On Saturday June 18, the Oyster Bay Teddy’s Boys traveled to the Denton Avenue tournament track in New Hyde Park to compete in the 2005 5th Battalion Old Fashioned Drill hosted by the Roslyn Highlands Fire Company. The Teddy’s Boys competed against other North Shore Fire Departments from Glen Cove, Sea Cliff, Glenwood, Syosset, East Norwich, Bayville, Roslyn Highlands and the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company also from Oyster Bay.
The Teddy’s Boys competed in a wide range of events from Three-Man ladder too events that utilized a cart drawn by 6 team members. Theses events were Running Ladder, Running Hose, and Running Hose Replacement. There are also events that do not require the use of a cart and these are Efficiency, Efficiency Replacement, 2 into 1, and Buckets.
The winner of each event receives points and at the end of the drill the team with the most points wins.
The Teddy’s Boys captured 37 out of a possible 40 points. This outstanding performance was enough to capture First Place Overall in the drill for the 14th year in a row. By doing this, Teddy’s Boys tie a 5th Battalion record set by the Bayville Fire Company which is 14 consecutive championships in the annual 5th Battalion Softball Tournament.
The Teddy’s Boys after returning to Oyster Bay took a victory lap through town passing the home of departed member Ex-Chief Joe Bennett who was a long time drill team member, coach, and friend the procession then continued to Fireman’s Field where all of the team’s practices take place and then returned to the fire house.
In 1988 the Teddy’s Boys drill team donated a Leg Trophy to pay tribute to Ex-Chief Joe Bennett. This trophy was a leg trophy meaning that it changed hands each year depending on who won the event. The Teddy’s Boys have won the trophy numerous times and saw fit to retire the trophy this year. It had a 17 year run and will now sit in the Members Room in the Fire House to be a constant reminder of how much Joe meant to the drill team and how much the drill team meant to Joe.
