PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 20, No. 19, May 3, 2001

World Police and Fire Games offer Ortiz Olympic-style competition

Sharita Forrest, News Bureau Staff Writer
(217) 244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu

Photo by Bill Wiegand Eye on the ball When Officer Tony Ortiz competes in the World Police and Fire Games in Indianapolis in June, he will become the first member of the UI police department to do so. He will compete in the master division of handball, which comprises men ages 40-49 of all skill levels. Ortiz said he began playing handball in 1971 while in junior high in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Officer Tony Ortiz will become the first member of the UI police department to compete in the World Police and Fire Games, an international Olympic-style competition for police and firefighters. The world games will be June 9-16, at various venues in and around Indianapolis.

More than 10,000 active and retired police and firefighters from 60 countries will come together at the games to test their athletic prowess and job-specific skills. Athletes will compete in more than 70 traditional sports and 350 events, including martial arts, rowing, swimming, a triathlon, bucket brigades and S.W.A.T. team competitions.

A 13-year veteran of the UI police force, Ortiz, 44, will be competing in the master division of handball, which comprises men ages 40-49 of all skill levels.

"This is the test of tests," Ortiz said. "Some of these police officers are in the Olympics, and there are semi-pros and pro-level people. I’ll be competing against some of the best. It’s a chance to compete against people who just may blow you away, but it’ll still be a great experience."

Ortiz said he began playing handball in 1971 while in junior high in Brooklyn, N.Y. Undefeated his first and second years of play, Ortiz was recruited by Samuel Tilden High School to play for its nationally ranked handball team. Ortiz credits his high school coach, Leo Hirsch, now retired, with honing his skills.

In college, Ortiz played on the UI at Chicago handball team before coming to the Urbana campus to complete his bachelor’s degree, and later his master’s degree, in kinesiology. While a graduate student, Ortiz served as the strength coach for Intercollegiate Athletics, helping train and condition athletes from several university teams.

A certified personal trainer, Ortiz is the director of physical fitness for the university police department, designing individualized strength-training programs for UI police officers. Among other duties, Ortiz conducts workplace violence prevention workshops around campus and coordinates the Rape Aggression Defense course – often called RAD.

A boxing coach, Ortiz designed his own conditioning program, Boxing Boot Camp, which he teaches four times a semester at IMPE. Ortiz used his program to train for the upcoming World Police and Fire Games. His conditioning regimen also includes running 3 1/2 miles once a week, working out with light weights and punching bags as well as twice-a-week handball games.

"It is quite an honor for him to be able to participate in the games," said Oliver J. Clark, the UI police chief. "He has quite a reputation for playing the game quite well. We told him he’s got to go over and win and put our department on the map."

Ortiz’s wife, Gwyn, and daughters Melissa, Erin and Adriana and numerous family members from the Chicago area will be at the games to cheer him on. Ortiz said he has appreciated the support he has received from his sponsors, the UI Employees Credit Union and James Carnahan, a professor of general engineering.

In addition to the athletic challenge the games will pose, Ortiz said he’s excited about the opportunity to meet and share good times with police officers from around the world.

A May 11 torch-lighting ceremony in Indianapolis will mark the advent of the games. On May 19, teams originating in Quebec City, Quebec; Vancouver, British Columbia; San Diego; and Tampa, Fla., will begin a simultaneous relay. The four flames will be carried to 72 cities throughout the United States and Canada before they’re returned to Indianapolis for the June 9 opening ceremonies.

The torch route and other information about the upcoming games are available on the official Web site at www.2001wpfg.org.

This is the ninth staging of the World Police and Fire Games, which are held biennially. San Jose, Calif., was the site of the first world games in 1985. The 1999 competition was held in Stockholm; Barcelona will host the games in 2003.