LAWMAN PROVES STRONG ARM SERGEANT FROM SAUGUS VICTORIOUS IN 'TOUGHEST COP ALIVE' COMPETITION.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Call it a midlife crisis, a healthy pastime or a need to compete. Whatever it is, it helped make Santa Clarita sheriff's Sgt. Dave Olivia the ``Toughest Cop Alive.''

The 41-year-old Saugus man won the title and the gold medal at the 2002 California Police and Fire Olympics, where he competed in eight straight events with little or no break time in between.

``It was sort of a midlife crisis sort of thing to do, I guess,'' said Olivia, evening watch commander at the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station. ``I was a bit surprised, I did well.''

Olivia, competitive in his younger years, has some track experience and played minor league baseball for the Boston Red Sox organization. This was the first time he had entered the Toughest Cop competition, which included a 5K race, shot put, 100-yard dash, 100-meter swim, 20-foot rope climb, bench press, pull-ups and an obstacle course.

``I knew that I could probably do all the events well, but nothing outstanding,'' Olivia said. ``But for this sort of thing, it's better to be the jack of all trades and the master of none.''

To his surprise, Olivia finished first in four of the events - shot put, 100-yard dash, 100-meter swim and the rope climb.

``It brings a lot of pride to the station that we had a person who went out there and won,'' said Sgt. John Roberts, who helped Olivia train. ``In our line of work, you have to keep yourself in good condition. It gives you the edge.''

Roberts said that being in good physical shape also helps in being alert mentally.

The state games, held June 16-22 in Santa Ana, pitted more than 50 of the state's toughest law enforcement officers and firefighters against each other in more than 100 grueling competitions.

Besides the Toughest Cop Alive challenge, participants competed in events ranging from swimming and shooting to weight lifting, a biathlon and even team tennis.

``I never ran in a 5K before this,'' Olivia said. ``I never shot putted before this either.''

The day before competition, Olivia and Roberts gathered outside Olivia's home and threw rocks onto his driveway to practice for the shot put event.

``I just kept putting it off till the last minute,'' said Olivia, adding that he couldn't find a store that sold the heavy metal balls used in the shot put. ``We didn't have a shot put balls so we just used rocks.''

The late-night practice gave him a first-place finish in that event.

``We use rocks that were about the same weight,'' Roberts said. ``He just got the technique down.''

Olivia started training for the competition in March, after reading a Daily News article about other deputies who had competed in the event and also fared well. Olivia competed in the 40-45 age group and in the over-200 pounds division.

``I worked out five days a week, a couple of hours a day,'' said Olivia, who added he had to gain about 10 pounds to participate in his category. ``I learned a lot about the competition and what I needed to work on.''

The father of three boys said his afternoon job gave him time during the day to devote to his training and added that his wife, who is a marathon runner, was also supportive of his effort and also provided him with motivation.

``Seeing her train and dedicated to running inspired me to keep with it,'' Olivia said. ``I always worked out, but this gave me a goal.''

While he said some of the skills he practices might not be needed in everyday police work, Olivia said being in good shape is beneficial to the job.

``Eventually you do have to wrestle with crooks,'' Olivia said. ``There are times we have to pick up a victim or get them free from inside a car.''

Though he said his new title hasn't changed him any, Olivia is thinking about competing in the World Police and Fire Olympics in July in Barcelona, Spain.

``I don't feel any different,'' said Olivia. ``It was just a lot of fun.''

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Photo:

(color) Sgt. Dave Olivia holds the gold medal in his division from the 2002 California Police and Fire Olympics in Santa Ana.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer