more experienced competitors and I deploy that experience in my own local training environments,” he said. 

 

No doubt about it, Joshua Hallock has already made a big impact in a small town.  Next summer, he hopes to replicate those results on the world stage.

 

Even technology at its very best can’t hold up to 750,000 page views on a single day!

 

With more than three-quarters of a million hits on Tuesday, October 1, athlete registration website actually shut down for a short period of time.

 

“That was a problem,” said World Police & Fire Games Director of Technology Craig Luecke.  “But it was a good problem.”  Within minutes, the system was back up and running and by the end of the day, registrations were on record pace.  In the weeks to follow, those figures increased exponentially as the system saw a major influx of both individual and team sign-ups.  

 

The impact was felt all the way in California, where Dan Ellison, Chief Administrative Officer of the World Police & Fire Games Federation praised the milestone launch.  “All the preliminary work that Craig has put in has paid clear dividends as first day registration numbers for Fairfax 2015 clearly outpaced the most recent Games held in Belfast and New York City,” he said.  “We are extremely pleased with the efforts that the entire Fairfax team have put forward to date.  Fairfax is raising the bar for future hosts.” 

 

The impressive numbers have not been limited to the registrants.  According to Luecke, the Games website had a 28 day average of just over 11 million page views.  Facebook numbers have also been on the rise.  Games page “likes” have jumped from 68,000 to over 74,000 in the past 30 days with a weekly average of 211,000 people viewing Games content.  A recent video posting highlighting the Games received over 20,000 views in 24 hours.

 

According to Luecke, the numbers are entirely consistent with the competition’s push to draw 12,000 participants for next summer’s Games.  The key to the success was five years in the making.  “Ever since we were awarded these Games in 2009, we have been building conversations among participants,” Luecke said.  “Even as participants entered the 2011 Games in New York and the 2013 competition in Belfast, the buzz about Fairfax built, grew and snowballed.  When registration finally opened last month, it was like a dam bursting open … that’s how prominent the interest has been in our competition.”

 

While some events are approaching capacity already, there are still openings in each of the 61 sports but as Luecke says, “how long those openings remain is anybody’s guess.”  To register for your sport, visit http://fairfax2015.com/registration.

 

The countdown began during closing ceremonies of the Belfast World Police & Fire Games in August 2013 and now its will be time to launch.

On Wednesday, October 1 at 12:00 PM EST individual and team registration officially opened for the 2015 World Police & Fire Games, set to unfold in Fairfax County and the National Capital Region from June 26 through July 5, 2015. With 61 sports to be contested at 53 venues across ten days next summer, athletes from among the ranks of law enforcement and fire and rescue personnel will soon be able to stake their claim to a guaranteed slot within the competition. 

“Registration is a critical milestone for our athletes and truly marks the start of the Games,” said Fairfax 2015 Chief Operating Officer DJ Mackovets. “The buzz and the chatter on social media and the Fairfax 2015 website have been enormous. We know that the moment registration opens, the action will be furious. We fully expect several sports to ‘sell-out’ in a matter of weeks.”

The urgency, Mackovets says, is legitimate. As the potential competitive field for several of the sports can be limited by venue size and available dates, once a field is filled, it’s filled. “Obviously, events such as cross country, swimming, half-marathon and several of the cycling sports could accommodate an unlimited number of participants, but you can only fit so many flag football, softball, volleyball and soccer teams into a venue and only field a limited number of weightlifters, wrist wrestlers and martial artists,” he said.

"The Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Hockey Teams are eagerly awaiting the opening of registration on October 1st with great anticipation” said Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Deputy Fire Chief Chuck Ryan. “Ice Hockey always fills up early and we want to ensure we have the opportunity to represent Fairfax County and the USA in this prestigious event so our applications will be one of the first ones in." said Ryan.

The Games are open to all active and retired sworn law enforcement and fire service personnel. More detailed eligibility guidelines as well as details related to rules; regulations and tournament formats are clearly defined online at www.Fairfax2015.com. Once open, registration will take place online exclusively at www.Fairfax2015.com. There is no pre-qualification necessary, no preliminary tournaments nor feeder events, and the Games are structured so as to provide a competitive balance for teams and individuals across all sports, with divisions specifically for beginners, intermediate and advanced participants.

“We strongly advise and encourage all interested parties to read and review the rules, regulations and requirements of each sport thoroughly, in advance of registration opening,” Mackovets says. “This way, they can pull the trigger quickly when the site goes live.”