Elkhart County corrections officer sets goals for his sport
ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - Weights aren't the only thing Thomas Davis lifts.
Davis, who stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs over 400 pounds, set a world record last year by bench pressing 622.8 pounds. But Davis also wants to inspire others.
"I want be able to inspire people with what I do," he said.
Davis, 24, is corrections officer at the Elkhart County Correctional Facility and a pro-level powerlifting competitor.
"I wouldn't say I'm a pro but other people probably would say I am," he said during a training session Wednesday at Strength Haven, his gym of choice in Elkhart.
Davis competes among the best in the world and is ranked by several powerlifting sanctioning bodies, of which there are many, according to Davis.
In drug-free weightlifting rankings, he is No. 2 in the world, behind an Algerian man, Ilyes Boughalem, according to the International Powerlifting Federation. Last year, Davis set his world record for raw bench press - meaning he didn't use special equipment - but it has since been surpassed by Boughalem.
"He's got me by a pound but I'm going to smoke that," Davis said.
Davis, a South Bend native, said he got into powerlifting after playing football at South Bend St. Joseph High School and running track and field at Bethel College and Ivy Tech.
"Football, we always lifted heavy. I always loved that, as much as hitting people," he said.
After he was done with school he decided to pour himself into powerlifting.
"I started learning the sport and now I'm doing my thing," he said.
Davis found that there are life lessons that can be applied from the discipline of weightlifting into his everyday life.
"There's always room for progress. The sport is so cool because you start out and you're like, 'I'm not sure how much I can do' and then you learn and you want to progress and you get over plateaus," he said. "If you can learn how to do this and apply it to your life, you will be a better person."
As a corrections officer, he said a lot of people expect inmates to be intimidated by him or behave better around him because he looks imposing. But Davis said many inmates are friendly toward him and even wish him well ahead of competitions.
"It's more a respect thing," he said. "They know I'm a nice guy. They know if they're fair with me, I'm going to be fair with them."
He also said that while there is a gym at the Elkhart County Correctional Complex, his co-workers don't challenge him to any friendly competitions.
"No, they know better," he said with a laugh.
Davis wants to build a following and become an inspiration for people from Michiana.
"People know who I am now and I want to continue to build that fan base," he said. "I want to inspire people, because this is my getaway from everything else."
Davis has over 3,000 Instagram followers on his account, @tdsmash.
"I want people to say, 'He's from South Bend, he did something cool,'" he said. "There's so many negative things that people say about South Bend. I want to be some kind of light for people."
Davis will be competing in Chicago on March 29 and hopes to qualify for a national competition later this year. Later this year, he will participate in the World Police and Fire Games.
His weightlifting goals are lofty.
"My goal is to be the best there ever was on the bench," he said. "My program right now is at 650 pounds."
While it remains to be seen how much weight he can lift, he'll continue to try and lift the spirits of others too.
"You can be great no matter where you're from," Davis said.
___
Source: The Elkhart Truth, http://bit.ly/2nsa6ej
___
Information from: The Elkhart Truth, http://www.elkharttruth.com