4/10/2008 9:38:00 PM Colten's Power Lift Prescott 19 year old aiming for Special Olympics
The Daily Courier/Jo. L. Keener Gibbs doesn’t mince
words – he needed to get in shape. “I was fat,” he says. “I weighed 200. I burned all my fat down.”
The Daily Courier/ Jo. L. Keener Colten Gibbs works out under the watchful eye of coach Al Dattola at the Prescott YMCA. The two work out together five days a week. Gibbs is now dead-lifting 200 pounds – 25 more than his original goal.
For the past six months, the 19-year-old Prescott man has worked out on weights with the goal of dead-lifting 175 pounds and bench-pressing 160 pounds. An athlete with Down Syndrome, he's excited to compete in his first Special Olympics on Saturday in Prescott Valley.
Asked if he's nervous, Gibbs quickly responded with a laugh, "Just a little, yeah. I'll be OK."
The local event at Glassford Hill Middle School and the Bradshaw Mountain High School track begins at 10 a.m. Saturday with Opening Ceremonies.
The path to Gibbs' first competition was not straightforward but rather the result of a series of events that began clear back in elementary school.
"When he was younger, I had him in the fourth grade," said Al Dattola, who worked with Gibbs as a special needs instructor. "We worked on fine motor skills and large motor skills. Out of all the students I had, he was the most athletic."
Down Syndrome occurs when an individual has three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. The additional genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops. According to the National Down Syndrome Society, one in every 733 babies is born with the disorder. There are more than 350,000 people living with Down Syndrome in the United States.
Gibbs went to the top of the class in Dattola's activities such as bouncing and catching balls, hopping, skipping and jumping. He also developed an interest in golf at a young age, a sport in which he still participates.
By the time Gibbs reached middle school, Dattola decided to introduce his students to other types of training.
"I started all my special needs people lifting weights and using stretch cords," Dattola said. "We started with the 3-pound weights."
For the past six months, Dattola has volunteered his personal training services to help Gibbs reach new levels in weightlifting and prepare for the Special Olympics. On Wednesday morning before meeting Gibbs at the Prescott YMCA for a workout, he broke out the old albums that include photos of his past students.
"He's probably one of the finest young men that I've ever worked with that is so dedicated and sincere," Dattola said. "He listens to every single thing that I say. He follows through."
Gibbs' venture to weightlifting wasn't a direct result of those 3-pound weights and stretch cords but it was a start. Then, about three years ago, Gibbs found himself fighting a weight problem.
Tipping the scales at 200 pounds, Gibbs responded to encouragement from his brother to start working out. He started jogging and hitting a heavy bag that hung in the family garage.
By his senior year at Prescott High School, Gibbs developed an interest in weightlifting. Football assistant Gabe Gahn asked Gibbs if he'd help manage the Badger varsity. In the process, he watched players work out on weights, get stronger and improve their level of play.
The hard work paid off.
"He became very serious about his eating habits and dropped 20 pounds," said his father, Lyle Gibbs. "He started using free weights with the resistance weight machine at home."
Gibbs added running to his workout repertoire - on a treadmill and outdoors. And his diet improved.
"I was fat, I weighed 200," Gibbs said. "I burned all my fat down ... I eat healthy foods, like apples, carrots, bananas, smoothies, high protein."
Dattola said: "He's down to 175, 176 pounds now. He had a belly on him that I could grab with both hands. I can't do that now."
Six months ago, Gibbs' mother asked Dattola if he'd train him for the Special Olympics. They work out together five days a week. Gibbs is now dead-lifting 200 pounds - 25 more than his original goal - and just last Friday hit his target lift of 160 pounds on the bench press. He now has new goals of 250 on the dead lift and 200 on the bench press.
Following this local event, Gibbs will head to the Special Olympics Arizona Summer Games on May 1-3 at Arizona State University.
"We work a lot on form," Dattola said. "Form is very important in the dead lift and once you have the right form, it's easy if you have the strength; it's easy to come up with the weights."
The meet in Prescott Valley will serve as an important tune-up for State. Besides getting used to lifting in front of a crowd, Gibbs will also learn to perform in that environment under direction.
"At the meet at State, they're so strict on everything you have to do. It's just like the regular Olympics," Dattola said. "We have to follow every deal that they have written down or you're eliminated. Like on the bench press, when they say 'press,' you have to be ready."
Gibbs knows he will need to stay calm.
"All he has to do is listen to what his coach does and nothing else," Dattola said. "He's very dedicated and I'm very, very proud of what he's done. Working with special needs people is so rewarding to me to see what they can accomplish that most people think they can't do."
Performing well at the Summer Games is definitely on Gibbs' mind. On April 29, he'll celebrate his 20th birthday before making the trip to ASU.
Asked if he's going to win, he confidently responded, "Yes, I will."
