Jan 15 Doc Holloway
January 2015 - Damarrio "Doc" Holloway
Please introduce yourself. Who are you? How old are you? Where were you born? Etc. Give the readers some background about yourself.
My name is Damarrio Doc Holloway. I'm 33 yes old and originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. I graduated high school in Arkansas and played basketball and ran track thru high school. I hated lifting weights all through high school and never went to weight training during practices. I got my undergraduate degree at the greatest powerlifting school in the world, Louisiana Tech University and I also met my lovely wife Courtney there too. I got in the sport because my RA asked me to come to practice on day at the beginning of the quarter and fell in love with it since. This is my 15th year in the sport and I still love it. I'm currently working on my PhD in mathematics education at UGA, hoping to graduate December 2015. As a student, I'm also teaching full-time high school mathematics in Athens.
Do you compete equipped (squat suit, bench press shirt & deadlift suit) or unequipped (no suits) or both and what weight class(s) and divisions(s) do you compete in?
I primarily compete equipped, but every now and then I'm allowed to compete raw. Ive competed in the 52, 56, 60, 67.5, and currently the 66kg weight classes. Because I started in college at 18, I've competed in the junior, collegiate, and open divisions.
What was your last competition and how did you do?My last competition was the Open Men's and Women's Worlds in Denver, CO. I got a gold medal in the deadlift and was 10kgs from getting third overall.
When was your first competition?
My first competition was October 1999. It was our rookie meet for LaTech.
How did you improve from your first competition to your most recent?
Listening to as many people as possible, hard work, and willingness to help others.
What is your next competition?
My next meet will probably be Men’s Nationals in San Antonio next May.
What do you plan on doing differently for that meet if anything?
Be patient and disciplined throughout the whole meet.
Where are you located in Georgia and where do you train at?
Different places thru Gwinnett and Oconee county. I train at GATA with James T and Ryan G and Quest with Sherman L when I can, but I train at a strongman gym in Oconee county outside of Athens with Kevin, Chad, and Bob.
What are your hobbies (other than powerlifting)?
Napping, music, and a little carpentry
Who is your role model and why?
My parents taught and how and told me why it's important to work hard. My powerlifting role model is Dan Austin.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
Probably the fact that I literally hated lifting weights all through high school.
Is there anything about powerlifting you would like to change or wish was different?
Maybe start earlier.
What is your occupation? Does it interfere with competing or visa versa?
I'm a high school mathematics teacher at Clarke Central High School in Athens. At times it is difficult to train because of the demands, but I find ways to get it done with good people who own gyms.
How did you get into powerlifting and how many years have you been competing?I honestly got into powerlifting because my RA my freshman year of college asked me to come to the beginning of the year meeting. We had a rule at LaTech that if you wanted to move up a weight class you had to recruit someone to fill your old weight class. I was the guy he recruited and I've been doing it for years since.
Are you involved in powerlifting in any way besides as a competitor?
I so help out as much as my time allows at meets when I'm done lifting or if someone asks and I also judge on the state level, but even that is becoming a little more rare now a days.
What are your biggest squat, bench press, deadlift and total numbers? And how do your best training numbers compare to your best competition numbers?
I'm not really sure what my exact numbers are but I'll say low six's in the squat, low fours in the bench, and low to mid sixes in the pull. I think at a given meet those numbers will put me in the top three.
What advice would you give a new lifter just starting out?
Make sure you are willing to listen, learn, and reevaluate yourself in every practice and competition.
What are your short term goals now as a lifter?
To stay healthy to be honest.
What are some long term goals you would like to achieve?
As a lifter, I'd like to win a couple of Open World cchampionships, graduate with my PhD, maybe coach the sport on some level, and be a dad.
Who is your favorite powerlifter of all time?
Probably Dan Austin because of his humbleness and pull that I'd like to emulate and beat one day.
Can you describe your training philosophy and/or a typical training session?
Just try to listen to my primary coach James Townsend and reevaluate my lifting during training and competition. Also prioritize the important aspects of my life against powerlifting.
What is your favorite lift, squat or bench press or deadlift or all three and why?
Probably deadlift because I don't have far to travel with bar.
If we're sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great year it's been for you, what would be the reason?
That I got to lift at worlds in the states again and some of my family that I hadn't seen inin fifteen years got a chance to see me lift and I got to visit them!