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IUPUI POLICE OFFICER WINS GOLD IN POLICE AND FIRE GAMES

INDIANAPOLIS - The first and only IUPUI police officer ever to compete in the international World Police and Fire Games brought home the gold.

Officer Gill Journey, 26, won the final match in the 90 Kg (198 lbs.) division of freestyle wrestling, overpowering his opponent within two minutes on the mat.

"He is good," IUPUI Chief John Mulvey said of the Indianapolis native who joined the campus police force last November. "He pinned (Chester) Hooper in the first round and it was all over very quickly."

The 2001 World Police and Fire Games were held June 8 - 16 in Indianapolis. More than 9,000 law enforcement officers and fire fighters from 57 countries participated.

This year's contingency of police and fire athletes in the competition - titled Heroes in the Heartland - was the largest ever to compete in the Olympic-style event held every two years since its inaugural games in 1985.

"I was thankful for the opportunity to participate in the Games held in Indianapolis, to be a part of history," said Journey, who is grateful for his department's support throughout his training and during the competition.

Journey's commitment to training for the event is indicative of the character the department expects in its officers, Chief Mulvey said.

"It's nice to know you hired a person with the drive and perseverance to get himself into the kind of condition to compete and win at the international level," the chief said.

For a police officer and fire fighter, being in peek physical conditioning pays off, particularly in a crisis situation such as a rescue, Journey said.

"When that happens, you want to be ready, to be able to respond in a timely fashion and to be effective," he said.

Journey says he stays in shape year round, working out with former high school and college wrestlers.

The three matches Journey won during the recent Games were the first international competitions for the athlete who as a junior and senior at Perry Meridian High School was runner-up for the state wrestling championship in 1992 and 1993. During his high school years, he was also a two-time Marion County champion.

Journey continued wrestling while earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Chicago State University where he twice qualified for the NCAA Division I nationals.

Wrestling requires a lot of athletic ability and flexibility, the IUPUI athlete said.

He began wrestling in the sixth grade when he tried out for the Perry Meridian Middle School team. Journey fell in love with the sport after realizing that the wrestling techniques and moves such as the double-leg take-down were a logical progression from the gymnastics he began in fourth grade.

At the World Police and Fire Games, Journey, weighing in at 193 pounds, chose to compete in a higher weight class rather than throw off his game by trying to lose six pounds in order to compete in his usual weight category.

USA athletes ruled Journey's division, with Chester Hooper, a Wyoming sheriff, winning the silver medal, and Stan Granger of Michigan taking home the bronze.

Going into the competition, Journey said his experience - about 230 matches in high school and college - gave him the confidence that he could do well.

"Hopefully, I will be able to do it again in Barcelona in 2003," Journey said.

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