Pursuing a passion with punch

BY PRIYANKA BHONSULE - HUTT NEWS

To criminals, police might seem like part of the 'system' rather than ordinary hard-working men and women doing a job. Hutt News police reporter Priyanka Bhonsule found several officers who excel not only in the force, but in other aspects of their lives.

Constable Rua Druce says he was surprised when he joined the police and found them to be supportive of his passion for kickboxing.

"I thought they would see it as something negative, but they've been really supportive.

"A few of the guys from my team make the effort to come watch me fight as well."

He attributes the attitude to a growing acceptance of the sport  unlike a few years ago, when mixed martial arts events would be busted by the police.

"Damage" Druce, 25, became the New Zealand super middleweight champion in 2008, and two weeks ago successfully defended his title in Auckland.

Training at Muay Thai Institute in Porirua, coached by Mark Hampton, Mr Druce says he won his first three fights by knockout.

He's been moving up the ladder slowly since, and counts winning the super middleweight title last year as one of his personal highlights.

Not a bad effort for someone who started kickboxing only five years ago and has had to fit strenuous training alongside equally difficult shift work.

"Before I joined the police, I used to train six times a week, sometimes twice a day. Now, it's having to take annual leave to fit in regular training. Otherwise, it's frustrating because I'm not at the level I'd like to be."

But being a cop is something he had wanted to do for a while, and he's growing to love the role he has in Lower Hutt.

"The first three to six months are quite challenging because there's so much to learn, but after that, you kind of grab hold of it. There are so many options of where to go after the two-year probation as well."

As for kickboxing, he'd like to train as a professional, though he says there isn't much difference between being amateur and pro, apart from getting paid  "but not much!". Coaching junior members of the club is a good exercise, and he says fighting overseas is definitely the next step.

POLICE WORK A GOOD FIT FOR CHAMP

Before he took up being a police officer, Constable Dan Waluszewski was cycling eight hours a day, six days a week, covering close to 1,000km from his base training camp in Upper Hutt.

He was the youngest cyclist in the country to win the Wellington men's elite road cycling championship at the age of 19, having only cycled competitively for five months.

''It was definitely a highlight for me, being part of Wellington's cycling history with my name engraved on a cup that dates back to 1926.''

In 2007, Mr Waluszewski was made part of the national cycling team and was undergoing gruelling training to make the tour to Australia.

He did well by beating the Olympic points race champ, Sean Finning, and placed 6th at the under-23 Oceania time trials.

However, it was frustrating to finally get there and be beaten by athletes on performance enhancers, he says.

''It was frustrating, after all the training I'd put in, to see someone beat me because they'd cheated.

''I wanted to win but I didn't want to cheat.''

Being a police officer had been his ambition since he was 16, so Mr Waluszewski enrolled at Police College and was posted to Lower Hutt after graduation.

''I'd say cycling has taught me a lot of core values like strength, determination and focus, all of which have helped me in my work as well.

''I used to go to training when people were still tucked up in bed  wind, wet and cold  and that's got me used to shift work. With shift work, I have a more structured routine.''

While he doesn't like to say he'd never return to international level cycling, Mr Waluszewski says he has goals he wants to achieve in policing as well. Besides, cycling is an expensive passion to maintain.

Mr Waluszewski's bike recently needed a $10,000 frame to replace a broken one, but he says sponsors like Subway and Bike Hut look after him well.

As the current Wellington regional champion he'll be turning out to events to defend the title but says his philosophy has always been ''records are made to be broken''.

RANGE OF SKILLS REVEALED

When the word spread around the Lower Hutt police station that the Hutt News was talking with a couple of officers with a special talent or skill, other recommendations were fast to come in.

Clearly, local members of our ''thin blue line'' have more going for them than just sharp eyes and physical fitness.

Constable Mark Sutton, for example, was asked in 2006 to play netball for an Upper Hutt team. By the end of the year, he was in Fiji representing New Zealand in the sport.

He entered Police College in 2007 and, after missing a test series in Australia, had to put the goal keep and goal shoot bibs away.

''It makes it difficult to play a team sport when working shifts, because you miss meetings,'' he says. ''But I still play every now and then, help out when someone's a player down.''

Other notable achievements brought to our attention include Constable Laifa Ta'ala and Sergeant James Patea, who have played rugby and league respectively for Samoa; Detective Caroline Martin, who's in the Wellington women's rugby team; Constable Paula Harris, who came sixth at the World Accordion Championships in London in 2001 and now judges competitions; Sergeant Harry Harvey, who plays basketball for the Saints; Paul Bennett, a former international tennis umpire; and Detective Sergeant Brent Murray, a former first-class rugby referee.