thedrifter
10-09-04, 07:48 AM
Senior DI exercises passion for lifting
Submitted by: MCRD San Diego
Story Identification #: 2004108111115
Story by Sgt. Len Langston
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (October 8, 2004) -- Lifting more than 400 pounds is a task few men have the strength to accomplish. Adding the weight of bearing the responsibilities of 80 recruits and a family with two children is even more difficult.
Sgt. Steve D. Thompson, Platoon 3008 senior drill instructor, Company I, stepped onto the drill field March 2002 with the responsibilities of making Marines on his shoulders. His passion for powerlifting has lightened the load of those responsibilities.
Maintaining the energy and drive throughout his endeavor on the drill field has not been easy, but Thompson is continuing to go strong.
"He can stay focused on more than one task and be successful, and that's outstanding on his part," said senior drill instructor Staff Sgt. Evann R. Rogers, Platoon 3005, Company I.
Thompson grins when he says powerlifting is his passion and that it has taken a bit of the edge off of being a drill instructor.
"It relieves the frustration and stress from a long days work and keeps my mind off work," Thompson said.
Thompson gives his wife a lot of credit for making it through his tour as a drill instructor.
"She's the main reason I'm still here today," said Thompson. "She has a great and bright outlook on things."
"I've had to give a little more (because of demanding hours), but I support him in everything he does, including his powerlifting," said his wife Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Penny Thompson.
"That's his life," said Rogers. "After working all day he would only talk about lifting and he'd want to go work out."
"I would lift after lights were out, but it was difficult adjusting and not having time (for serious lifting)," Thompson said.
Thompson is a recognized powerlifter, participating in national competitions in New York, Louisiana and Nevada. He owns the Louisiana bench press record, which has stood since 2001, with a lift of 402.2 pounds in the men's single lift bench press in the 198-pound class, junior men ages 20-25 category, according to the World Association of Benchers and Dead Lifters. In 1999, Thompson also competed in a world-class competition in Reno, Nev.
Thompson was introduced to the sport when he arrived at II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C., his first duty assignment.
There he met Master Sgt. William P. Wooten, a body builder and Thompson's senior staff noncommissioned officer. Williams mentored Thompson and began training him on a course to succeed on the drill field and setting a foundation for strength training.
"We would run him twice a day, three to four miles with a pack, and keep him under 18 minutes. He always scored 300 on his (physical fitness test)," said Wooten.
"I ran in the morning and again in the evening, five days a week with a 40-pound pack," said Thompson.
"He had a lot of fortitude and would never quit," said Wooten. "He worked hard to achieve his goal (of becoming a drill instructor) and that speaks a lot about his character."
Thompson compares competitive powerlifting to competition on the drill field: "You don't know what to expect on the drill field and during competition. The training schedule is the same just as each competition, but everyday is different and each lift and result is different."
The 192-pound muscle-bound Marine carries his 5-foot, 8-inch frame with confidence around the drill field knowing he's accomplished only what few Marines undertake.
"It has been a humbling experience and I'm really glad to be here," he said. "It's a long road. It's one cycle at a time and when you get to the end you can say, 'I made it.'"
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004108111444/$file/08DI01_lr.jpg
Sgt. Steve D. Thompson, Platoon 3008 senior drill instructor, Company I, juggles a platoon, a family and time to bench press as many as 400 pounds. Photo by: Sgt. Len Langston
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/D1C35C8F17DDDCDF85256F2700536D98?opendocument
The Drifter's Wife
Ellie
Submitted by: MCRD San Diego
Story Identification #: 2004108111115
Story by Sgt. Len Langston
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (October 8, 2004) -- Lifting more than 400 pounds is a task few men have the strength to accomplish. Adding the weight of bearing the responsibilities of 80 recruits and a family with two children is even more difficult.
Sgt. Steve D. Thompson, Platoon 3008 senior drill instructor, Company I, stepped onto the drill field March 2002 with the responsibilities of making Marines on his shoulders. His passion for powerlifting has lightened the load of those responsibilities.
Maintaining the energy and drive throughout his endeavor on the drill field has not been easy, but Thompson is continuing to go strong.
"He can stay focused on more than one task and be successful, and that's outstanding on his part," said senior drill instructor Staff Sgt. Evann R. Rogers, Platoon 3005, Company I.
Thompson grins when he says powerlifting is his passion and that it has taken a bit of the edge off of being a drill instructor.
"It relieves the frustration and stress from a long days work and keeps my mind off work," Thompson said.
Thompson gives his wife a lot of credit for making it through his tour as a drill instructor.
"She's the main reason I'm still here today," said Thompson. "She has a great and bright outlook on things."
"I've had to give a little more (because of demanding hours), but I support him in everything he does, including his powerlifting," said his wife Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Penny Thompson.
"That's his life," said Rogers. "After working all day he would only talk about lifting and he'd want to go work out."
"I would lift after lights were out, but it was difficult adjusting and not having time (for serious lifting)," Thompson said.
Thompson is a recognized powerlifter, participating in national competitions in New York, Louisiana and Nevada. He owns the Louisiana bench press record, which has stood since 2001, with a lift of 402.2 pounds in the men's single lift bench press in the 198-pound class, junior men ages 20-25 category, according to the World Association of Benchers and Dead Lifters. In 1999, Thompson also competed in a world-class competition in Reno, Nev.
Thompson was introduced to the sport when he arrived at II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C., his first duty assignment.
There he met Master Sgt. William P. Wooten, a body builder and Thompson's senior staff noncommissioned officer. Williams mentored Thompson and began training him on a course to succeed on the drill field and setting a foundation for strength training.
"We would run him twice a day, three to four miles with a pack, and keep him under 18 minutes. He always scored 300 on his (physical fitness test)," said Wooten.
"I ran in the morning and again in the evening, five days a week with a 40-pound pack," said Thompson.
"He had a lot of fortitude and would never quit," said Wooten. "He worked hard to achieve his goal (of becoming a drill instructor) and that speaks a lot about his character."
Thompson compares competitive powerlifting to competition on the drill field: "You don't know what to expect on the drill field and during competition. The training schedule is the same just as each competition, but everyday is different and each lift and result is different."
The 192-pound muscle-bound Marine carries his 5-foot, 8-inch frame with confidence around the drill field knowing he's accomplished only what few Marines undertake.
"It has been a humbling experience and I'm really glad to be here," he said. "It's a long road. It's one cycle at a time and when you get to the end you can say, 'I made it.'"
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004108111444/$file/08DI01_lr.jpg
Sgt. Steve D. Thompson, Platoon 3008 senior drill instructor, Company I, juggles a platoon, a family and time to bench press as many as 400 pounds. Photo by: Sgt. Len Langston
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/D1C35C8F17DDDCDF85256F2700536D98?opendocument
The Drifter's Wife
Ellie