Folsom Police Motorcycle Skills Challenge event a great success 

The Folsom Police Department is celebrating the great success of its Motorcycle Skills Challenge that took place Saturday, providing a unique showcase and spectacle enjoyed by spectators while raising awareness and interest in the department community wide. 

Hosted by the Folsom Police Department’s Traffic Unit, Saturday’s event provided an entire day of jaw-dropping displays of precision riding and agility that all ages enjoyed watching as motorcycle officers from all over the state, as well as military personnel and veteran military riders tested their skills for time and precision through an intense course that transformed three different tiers of the Lakeside Church parking lot into an arena of competition.

The free-to-attend spectacle began at 8 a.m. and continued until 4 p.m. with non-stop competition on the different courses all day long. It all began in grand fashion with opening ceremonies in which Folsom’s own Jessica Visconti presented a jaw-dropping rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that wrapped up with a helicopter flyover and a roar of applause from all that came out to watch from the sidelines. 

As of last week, Folsom Police Sergeant Tim Galovich was pleased the department had 65 riders pre-registered. By event day, the roster had climbed to 80 different riders, meeting the goal and maximum number of entrants they desired. This marked the first time since 2012 that Folsom hosted the event in the city. 

Among the 80 different riders, over 17 different agencies were represented in the Folsom event, which served not only as a spectacle for residents to enjoy but also as a competition and an opportunity for motorcycle officers to receive additional training and hone their skills on a controlled course.

Riders navigated their way through the series of demanding courses meticulously designed to put their agility, control and teamwork to the ultimate test.  In all, more than 18,00 orange cones were placed to create the unique courses. Entrants took to the course and competed for time, with their performance through the course scored and combined with their time to determine their overall score. In addition to the main course, adjacent courses offered other types of skill displays and tests, some of which included a required jump and even a stop and go where riders had to perform a bean bag toss during their run. 

In addition to the exciting action on the course, attendees enjoyed a festival atmosphere at the event, complete with vendors offering a variety of goods and tantalizing food trucks to satisfy any craving. The Folsom Police Department had several different displays at the event, from its classic police cruiser to its latest model Tesla’s, Liberty the Therapy dog, apparel for sale to benefit the Police Officers Association, activities for kids and an opportunity for residents to learn about the many different recruitment opportunities the department offers.

“We’ve had a lot of interest today at our recruitment booth and that’s always great to see, “ said Folsom Police Lt. Andrew Bates who was one of many officers on hand Saturday. “It’s a great turnout here today and we’re hoping to host this again soon. It’s great to see so many young people here with an interest in police work.”

Folsom Police Detective David Rojo is a veteran motorcycle officer with the department. Rojo was instrumental in the organizing the event’s return to Folsom. Once it was over, he heard plenty of positive feedback about it.

“So far I’ve been getting a ton of emails from up and down the state from all the agencies,” Rojo told Folsom Times. “All of the officers are stating that we just hosted the best motor competition they have ever been to and how the community was extremely welcoming (and) supportive of every officer out there.”

Saturday’s event took months of planning and organization by members of the department over the last several months. According to Galovich, the planning began all the way back in December.  The event drew a great deal of community businesses that sponsored the event and a full house of on site booths, vendors and different food trucks.  Folsom Times joined in the event with co-founder Adam Frick emceeing the competition the entire day along with Folsom’s Bryan Greenwalt who kept the crowd informed and entertained throughout the entire day. 

“We were excited to be asked to be part of this event,” said Frick. “Keeping our city informed with what’s happening is what we do day in and day out, but being part of our community like we are here today is something we take great pride in. It was a pleasure to be out here and see so many others join us.” 

Folsom Police Chief Rick Hillman was also on site during the day, Hillman, who has many years of police motorcycle experience was also pleased with the turnout, along with the weather for the event. 

“We couldn’t have asked for a nice day for this,” said Hillman. “It’s really great to see such a good turnout.”

Following the entire day of competition, officers and their families joined many sponsors and others for then event gala and dinner where participants were  recognized with their respective awards for their success during the day. Event sponsors, volunteers and organizers were also recognized at the gala. 

Dan Paiz of the Sacramento Police Department won the Folsom Police Department’s Chief’s Award as the best overall rider Saturday. Craig Howard of the Fresno Police Department won the Metric A Class division. Connor Lawrence of Sacramento Police won the Metric B Class award. The American A Class Awards went to Justin Ens of the Bakersfield Police Department; Francisco Torres of the North Sacramento California Highway Patrol won the American B Class; USCM Veteran Andy Change won the Military class; Team barrel racing was claimed by Cody Grant of the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department and Michael Guzman of the Beverly Hills Police Department.

The Folsom Police Department rode in Saturday’s event, but was not included in the overall scores as they were the host of the event. Additional event results are below with additional photo coverage.

Photos below by Bill Sullivan/Folsom Times unless otherwise noted. See even more full size images HERE.

Above photos by Bill Sullivan/Folsom Times unless otherwise noted. See even more full size images HERE.