olympic wrestler finds new calling as windsor police officer
former freestyle wrestler jordan steen admits that he a...
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former freestyle wrestler jordan steen admits that he assumed training to be a windsor police officer would be easy compared to preparing for the olympics. “i thought, ‘i’m used to performing under incredible amounts of pressure,'” said steen, 31. “i’m used to training hard two or sometimes three times a day, six days a week. i thought i was pretty tough.”
“i came here (to windsor police), and i was humbled. the long hours these men and women work, the amount of pressure and decision-making in everything they do… it’s tougher than pretty much anything i’ve done so far.”
on wednesday, steen received his badge as a constable with the windsor police service — completing his transition from full-time athletics to public service.
it’s been a whirlwind journey since steen represented canada at the summer olympics in tokyo in 2021.
following steen’s 10th place finish in the 97-kilogram division of men’s freestyle wrestling, he had a choice to make: pursue the sport further — perhaps push for the olympic dream again — or join the workforce?
jordan steen, originally of tecumseh, representing canada in international wrestling competition in 2019.
michael hall / wrestling canada
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windsor star
“it was a tough loss. i remember thinking i should take a couple months off and decide if i was going for another olympics, or move on to the next chapter of my life,” steen recalled.
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“i talked with my wife. i applied to windsor police — and they showed interest in me.”
starting december 2021, steen began the long process of interviews, tests, and training courses required to become a sworn member of the windsor police service.
many car trips were made between his residence in montreal (where steen moved years ago after growing up in tecumseh), and his potential place of employment in windsor.
“it was definitely a pretty quick and wild turnaround,” steen said. “it’s been a crazy ride.”
while a career in law enforcement wasn’t a childhood ambition in particular, steen said public service in general has always been on his mind — thanks to his parents.
both steen’s father and mother were olympic-level athletes — his dad, 1988 canadian olympic decathlon bronze medallist dave steen, and his mother, andrea (page) steen, ran hurdles for canada at the 1984 olympic games — before they transitioned to careers in firefighting and medicine, respectively.
steen also has two cousins who are windsor police officers.
“serving the community was always something i thought was really cool,” steen said. “i liked how my parents gave back, after their athletics.”
new windsor police officer and former olympic wrestler jordan steen stands in front of downtown headquarters on jan. 13, 2023.
dan janisse
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windsor star
now steen is excited about a work future with many possibilities: he said one of the factors that attracted him to wps is the variety of fields available within the organization — from problem-oriented teams to investigations to community outreach.
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“i have so much to learn,” steen said. “they have all kinds of amazing programs. i don’t know where i’m going yet, i just want to be a good patrolman, first. then i’ll see where it takes me.”
and while steen believes his years of high-level athletic training and competition will help him as an officer, he also feels policing is more challenging than sweating on the mats.
“when it comes to wrestling, it was very physically demanding, and the pressure was incredibly high — but at the end of the day, if i lost a match, then i lost a match, and that was okay,” steen said.
“but here, in policing, if you make a mistake, things go bad. it’s a different kind of pressure.”
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