It is strange to think that somewhere in the woods of Letterkenny Depot, camouflaged faces huddled together, peering at a phone screen to watch a weightlifting competition unfold. However, that’s exactly what happened April 12 as their friend and fellow cadet, senior Sam Tomlin competed at the USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championship for the second time at Ohio State University.
Competing with more than 100 other student-athletes in the 183-pound weight class, Tomlin pushed, pulled and heaved his way through the three stages: squats, bench press and deadlift.
Beginning his journey toward the National Championships only two years ago, Tomlin described how he began power lifting while attending Shippensburg.
“I realized I was no longer a high school athlete and I needed a way to maintain a competitive nature in my life,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin boasts an impressive record at the National Championships with a bench press of 320 pounds, a squat of 570 pounds and a deadlift of 650 pounds, which broke a Collegiate National Championship record and remained intact until one this year when one of the many competitors in the nation broke it. After some investigation on Openpowerlifting.com, one can find Tomlin’s name ranked 11th of all time, in the world, in the 180 weight class for 20-23-year-olds for overall most weight lifted.
Tomlin described how busy he has been this semester, pointing out multiple obligations he maintains while outcompeting almost his whole weight class at nationals. Aside from hitting the gym, Tomlin dedicates an abundance of time on his research project for his exercise science major. In addition to his major, Tomlin is in Army ROTC, where he currently holds the cadet position of Command Sgt. Maj., overseeing the exercises of the Raider Battalion.
“I initially had the ambition of winning first in the country, but I came up short,” Tomlin said. “I’m still really proud of myself, but the demands of 21 credit hours and ROTC, all while conducting a research project, made it hard to find time to focus on powerlifting.”
Despite falling short of his exact goal of first place, Tomlin plans on continuing powerlifting in the future but explained how he needs a break from feeling burnt out. He is currently the president of the weightlifting club on campus and coached himself and student, Jackson Loring, who also competed at nationals.
From Kelayres, Pennsylvania, Tomlin started classes at Shippensburg University in 2015. In 2016, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard as a medic. Shortly afterward he joined ROTC and this May he will commission as a lieutenant in Army logistics.
Fellow cadet, senior Patrick Hiller, commented about Tomlins presence in the Raider Battalion.
“He always a real social, jovial guy,” Hiller said. “His positive attitude is contagious and it always seems like he has a smile on his face.”
Tomlin explained that he plans on furthering his education to become a registered nurse along with serving as a commissioned officer in the National Guard.
When he’s not working out, studying or leading the Raider Battalion, Tomlin enjoys hanging out with his friends and loves talking about sports and music. He recalled that a few years ago he and some friends started a talk show on WSYC, discussing anything from the newest albums to the Green Bay Packers game. It’s strange to think that somewhere in the woods of Letterkenny Depot, camouflaged faces huddled together, peering at a phone screen to watch a weightlifting competition unfold. However, that’s exactly what happened April 12 as their friend and fellow cadet, senior Sam Tomlin competed at the USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championship for the second time at Ohio State University.
Competing with more than 100 other student-athletes in the 183 pound weight class, Tomlin pushed, pulled and heaved his way through the three stages: squats, bench press and deadlift.
Beginning his journey toward the National Championships only 2 years ago, Tomlin described how he began power lifting while attending Shippensburg.
“I realized I was no longer a high school athlete and I needed a way to maintain a competitive nature in my life,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin boasts an impressive record at the National Championships with a bench press of 320 pounds, a squat of 570 pounds and a deadlift of 650 pounds which broke a Collegiate National Championship record and remained intact until one this year when one of the many competitors in the nation broke it. After some investigation on Openpowerlifting.com, one can find Tomlin’s name ranked 11th of all time, in the world, in the 180 weight class for 20-23-year-olds for overall most weight lifted.
Tomlin described how busy he has been this semester pointing out multiple obligations he maintains while outcompeting almost his whole weight class at nationals. Aside from hitting the gym, Tomlin dedicates an abundance of time on his research project for his exercise science major. In addition to his major, Tomlin is in Army ROTC where he currently holds the cadet position of Command Sgt. Maj., overseeing the exercises of the Raider Battalion.
“I initially had the ambition of winning first in the country, but I came up short,” Tomlin said. “I’m still really proud of myself, but the demands of 21 credit hours and ROTC, all while conducting a research project made it hard to find time to focus on powerlifting.”
Despite falling short of his exact goal of first place, Tomlin plans on continuing powerlifting in the future but explained how he needs a break from feeling burnt out. He is currently the president of the weightlifting club on campus and coached himself and student, Jackson Loring, who also competed at nationals.
From Kelayres, Pennsylvania, Tomlin started classes at Shippensburg University in 2015. In 2016, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard as a medic. Shortly afterward he joined ROTC and this May he will commission as a Lt.in the branch of Army logistics.
Fellow cadet, senior Patrick Hiller, commented about Tomlins presence in the Raider Battalion.
“He always a real social, jovial guy,” Hiller said. “His positive attitude is contagious and it always seems like he has a smile on his face.”
Tomlin explained that he plans on furthering his education to become a registered nurse along with serving as a commissioned officer in the National Guard.
When he’s not working out, studying, or leading Raider Battalion, Tomlin enjoys hanging out with his friends and loves talking about sports and music. He recalled that a few years ago he and some friends started a talk show on WSYC, discussing anything from the newest albums to the Green Bay Packers game.
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