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Contributed photo/Michigan State Police D/Sgt. Michael Cuevas, at left, Trooper Matt Demny, Trooper Garrett Salters, Lt. Randy Jordan and Trooper Freddy Bahena, at right, pose for a photo with the Hart High School cross country athletes and coaches.
Pirate News is a presentation of Hart Public Schools in partnership with Oceana County Press.
By Allison Scarbrough, Editor
HART — The Hart High School cross country teams trained like Michigan State Police troopers Monday morning, July 20.
“Before I was a trooper, I was an athletic trainer,” said D/Sgt. Michael Cuevas, who developed and launched the new Train Like a Trooper program. “When I went through the academy, I saw all the benefits of the type of training that the state police implements in its physical training program and how applicable it can be for our high school sports programs — in terms of identifying leadership, improving physical capacity and resiliency.
Contributed photo/D/Sgt. Cuevas and Trooper Bahena, at right.
“The goal of the program is: A. It gives us an opportunity to connect with our community and the people we serve on a day-to-day basis, and B. It exposes a little bit of our academy to anyone who might be interested in law enforcement and the type of training that we do for our physical training program.”
“It’s open to all ages and all sports — and even non-sports — to get people involved, and what better way is there to connect than through a common goal of getting better and exercising,” said D/Sgt. Cuevas.
Contributed photo
The training program is modeled after the troopers’ physical training routine. “At the academy, we train every morning at 5:30 on the dot.” The academy, which runs 20 weeks, uses structured military-style training.
A former high school athlete, Cuevas was the conditioning coach for the Pirate football program. “One of the nice things about this program is that it helps identify leaders in the group.”
Contributed photo
He implemented a weekly training program for troopers from the Hart post, along with other local law enforcement personnel, to exercise together for one hour. Cuevas programs and leads the workouts.
Freshman cross country runner Lola House had the opportunity to do the workout with her mother, Sierra, who is a secretary at the Hart post, Cuevas said.
“They gave us a great workout — we were sore,” said Pirate Cross Country Coach Calvin Ackley. “As coaches, we jumped in, and it kicked our butts. I think the kids were impressed with what the police do when they train.
Contributed photo
“Some of the boys ran farther, so they didn’t do the workout. We told them, it would have been better to keep running than do the workout we did with the cops,” the coach joked.
“I think it was great for the kids to have a connection with the police. We were really impressed.”
“PT is super important in law enforcement and in everyday life,” said Cuevas. “It gives people an opportunity to embrace it together — everyone is sweating; everyone is sore; everyone is tired; but everyone is doing it with you.”
“We’re hoping to branch out and do it with more schools,” said Trooper Freddy Bahena, who is a former Shelby High School athlete. “The idea is to get involved with the community and youth to help them stay physically fit. If they’re interested in law enforcement, then it’s a plus.
“The reason it’s called Train Like a Trooper, because we put the team through a very academy-like workout,” said Bahena. “We did a lot of calisthenics, pushups, sit ups and running burpees.”
If other coaches of athletic programs within the Hart post’s four-county area including Oceana, Mason, Lake and Newaygo counties are interested in participating in the Train Like a Trooper program, they can email D/Sgt. Cuevas at cuevasm1@michigan.gov.
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