Resisting the competitive spirit is difficult for Sgt. Michael Ramsey of the Springfield Police Department. Mainly, because he wasn’t wearing his gear and could really move, he said.
“Hey, we’re competitive,” Ramsey said. “We don’t just jog around during those classes. And some of these kids are as big as we are, so we don’t have to hold back so much.”
The competitions are part of a partnership between the police department and Springfield Public Schools. SPD in PE offers police officers the chance to take part in physical education classes with seventh-grade students around the school district.
During each session, officers take part in the PE classes as if they are students. They start with the warmups and stretches before they move into whatever the lesson plan calls for. Sometimes that’s throwing footballs back and forth with the kids, other times it’s a game of basketball. Ramsey said they have also played a variation of freeze tag called “knockout.”
Brad Brummel, coordinator of health and physical education for Springfield Public Schools, said the program is beneficial for students in several ways. Because the police officers leave their uniforms behind, students get to know the officers as people.
Together, they build some “sweat equity,” Brummel said — a term usually reserved for construction projects or other types of large jobs. The term applies perfectly here, he said.
“In this case, they are building a relationship,” Brummel said. “I think that movement is a big piece of it. As human beings, when we move with one another, we build relationships quicker.”
Refill the cup with community outreach
The program is also beneficial for police officers who get to interact with community members outside of a law enforcement context. Ordinarily, the department’s Community Services Division, of which Ramsey is a part, handles community-based events.
But for SPD in PE, every officer can volunteer.
“We show up every day, giving our time to serve the community and a lot of times end up doing things that are not much fun,” Ramsey said. “When you show up every day giving and giving, it’s good to have the opportunity to fill that cup back up, and this is a chance to do that.”
October marks the first time the program has been run since before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 and 2020, officers did the same thing with students at Cherokee and Jarrett middle schools.
Brummel said this year was Pipkin’s turn. The idea is to rotate SPD in PE among the Springfield’s middle schools. The 2023 program started earlier this month, and will continue throughout October.
Depending on the time of day officers participate in PE class, they may also be able to eat lunch with students, Brummel said. Whether they share a meal or not, the participating police officers help teach an important lesson about how health can benefit not only their lives, but also their careers.
“What excites me is the chance to introduce students to potential careers that connect health and well-being,” Brummel said. “I love how students get to see and hear them, and how the officers can talk about why health and wellness is important to their career.”
