Games to Promote Drug Use Awareness

More than two dozen teams are expected to compete in the 1993 Ventura County Red Ribbon Games, a weekend of events to promote drug-abuse awareness, at a park in Camarillo beginning Oct. 23.

The early registration deadline is Friday, for teams competing in softball, basketball, track-and-field, pumpkin races and other events in observance of Red Ribbon Week.

During Red Ribbon Week, students and adults wear red ribbons to display their commitment to a drug-free lifestyle. Ribbon-wearers pledge not to use illegal drugs and not to illegally use legal drugs, such as alcohol.

“It’s an attempt to create an awareness about alcohol and other drug abuse,” said Dale Hoffman, coordinator of the county’s Friday Night Live program, which is co-sponsoring the games.

“Alcohol is still the drug of choice among high school students, and there are still more students killed in alcohol-related car crashes than anything else,” he said.

This year’s Red Ribbon Games, the third year they are being held in Ventura County, will take place at Freedom Park, just south of the Ventura Freeway near Camarillo Airport.

“A lot of people don’t realize that alcohol and other drugs have a serious negative effect on our society,” Hoffman said. “Alcohol is a legal drug, but it gets abused fairly frequently.”

Registration for the event--$5 per person, $20 for a family or $75 for a team entry fee--must be completed by Friday to avoid late charges, Hoffman said.