Page 46 - April2021_Magazine

46 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ APRIL 2021
Sidelined no more
The CPD Enforcers have been practicing in anticipation of a season they hope will lead to a championship and, more importantly, the opportunity to continue their unmatched charitable work.
n BY DAN CAMPANA
Some 22 months ago, the CPD Enforcers fell just short of their second consecutive trip to the National Public Safety Football League title game.
That disappointment served as motivation, the team’s leaders contend, to propel the Enforcers into the 2020 season for a program that has seen its stature as a NPSFL powerhouse grow in recent years. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and much like everything else, the Enforcers were forced to the sidelines indefinitely.
“It’s been tough,” said Enforcers President Jason Slater, a 19th District sergeant. “We were kind of riding the high of being right there.”
But the unwanted hiatus ends this month as the Enforcers return to action for the 2021 season, which kicks off April 17 on the road against the Cleveland Warriors. The five-game slate also features home games against FDNY and league newcomers from Indiana and the annual friendly-rivalry battle against the CFD Blaze on June 19. The Enforcers will travel to Boston in May to take on the Philadelphia Blue Flames.
Preparations for the return to action have included prac- tices bringing a mix of players together to get back to foot- ball shape and attitude. Although roster numbers are down for a variety of reasons, Slater is encouraged by how the team is looking and playing.
“We have a really good core of veterans, and we’ve seen some younger guys stepping up. Everyone has really rallied around each other,” Slater said. “It’s been good to get back to reality, in a sense, and to get a break from reality at the same time.”
What CPD Enforcers players — all Chicago Police Offi- cers — have encountered on the job during the past year has taken its toll on everyone’s mental health and well-be-
ing. Getting back to sports is a welcome release for Slater and the team, as evidenced by the playful “jaw-jacking” that follows every practice snap, Slater explained with a laugh.
“That helps lighten the atmosphere,” he added.
The 2021 NPSFL season will look a little different, with no championship games, no penalties for forfeited games and an extended window for teams to complete their sched- ules. That doesn’t lessen what’s going to happen between the lines, whether it’s the physicality of game action or the Enforcers’ expectations for prominence in the NPSFL. It all starts in Cleveland against a Warriors team with one game under its belt already.
“That is probably one of the hardest-hitting games,” Slat- er said of the matchup against Cleveland, noting that it is testament to the Midwestern style of football. “That first snap of the game, it’s different than practice.”
Slater joked that his excitement for the season opener brings with it the realization that his 38-year-old body will be the worse for wear when he arrives for work the next day. But it’s all worth it as the Enforcers finally get back to foot- ball — and doing their charitable work, which also took a hit in 2020.
“It was kind of a wash of a season,” Slater acknowledged, noting that the Enforcers had to put off their annual Christ- mas toy drive and held off on seeking donations.
In 2021, the team has its sights set on summer events to get the ball rolling again to support its charities. The En- forcers Facebook page, www.facebook.com/CPDEnforcers, is a good place to find information on those activities and other ways people can back the Enforcers this season.
Catching his breath after practice before heading to do his tour, Slater certainly spoke for the entire team about the goal for this season.
“Championships are great, but the pride in what we do is what matters most,” Slater said.
CPD Enforcers ready for return