NJSPBA members flex for
Battle of the Warriors competition
There is hardly anything that law en-
forcement officers can’t handle when
they work together. But on Dec. 1, PBA
members from multiple Locals met at
the Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn to
test the limits of their strengths by par-
ticipating in the Battle of the Warriors
challenge. West Point Cadets, Bergen
County SWAT team operators and NJSP-
BA members made up the six teams that
went head to head in competitions of
strength, speed and endurance.
The law enforcement team consist-
ed of members from Woodbridge Local
38, Paramus Local 186, Bergen County
Sheriff’s Department Local 134, Ber-
gen County Prosecutor’s Office Local
221 and Bergen County Local 102. Each
team of 12 warriors selected four of its
members to compete in each event.
Teams were ranked first through sixth
for each event based on the cumulative
score of the four competitors. Points
were awarded for each ranking.
Raising money for worthy causes
In addition to flexing their physical
strength, participants took the oppor-
tunity to raise money for worthy causes,
including Best Buddies, Legacies Alive,
Tomahawk Charitable Solutions and Ra-
mapo-Bergen Animal Refuge Inc. Nearly
$4,000 was raised for charity, thanks to
contributions from many competitors.
The Battle of the Warriors event con-
sisted of many physical challenges in-
volving deadlifts, chin-ups, the Fair
Lawn “Wall” (rowers, assault bikes, ver-
ti-climbers and SkiErgs), heavy kettle-
bell holds, the weighted wheelbarrow
and a sprint relay.
This year, the West Point Cadets were
the Battle of the Warriors champions,
with first and second place finishes. The
SWAT team operators and Local law en-
forcement finished close, in third and
fourth places.
The scores may have determined the
winners of the competition, but there
was no doubt that each team walked
away as warriors, capable of enduring
anything they put their minds to.
The Parisi Speed School has a growing
community of law enforcement officers
who are part of the Training for Warriors
(TFW) program to improve strength,
conditioning and athletic performance
while minimizing the risk of injury.
Holiday celebration for Garden State C.O.P.S.
For most, the holidays commemorate
happiness, cheer, joy and spending time
with loved ones. But for New Jersey fam-
ilies of survivors, the holidays may bring
a sense of emptiness because they are
reminded of the heroes who are no lon-
ger with them.
That is why the Garden State chapter
of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.)
and its president, John Ciuppa, made a
grand gesture to remind those surviv-
ing families that they are far from alone
during the holiday season.
On Dec. 8, the Garden State C.O.P.S.
chapter hosted its 20th annual holiday
party at the Ocean Grove Youth Center,
with more than 60 survivors in atten-
dance. “We had Santa Claus come and
each kid got a present depending on
their age,” noted Ciuppa, who explained
the importance of the event for children
who have lost a loved one in the line of
duty.
The Garden State C.O.P.S. chapter
participates year-round in events and
campaigns to support survivors, from
60
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ JANUARY 2019
hosting the holiday party to paying for
flights for family members to attend me-
morial ceremonies. But that doesn’t take
away the significance of giving back for
Ciuppa, who is a survivor himself. “I’ve
been a survivor for a long time. When
I was a kid, they didn’t have things like
this and my father was killed when I was
nine months old,” Ciuppa explained.
“It was nice to see the kids enjoy them-
selves and have a good time.”
Ciuppa and the rest of the Garden
State C.O.P.S. chapter’s efforts certainly
do not go unrecognized. Several mem-
bers came up to Ciuppa at the holiday
party and expressed their gratitude to
him for leading the organization’s effort
to put the celebration together.
Each survivor who attended the event
was given a specially designed Garden
State C.O.P.S. Christmas ornament.
In addition to the gifts and holiday
token, Ciuppa hopes that all of the sur-
vivors left knowing that they were not
alone this holiday season. “This time of
year is really a bonding time for all of
us,” he shared.