First Responders to Compete in Inaugural "Heroes on the Mat" Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
The event in Staten Island aims to foster community and raise funds for the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.
First responders from across the tri-state area will compete in the inaugural "Heroes on the Mat" jiu-jitsu tournament this Saturday in Staten Island. The event, which organizers promise will bring "big energy and brawn," is designed to celebrate those who serve the community and to foster camaraderie.
The tournament will feature firefighters, police officers, EMTs, corrections officers, active military personnel, and nurses. Joe Peteroy, an active-duty corrections officer and the CEO of Heroes on the Mat, described the event as similar to a UFC competition, where participants enter to their own entrance music.
"It’s like a UFC event. These guys come out to their own entrance music — they get to be rock stars for a night," Peteroy said. "These are guys that are protecting our communities and even protecting our country. These guys are rock stars."
While competition is a key element, Peteroy emphasized that the primary goal is to build a sense of shared community. "Don’t get me wrong, it is competition-based, but the next thing I know, I see pictures of them on social media training together. And that’s the idea of the whole thing: is to get more cops and firefighters and correctional officers training jiu-jitsu for physical health and mental health as well. It’s been a big thing,” he added.
Peteroy initially established the tournaments exclusively for law enforcement officers but has since expanded participation to include other public service roles. The "Heroes on the Mat" tournaments have a history of supporting charitable causes, having raised funds for various organizations and individuals, including a Suffolk County officer injured in the line of duty, a child battling brain cancer, and a firefighter with ALS.
This Saturday's event aims to raise at least $2,000 for the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, an organization Peteroy believes is a top charitable cause in New York City. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at St. Peter’s Boys High School.
