The Amarillo Police Department and the 100 Club of the Texas Panhandle are hosting the third annual Iron Horse Shoot Out, a three-day event starting Thursday at the Old Santa Fe Depot in downtown Amarillo. During the motorcycle riding skills event, law enforcement and civilian riders will show their prowess and learn from other riders.
The free, family-friendly, motorcycle skills competition will feature law enforcement and civilian riders who have come from across North America to participate in the event. Registration was limited to the first 100 paid riders.
“Every year, motorcycle training competitions are held across the United States to give police motor officers and civilians an opportunity to push their skills to the next level,” Sgt. Trent Thomas, with the Amarillo Police Department Motors Squad, said in a news release. “We are excited to host the third-annual Iron Horse Shoot Out, where we will once again welcome participants of all skill levels from across the nation.”
According to the release, all proceeds from the Iron Horse Shoot Out will go to the 100 Club of the Texas Panhandle, which provides assistance to the families of certified peace officers and firefighters who are killed or injured in the line of duty. The 100 Club also provides law enforcement and firefighting agencies with life-protecting equipment that cannot be secured through budgeted funds and agencies.
Iron Horse Shoot Out board member Todd Beckham spoke about the upcoming event.
“We are extremely excited to be the host for the third year, with riders coming from all over the country, as well as riders from Canada,” he said. "We are happy to bring these people into our city so they can experience Amarillo and support our law enforcement and the 100 Club of the Texas Panhandle. We hope the public comes out to this free event to support us."
All bikes in the competition must be 1000 CC or greater to be used in the event.
Following a practice session this week, Kenneth Donais, a corporal with the Amarillo Police Department and a rider in the event, spoke about the importance of the competition for the participants.
“The riders that come to participate or watch gain more knowledge, extend what they can do to come into a comfort zone of what they do to build confidence in them to make them a better, safer rider for their street rides,” he said. “It's the closest thing for a police motorcycle officer to be involved in as far as stress and adrenaline as to being in a chase on the actual street. This is the best training that we can give a motor officer, to be inoculated to do something on the street.”
Donais emphasized that these maneuvers are the types that officers could face in traffic if something happened on the road, to avoid further accidents and better serve the public. One of the reasons behind the start of the competition for Donais is to save lives, and he feels that these skills are beneficial to saving lives and preventing injuries.
"This is a great event and a great fundraiser for the 100 Club to help first responders across the Texas Panhandle,” he said. “I believe this event brings the public and officers closer together, so that they can see we are community members just like them.”
For more information about the event, go to https://www.ironhorseshootout.com/ .
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