Ontario Powerlifting Association

Last update:

04/02/2005

Other profiles go to the main Profiles page

Profile - Steve Chomitz (2005-02)

I went to Waterloo Oxford high school in Baden Ontario.  My high school athletics included football, wrestling and some soccer. I also liked cross country running and track events. The cross country running stuck with me and I ran a bit in college. I graduated from Conestoga College as an Electrical Technologist. Several jobs later, I ended up working for KW Hydro.

I joined the YMCA in 1977, intent on staying in shape by jogging. I trained hard and earned the unwritten right to run with some of the premier runners that frequented the Waterloo YMCA back then.

My goal was to run marathon distance races and I set off training year round to accomplish this. I ran a lot of short distance races 10 km, 15 km and up to the around the bay race which is 30km (19 miles). We ran in all weather conditions – in snow, freezing rain, at night, minus 20.  I have three years of logs showing my weekly mileages. The average weekly mileage is 50 miles with a high of 100 miles for one week in February 1980.

I was 24 years old and I weighed 145 lbs. at that point. There is a euphoric state referred to as "runner's high" that you actually go in to. It is a feeling that you could run forever. I was there and it was a great time in my life.

Marathon

I ran the New York marathon.  I don't remember my time.  I then ran the Toronto Marathon with a time of 3hr, 30s. for the 26 miles. (6.9 min / mile pace) I finished dehydrated and sick.  I continued to run out of the Waterloo YMCA.

There were a few weightlifters at the Y that lifted amazing weight. I would go down to the weight room to do sit ups and stretch a little. It was truly unbelievable watching their feats of strength. Little did I know at the time that this was the training ground for the Golden Triangle Powerlifting Club.  Paul Summers, Larry Kuhn, Bob Wilson and Lynton Lam trained there regularly. Paul Summers approached me and asked if I was interested in trying lifting. I was really beaten up from running. My arches were flat and I had bad shin splints. Attempting to lift with these ailments kind of scared me, but I started to work out a little with Paul after my regular daily run.

There was a welded up bar made from old car flywheels. It weighed 370 lbs. or so. One night Paul challenged me to pick it up. I laughed it off and said that it was impossible. He said that I was quite capable of lifting it. Chalked up and borrowed belt cinched, I pulled it up round back style, grip too wide and all. The whole gang was surprised that I could do it - me even more so.

I started to train more frequently with the group. I was invited to work out in Paul's basement. He had "the good weights" stored there and we worked out heavy at his place. Mike Farquhar joined the group and man could he squat! We would load the bar and he would squat it without knowing the weight. Mike was the best little workout partner I can remember. We had so many good times that it is impossible to begin to describe how good it was. These initial years were the defining moments that got me hooked on this great sport.

I attribute all of my powerlifting achievements to Paul Summers, Larry Kuhn, Dave Gardener and Mike Farquhar. These guys are motivators that taught me how to do it right. Paul Summers is the man that we as a club are forever indebted to.  He was the driving force that pushed us. His continued on-going presence has stuck with me for 23 years. He designed our logo, he started our club, he introduced many lifters to the sport. He has sacrificed most of his life for the sport.

Dave Hoffman took over where Paul left off and Dave is now the glue that holds our club together.  Paul "Dr. Squat" Summers motivated us to be the best we could. His quick wit and determined attitude are forever engrained in my mind.

A bunch of us joined Popeye's Gym in 1982.  My long time Powerlifting career came in to high gear from then on. I competed in the Brantford Open in 1982. This was my first contest. I weighed 152 lbs (165 lb weight class) and I squatted 275 lbs. in a wrestling singlet. Guys like Gerry Wells squatted 551 lbs. and Dave Warriner deadlifted near 600 lbs. in the 181 lb. class. I was in awe with Wells. He let me try on one of his suits that was too small for him. It fit loose, but I still wanted to buy it from him. He gave it to me and he told me that I had the best deadlift potential he had ever seen in a 165 class guy.

This was an innocent time in my powerlifting career and his words were profound. I went back home and started to deadlift twice a week. I killed my back and my hip dislocated to the point that I could hardly get out of bed in the morning.

It took years to rehab myself because I kept on lifting without therapy of any kind. I learned the hard way that the body will not grow and develop if you hit it too hard, too often. If only I could buy some of those years back. I progressed very slowly. My deadlifting ability dwarfed my squat. I now know that the squat dictates your deadlift. I hated squatting. My single biggest hurdle was to learn to "love to squat". I started to tell myself that" I love to squat". It took several years to get there, but when I did, things started to happen. I finally went class 1. I won the Ontario Senior championship.

2004

I struggled through my whole career with injuries and my knees are at times extremely painful. The past harbours several funny and defining moments:

It took me a long time to get to be a Canadian Champion.  In fact, I had to get old. I have been Master 1 Ontario and Canadian Champion. In fact I started to eat better a couple of years ago, lost some weight and my lifts went up. I am now in the 100kg weight class and my lifts are as good as they have ever been. The new equipment has made a difference as has the knowledge I have gained from relatively recent training partners like Shaun Roach, Bruce McIntyre, Jane Lessard and Les Kiss. We are a good team and I trust that we will continue to compete to the best of our abilities.  ---Yours in Sport, Stay Strong !!