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Uplifting legacy

Pete Church was a state champion in high school. At 52, he' envisions a comeback, his son at his side.

By MIKE CAMUNAS, Times Correspondent
Published September 25, 2007

HOLIDAY

Pete Church found his glory days in his garage.

With a lifting platform, a $1,000 weight set and the loss of 15 pounds, Church - with his 13-year-old son by his side - is ready for his comeback.

"Once in a while, my body reminds me how old I am," the 52-year-old former Army Reserve chaplain said. "It's something to regrasp your past - your life - and it's good to do it while you still have vitality."

Church was a three-time state champion weight lifter while a 148-pound student at St. Petersburg High in the early '70s. Then, as he puts it, life happened: college, marriage, kids, the military.

"It was so much a part of his life," said his wife, Debbie. "Some things just have to go by the wayside."

Pete Church claims an old photo of his former self - recently shown to him by an old high school teammate, Ray Bender - sparked the weightlifting drive.

"I had never seen the photo," Pete Church said. "But once I saw it, it just came back, and that's when I knew I wanted to do it again."

Debbie Church was skeptical at first but gave in, just like she did when he wanted to start his recording studio or learn to play a new musical instrument.

"At first I thought, 'Oh no. Another fad that he's going to get bored with after a week,' " she said. "He had to get a drum set, and now this. It's always, 'Oh, boy, here we go again.' "

To make sure his hard work isn't going to waste, Pete Church is participating in the 2007 Joe Dube Weightlifting Classic, an event in Jacksonville that attracts lifters from all across the country.

Pete and his son, Patrick, have been lifting in the garage of their Holiday home for about four months now, and Pete couldn't be happier to have Patrick by his side. The Churches adopted Patrick when he was 6, after his mother, a cousin of Debbie's, died in a car accident.

Pete enjoys the father-son connection with Patrick that he missed since the death of his youngest son, Spencer. Spencer, who would be 28 today, was hit by a car while riding his bike at age 4. He died four years later from his injuries.

"It was a profound loss," Pete said. "I'm glad to get back to weightlifting - especially with Patrick. The father-son connection has been great."

Patrick, a second-class Boy Scout and seventh-grader, also took to weightlifting when his dad started his comeback.

"I really got into it," Patrick said. "I wanted to get stronger. But, yeah, I wanted to be supportive of him, so we started doing it together in the afternoon."

Garage workouts hold a special place in Debbie Church's heart. Even when the clatter of weights on the platform echoes through the wall to her home office, it comforts her.

"It is something he especially wanted to share with Patrick," Debbie said. "It's so special to me to see the father and son thing. It was Pete's dream, and it may be hard to explain, but I love when they call me out there when they're going for a personal record.

"I love watching them together."

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FAST facts

Joe Dube Weightlifting Classic

When: Oct. 20-21

Where: Semmes Gymnasium, Episcopal High School, Jacksonville

About the event: The Classic is a qualifying event for the Masters national championships in 2008.

History: Started in 2002 in Jacksonville, it's in honor of America's last male world champion weight lifter, Joe Dube. Dube won a bronze medal in the 1968 Olympics, set 12 American and four world records during his career, and boasts a 474-pound clean-and-jerk lift.

[Last modified September 24, 2007, 19:43:51]