Sports has always been a big part of my life. From starting with soccer at a young age all the way to playing collegiate rugby for Stephen F. Austin State University. During my rugby lifespan, I quickly learned the sport and earned the position of captain for the last two years of my college career. I also became involved on the administrative side and worked my way from secretary to president of the rugby club. What I learned from playing college-level athletics completely prepared me for my career in law enforcement. The constant regiment of training, learning, and accountability is directly related to learning how to be a police officer. I think the most effective trait I developed is the ability to be coachable. Learning rugby from scratch and playing against teams with players from overseas was not easy, and mistakes were made. With the mistakes, lessons were learned and I became better. Learning how to be a trusted officer takes work but being able to take criticism and mold into a trusted team member is valuable. Law enforcement also kept me whole with the team mentality, comradery, and desire to always improve that comes with competitive sports. Leaving college athletics was not easy and the bonds created by my rugby team are lifelong and not easy to find. Since joining the Irving Police Department, I have developed a close brotherhood with some of my teammates in the streets. My desire to compete and work hard enough to be on an elite team, like the constant battle in rugby, was also possible when I was selected for the SWAT team. It is truly satisfying being on a team again of highly motivated individuals coming together to create an efficient team where teammates push each other to become the best version of themselves. There are also many former collegiate athletes at Irving PD who still play in adult sports leagues together. Law enforcement is the closest thing for a collegiate athlete where teamwork, physical dedication, and motivational drive are found on a high level outside of the pros.
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