Cuevas back at Ohio Police and Fire Games

By Joe Scalzo

The Wilson High graduate, now 34, won three gold medals in dash events at last year’s Games.

Ramon Cuevas started boxing when he was 12, which was a terrific way to get into shape and fuel his competitive fire, but it wasn’t so good for his football career.

“In boxing, they were always telling me to lose weight, lose weight,” said Cuevas, who is now a probation officer for Mahoning County. “If I went out for football, they would have told me to gain weight. It’s kind of contradictory.”

As a senior at Wilson High, he ran track — he wishes he had started sooner — and in his mid-20s he tried out for semipro football teams like the Youngstown Steelers and the Ohio Red Bulls.

“A lot of people make fun of me, saying I can’t let go of the past,” said Cuevas, now 34. “But I like to compete.”

Seven years ago, he found an outlet in the Ohio Police and Fire Games, an annual Olympic-style competition for police officers, firefighters and others in law enforcement. Hundreds are expected for this year’s competition, which began Sunday in Canton and runs through Saturday.

Cuevas won three gold medals last year in the 60-meter dash, along with the 100 and the 4x100 relay. He’ll compete in those events today at Walsh University in North Canton.

Cuevas’ cousin, Monica Cuevas, was a standout track athlete at Boardman earlier this decade and his nephew, Damian Jarrett, was an all-conference running back for the Spartans the past two years, so athletics run in the family.

He’s also gone to work as a recruiter, convincing former Mooney basketball standout Curtis Ingram to compete this year. Ingram, who played basketball at Edinboro, is a juvenile probation officer who works part-time for Campbell’s police department.

“I probably have no chance against him,” Cuevas said, sighing.

There’s a sport and an age bracket for everyone, from 24-year-olds like Ingram to men and women 65 and older. And the sports run the gamut, from track and field to cycling to golf to darts to weight lifting.

“We’re not super-stellar athletes, but we like to compete and it gives you a chance to build relationships with a lot of guys throughout the state,” said Cuevas. “And we get to put a good name on the county.”

Although the team sports have completed registration, there may still be openings in individual sports this week.

And for those who missed the deadline, there are already plans in place for next year’s meet, which will be held in Toledo.

For more details, visit www.theohiopoliceandfiregames.org.

scalzo@vindy.com