By Sean Murphy, Daily News Transcript (Massachusetts)
DEDHAM, Mass. - The informal competition between the Dedham Police and Fire departments to see who can whip themselves into better shape is at the halfway point, and at the moment the boys in blue seem to have an edge.
Despite the announcement of a $2,000 cash prize to the winner, the civil servants are wearing the pressure lightly, seeming to be more content with pursuing their own fitness goals.
And that’s just how the staff of Dedham Health and Athletic Complex wants it. It’s nice to have a good-natured competitive spirit, but the real goal here is to help police officers and firefighters with carrying heavy equipment, climbing stairs, chasing criminals and carrying people to safety, said the center’s fitness director, Guy Caracciolo.
“The program is designed really for what their job is,” he said.
The program consists of a combination of weightlifting and endurance training. The 20 firefighters and 23 police officers who signed up have to do one strength training class, essentially an hour of weightlifting, and two “body pump” classes, designed to combine light weightlifting with aerobic movements. Both teams have been at it since January, and will continue for another six weeks.
Ultimately, the teams will be measured to see how much weight and body mass they have lost, but a sign at the main desk is regularly tallying the total number of visits each team member should have had from week to week.
And the team that does best overall will receive a cash prize of $2,000 from the Dedham Savings Bank. The donation was planned from the start, but the amount was only announced last week.
The bank has donated to programs run by the police and fire departments before, so its vice president of human resources, Jean Tennihan, said the decision to make the donation this time was easy.
“We were just happy to sponsor the project,” she said.
As of last Friday, the teams were expected to have 18 visits under their belts. Caracciolo said the Fire Department had an average of 13 visits per participant. The leading firefighter, whom he did not name, had 20 visits, while the lowest-scoring firefighter had two.
On the police side, the team has had an average of 17 visits per member, with a high of 29 and a low of four.
Caracciolo noted that the police have a bit of an edge on number of visits, but overall, “We’re pretty much right on the money.”
The participants already have had more visits than some of the club’s regular members in a similar period of time, Caracciolo said, a good sign that the firefighters and police officers are taking advantage of what the complex has to offer.
“I’m getting positive feedback from everyone I’ve been talking to,” he said.
During a weight training class in the sixth week, several civil servants said they noticed a difference in their shape.
Deputy Fire Chief Don Beltis, who is finishing physical rehabilitation after heart surgery last October, had already been working out at Deaconess Glover Hospital in Needham, but was ready to jump in to the stronger workout at the complex.
“It’s more strenuous,” he said.
Beltis seemed to be loving every minute of it, even as he squatted with a bar across his shoulders last week. Already a man who appears to be in decent shape, Beltis said the workouts have helped his recovery from double bypass surgery a lot.
“I’m a lot less tired,” he said.
Sgt. Mike Buckley said the weightlifting helps him bear the heavy loads of his equipment (the 20-pound “bat belt,” he calls it) more easily.
“It’s not such a hassle getting in and out of my (cruiser) now,” he said, demonstrating how he used to have to grasp the roof and pull himself out, but no more.
Patrolman Mark Black noticed he could tighten up his waistline, too.
“The loops in the belts are coming in,” he said.
The participants have good-natured attitudes about it all, but there’s a hint of a healthy competitive spirit behind the smiles. Both police and fire officials have reported boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts suddenly appearing at the police and fire stations since the competition began.
Sabotage allegations first came from the Fire Department toward the police, but Buckley, when asked about the doughnuts, just grinned widely and, on behalf of the department, said, “We’ll take the Fifth.”
Buckley was quick to point out that doughnuts regularly showed up at the police station under equally mysterious circumstances, and his fellow officers fired counter-allegations against the jakes.
Beltis said he knew about the confections appearing at the Police Department, but when asked about the source of the “sabotage,” Beltis grinned and declined comment.
All kidding aside, Caracciolo said now is when the hard part of the competition begins, even given the good turnout results so far. Participants will have to work harder to keep themselves interested, as the monotony of the routine threatens to set in, he said.
He encouraged participants to check out other programs at the complex to supplement what they are doing, not just because it’s good for them physically, but so that it will help mix things up.
Above all, though, Caracciolo’s advice was simple: “Keep coming. Stay consistent. Remember the program.”