Tom Hart is a Hinesburg man you may know. Maybe you
see him chatting with his brother and cousins at Hart and Mead
early in the morning, or you had him as a teacher at the Life
Program at CVU High School. Like any other local, he shops at
Lantmans, gets coffee from Quickstop and helps dig neighbor’s
cars out of the snow. He’s a humble, seemingly ordinary man
who has accomplished some extraordinary things.
I have watched my father take on many roles through my
lifetime. Being Hinesburg born, he spent his career as an
influential educator at CVU, was a member of the Hinesburg
Fire Department for 25 years and the State Fire Warden for 20
years. He has proudly worn multiple hats; those of a
passionate educator, a successful mentor, an empowering
sports coach, a loving husband and a dedicated father (to
name a few). But what has Tom Hart become in his postretirement
years? The most recent title he has achieved came
as a surprise - even to his family. “What hat is dad wearing
now,” I jokingly asked my mother over the phone a couple
months ago. “Well…” she responded with a pause and a
smirk in her voice, “A Power Lifter.”
Powerlifting is a form of competitive sport weightlifting.
It requires specialized training techniques that are focused on
strength and explosive power. In the last year and a half, Tom
has set two Vermont State records for his age (67 yrs) and
weight (195 lbs). In his first competition in April 2008, he
lifted 220 lbs, setting the State Bench Press record for 65 to 69
age group. He proceeded to beat his own, and the state’s,
record in November 2008 with a 226 lb lift.
But how did he get to this place in his life? Being a few
years shy of 70 and spending his career as a teacher at CVU,
powerlifting seems like an odd path. Here is a little history
about my father (or, as I have been calling him recently,
“PowerDaddy”)-
He was always an athlete. Softball, swimming, bowling,
basketball - you name it, he probably played it. He also
coached a variety of high school sports, including my brother
Christopher’s successful Track and Field achievements. But
when he starting teaching history at CVU in 1964, he
dedicated his team-oriented spirit and transitioned into
working with students who needed and thrived in an
alternative education environment, outside of the standard
classroom. He founded CVU’s Life Program, a safe place to
provide students with a firm foundation from which they
could spring forward into college and a career. Trudging
through academic and organizational hurdles, Tom fought for
each and every student for basic services, respect and dignity
they deserved. His students were his team - he was their
coach.
After retirement in 2001, Tom spent most of his time in
the woods, chopping trees. He suffered a back injury in
summer of 2007 by twisting the wrong way with a chainsaw.
His injury led to doctor’s care and eventual physical therapy.
My father’s physical therapist recommended exercises to
strengthen core muscles.
He joined a local health club to work on core muscles for
preventative purposes against future injury. But, the bench
press caught his eye. “After a number of months watching
people doing bench press,” my father wrote me in an email a
couple months ago, “I finally asked one lifter if he would give
me some pointers because I had never been on a bench.” After
instruction and a few months of lifting he was encouraged to
consider competing by another athlete. Initially he dismissed
the idea but at the encouragement of his kids (Chris and me)
he decided to try it. Tom contacted Bret Kernoff, of Vermont
Powerlifting, for advice and instruction. Tom became Bret’s
student, learning the rules and regulations of competitive
lifting, and the rest is reflected in Tom’s growing list of
achievements.
My father’s goal for his future in powerlifting is to just
continue training. He is humble about his accomplishments,
but has expressed interest in eventually working toward the
national bench pressing record of 250 lbs. “I’ve hit that weight
in the gym,” he said bashfully, “but competitions are entirely
different scenes.”
