assignment 7

-for my first interview, i asked my cousin, venus rodriquez, who is a chicago police officer:

what were some of the main stpes you had to take to become a cop?

well, first, to become a cop in chicago, you have to have at least 60 hours of college or an associates degree. then of course, you apply, take a physical test. if you pass that, you go in for a pysch test and a polygraph. if you make it pass those, you start the academy which you do all of your training.

did you feel discouraged or unsupported during any of this, and how did you overcome this?

well mario (her father) hated the idea at first but that was just cause he didnt want me to get hurt but after some time he opened up to it. my mom was always indifferent but she knew thats what i wanted so she was supportive. during the academy, i remember having a tough time with some of the excercises but i just stuck to it and continuted to work even outside of the academy at home.

what would you reccommend i do now to prepare myself for a future in becoming a cop?

well you have your associates already so you have that taken care of. im sure youre already in shape for the physical test but just be ready for that too. a lot of people go into it without training before hand and end up failing something stupid, so be 100% sure youre ready. as far as the physch and polygraph, just be honest with yourself and be as truthful as possible. i dont think youll have any problems with these at all


-my second interview is with a professional mma fighter, louis taylor, who i train with:


what were some of the main steps you took to make fighting a profession?

the first thing you have to have is dedication. this is a tough sport to be in and in order to make a living off of this, you have to be dedicated. the rest is train, train, train. you can never be overly prepared for a fight. you can never train too much, there is always room for improvement in this sport. also, you have to be able to accept a loss and be able to learn from that to better yourself, even though i havent loss yet. hahaha (he makes bad jokes). everyone starts off small, i only made maybe $400 for winning my first fight and you just have to be patient until your break comes.

did you feel discouraged or unsupported at any time, and how did you overcome this?

well i wrestled all through high school and college so i was always involved with physical sports. so my mom was always supportive with everything. she took it as just another step up from what ive been doing. as far as being discouraged, theres been times when i feel like this isnt gunna take me anywhere in life, but this is what i love doing and i wouldnt rather be doing anything else. who wouldnt love getting paid to kick @$$.

what can i do now to prepare myself for a future in this sport?

like i said earlier, train, train, train. you can never train enough or too much. cardio, strength, flexibility. you can always improve yourself cause one day youre gunna run into someone whos faster than you, stronger, who can go that last round, and you have to be ready.