Metro officer takes torch to Special Olympics

Afsha Bawany

Friday, June 20, 2003 | 5:44 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: June 21, 2003

Nevada's best disabled athletes, coaches and a lucky Metro officer will be participating in the Special Olympics World Summer Games starting today in Dublin, Ireland.

Steve Ritchey, a Metro Police officer in the Motorcycle Traffic Bureau for the past eight years, has been involved with Special Olympics for the past two years and sits on the executive council for the Special Olympics Nevada Law Enforcement Torch Run. He was randomly selected out of a pool of five people to take the trip.

Eight world game athletes from Nevada left Sunday, including three gymnasts. The gymnasts include Matthew Fiscus, 17, who started the program at age 15, Melissa Ruffino, 22, who started at age 8 and Brianne Treants, 21, who started at age 8 as well. The gymnasts are coached by Sheila Leech.

Joseph Booze will be coaching the track and field athletes. They include John Moore, 25, who started competing at age 18, Julio Montes, 19, who started two years ago, George Dodge II, 42, William Dodge, 13, and Billy Greenwood, 48.

Ritchey left Las Vegas June 3 for Athens, Greece, on his way to Dublin to help carry the "Flame of Hope," which is a symbol of courage and commitment, to the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics games as a salute to the competing athletes.

Ritchey will be one of 100 officers around the world participating in the series of relays and will return June 30. His run made stops in Helsinki, Finland; Riga, Latvia; Warsaw, Poland; Hamburg, Germany; The Hague, Netherlands; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and London.

Colleague Aundrea Montano, development manager for Special Olympics Nevada, said Ritchey loves working with athletes and loves to run.

Ritchey has volunteered for Special Olympics Nevada since April 2001. Ritchey and his fellow officers have participated in numerous fundraisers throughout the year for Special Olympics Nevada. Last month the officers helped raise $64,000 in the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Run.

Ritchey is dedicated to fundraising events, Montano said. "Steve is an extremely committed individual," she said.

Runners must be able to run five miles a day at a pace of 12 minutes a mile.