In the following interview with Powerlifting Watch, Donnie Thompson talks about his decision to leave powerlifting after breaking the all-time total record for the second time this year and his exceptional career in the sport. (Styrkeløftforbundet IPA er han medlem av.)
How did you feel after breaking the 2,900 pound mark?
It was very lackluster. I was shooting for 3000 and when I got hurt my last squat, it was very hard to swallow. Everyone was kind of disappointed for me. Looking at the big picture, I am very lucky I got the 2905 because there is no guarantee you will ever total big again. The chance for injury at this level is around 100%! You do the math. I have been lucky to total four high totals in the last two years. Now is time to walk.
How long do you think your total record will stand? Who do you think has the best chance to break it?
I think it will stand for awhile. It really doesn’t matter how long to me though. Records are meant to be broken. I did it and someone will do it to me. At least my flag saying, “Donnie Thompson was here” will be there when they pass me. I saw a lot of Garry Frank flags along the way. So did Andy Bolton. Someone not really known will break it in the near future.
Why have you made the decision to step away from powerlifting?
What is the benefit of me to continue? I reached past my goals. I know I am the only one who can total 3000lbs! I can do it next meet if there was one. All I have to do is get my squat in. In a few days, my daughter will be born. Her name is Bridget. I can’t see me caring at all about anything else. I am 44 years old. This is my first child. It has been all about me for all my life. Now it will be about her.
The training it takes to be where I am is everyday. I live in Columbia, SC. It is very hard to get training partners to be around on gear or heavy days. I have paid people in the past to spot me. This past training cycle, I remember on bench day only one other guy was there. We warmed up and went home. That was very frustrating. You are only as good as the lifters you surround yourself with. I got the nickname the ‘DONSTER’ while I am Powerlifting. I get mean and pissed when lifters goof off or don’t show up. I might even snap at someone just to do it. My poor girlfriend hates the Donster. I have kicked her out of my place and said terrible things to her at least a half a dozen times. I do not know why she stayed. Maybe because I have to grovel at her feet after I act like that. Who knows, but when you are driven, you only see victory.
How long have you been considering that decision?
Just the past year or so. I thought I would quit after the 2850 total. But I got so depressed after I achieved that, I felt I could do more. Plus I want to lose weight. I do not feel comfortable at 370 where I have been for 5 years now. Tired of blue, swollen ankles and cracked feet. I want to be pretty again. Haha you know that is not going to happen.
What do you plan to do next? Will you remain in strength sports?
Other than being a father, I want to do my job better. My boss at Progressive Sports has been very gracious with me and patient. I think now I need to concentrate on making a difference in the sports physical therapy world. I really enjoy it.
As far as competing, it is all or nothing for me. I will train as usual and enjoy it. No more single! I am so excited about that.
Any chance of a return to the sport at some point down the road?
Absolutely not! If I did, it would be right now. I would have to get a sponsor to help financially. I had my local sponsors for this past IPA Nationals. Richard Sorin, Chris Mason, Scotty Mills, The Montanari Brothers, Will and Marge Millman and Mark Blackberg. They made it possible for me to not worry financially on paying to get to and from the meet and hotel expenses. As far as equipment goes, I am the only Powerlifter without a major equipment sponsor. My shirt was a hand me down from Gene Rychlak. John Inzer sent me a squat suit last year. My deadllift is raw. My girlfriend, Jessica, purchased knee wraps and wrist wraps for me as a present for $60.00 from elitefts, my old sponsor. I wanted her to return them but she refused. So yes, top powerlifters sometimes have to buy their stuff.
Will you remain associated with the sport to some extent?
I want to help run meets and announce at the large ones. The Pro-Ams! I would make a great announcer and I really enjoy the success of the lifters. I feel they will relate to me better than other announcers.
What will your training be like moving forward?
I am going to remain large right now and continue training heavy for the next two months. I am shooting some footage for a DVD. It will be very informative and fun. Not like other ones that just show unattainable lifts from superhero status powerlifters. Mine will be all applicable for any level. Except those with no work ethic. I do not relate well to lazy people.
What will you take away from your experiences in powerlifting?
Everything in life! I learned more life lessons with weights than anything else. The battle to best yourself. The pursuit to achieve. Dealing with failure! A lot of failure! It tests everything in your being. That is why the attrition rate is so high in Powerlifting. Men get strong and total goes up then they get scared. I do not know why this is. They also get scared to be successful. I think it is not the fear of success for powerlifters but the humiliating road to the top. And when you get there, it is lonely as hell. You seem to be hated for World Records. The one thing I learned is you are in this for your own accomplishments and nothing more. You do it for you. There is no trophy or money prize waiting for you at the end. That is why a lot of the great lifters seem bitter when their course is run. All they want is respect and you cant even get that in the end of your long career. So I internalize my accomplishments and smile. When the dust settles, I know I gave it everything I had and left nothing to question! Win or fail, I gave it everything. This one thing I did to the best of my ability. I can live with that.
What achievement are you most proud of in the sport?
Getting to lift with some of the greatest powerlifters ever. I wont even name them. Sometimes I felt my presence cluttered the lifting platform when I competed with them. They were gods to me and it was surreal to be allowed to compete with them.
What is your favorite moment in powerlifting?
When I totaled 2400lbs in 2002. It was a really great meet and I lifted very well in all categories. It was one of those days that you could do no wrong. I never experienced that again.
Can you talk a bit about you felt the first time you competed?
I was very nervous. Not knowing what was going on made it terrible. It was a USAPL meet in SC. The rules briefing went something like this to my perception, “if you flinch a muscle we deem unacceptable, we will bomb you out”! I was so scared before I squatted that I bombed all three attempts. Not very fun. I weighed in at 231.
Can you tell readers a bit about the Compound?
The Compound had been at 711 Elmwood Ave for almost eight years. It has seen some great lifters pass through and it has seen some not so good lifters come through. Not guys who are weak, but guys who think they want to powerlift and they are mental midgets. That is a drain on the Compound lifters and they steal all are old used gear. The Compound will be a memory come February. I have to move on for reasons I have discussed earlier. I will tell you what, what man can say he had his Gym and House all in the same building with his nasty ass bulldog? I have lived a charmed Powerlifting life. It was at a great expense, but worth it. I am so fortunate to have had such a great time training and living. The people that have gone through the compound I will never forget. The good the bad and the ugly have all had a turn. Fortunately, I was there through it all. There will never be another compound in my book. It is raw, it is an idea! One with Powerlifting dreams and nightmares. I loved every minute there.
What do you think about the state of the sport?
I Think Powerlifting will start coming together soon. The lifter has to work too hard to be hardly recognized. The work that goes into a training is much like that of a whole football season. They play games every weekend. We compete one time and train their whole season to do it. That doesn’t take into account all the training that goes into getting you big and strong enough to be able to train for a meet. You have to come to the table with some promise before you can think of competing at the national level. I would like to see the Federations shrink down to three or four. When the lifter decides to make more demands as a group, the group will go much further than the individual. There is nothing worse than non-lifters as judges and meet promoters. It is like watching college football and having the token non-football, non-athlete in a group of former players and coaches. They are stupid and look dumb! I hate them. (Tim ‘the grinner’Brandon)!
‘Lifters for lifters’ is one federations motto. I like that. ‘Put up or shut up’ was good too! ‘If you twitch a muscle the wrong way we will red light you’ is not the fed, I want to lift in.
How will powerlifting look in 5 years? 10 years? 20?
In five years, you will see some changes in the right direction. Then in ten, I think Powerlifting will be on track. It needs to be simplified and different feds need to feed into the national, world and pro divisions. Raw can work the same way. I would like to see a combo of raw and gear and your numbers used somehow to determine the strongest in each weight class like that. If eating and poker contests can be on ESPN, than Powerlifting can be too. It has to focus on the life of the lifter and the drama it takes to get where he or she is. The lifts themselves are not impressive because humanoids do not understand or comprehend that kind of weight. I never tell humanoids my lifts. I just tell them I am a fat slob.
