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HEBER CITY — Weightlifting isn’t just a pastime for Heber City Police Sgt. Jim Moore. It’s his passion.
Moore has qualified many times to compete on the world stage, but the financial costs were too much for the father of four. This year, the community is getting together to help make his dream come true.
Heber City is a small community where everyone seems to know each other.
“You get to know the people,” Moore said. “I like living in a small community. You get to know the place that you work in, and you can really make an impact in a smaller community."
Moore has been with the city's police department for 14 years. He’s not only a respected member of the police force but he’s also a world-class athlete. Moore has won state and national weightlifting competitions.
“In 2010, I really wanted to go,” he said. “It was in the Ukraine, but it was just too expensive to do that.”
Last year, he won the Masters Pan American Championships.
Moore said he didn’t intend to compete in the 2014 National Masters Championships in April in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the urging of his co-workers, he decided to compete at the last minute and ended up winning the competition.
The 52-year-old holds the current title of Masters National Champion in his age group, with a personal best of lifting 440 pounds. His next competition is the 2014 World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, in August.
“The thing about Jim is he’s very quiet about it,” Heber City Police Chief Dave Booth said. “He’s very humble about it. It’s not something that he brags about.”
This year, people who work with Moore formed a committee to help lift some of the financial costs of going to the competition in Denmark. They set up an account on a crowdfunding website under “Moore to World.” The goal is to raise $5,000. They say it’s a small payback for an officer who shares his passion with them too.
Moore teaches fitness classes at the police department four days a week on his own time.
“(In) law enforcement, there’s a lot of stress," he said, "so exercise is a great way to release that stress."
“He’s taken the other officers here within the department under his wing as it pertains to physical fitness,” Booth said.
Not only does he help his fellow officers, but Moore also talks to kids about the importance of physical fitness, eating right and being healthy. He is also a longtime volunteer with the Special Olympics.
Moore’s dream is now just a few months away, and he’s grateful for the assistance from his co-workers and the community.
“The only contest left is the world championship so I want to complete my resume,” he said.
