WINTERSVILLE — A pair of veteran powerlifters were recognized recently for their longevity and dedication to the sport.

Loretta Scott and Leon Stinson were presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards by Chuck Spencer, owner of the Rocky Road Gym.

“This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years. Now I’ve finally done it,” Spencer said of presenting the awards. “They both are very deserving of this honor.”

Scott and Stinson have been powerlifting for several decades, but each does it for a widely different reason.

For Scott, who will turn 82 in early August, powerlifting became a way of making herself look and feel better.

“I’ve been working out for 35 years. I didn’t like the way looked. I didn’t like the way I felt about myself, especially after having a couple of children. I was 52 when I started and I fell in love with it,” she explained of her start.

“I’m not good at golf, tennis or basketball, but I love to work out becaise I can be myself,” she added. “It makes me feel good. It’s addicting. Once you start and put your mind to it, you’ll start looking better and feeling better.”

She said most women, even at age 40, think it’s too late to start working out.

“No, you’re not and I’m living proof,” she stressed. “If you don’t you’re cheating yourself … sabotaging yourself.

“When I first walked into the gym, I loved the sound of the barbells hitting the racks, the music blaring and the guys yelling at each other to keep going. I found my home at Rocky Road Gym. This is the greatest gym and everyone is so helpful.”

Stinson, who will be 79 in mid-August, started lifting weights when he was just 13. In addition to powerlifting, he has also dabbled in Olympic-style lifting in his early days.

“My first Olympic-style competition was in 1960 in Cincinnati,” he recalled.

His last lift to date was on June 15 in the Ohio Police and Fire Games. Stinson, who has been entering organized lifting competitions since 1972, competed in powerlifting (squat, bench and deadlift), and the strict curl where he won three gold medals.

“I’ve won so many medals that I started giving them away,” he said. “I’ve probably won more than 100 gold medals in those competitions.”

Stinson, who retired as a Steubenville Police Captain after serving in various capacities throught his 33-year career, said his strong family values, United States Marine Corps training and his neighbor, Calvin Jones, were big influences in him getting into powerlifting.

“My marine corps discipline and my great family were two motivating factors for me,” he continued. “My family was very religious and went to church all the time. My father was a strict man who molded me for life. Calvin Jones was my neighbor. When he came home from college, he would workout in the alley between our homes.”

Jones was an outstanding football player at Steubenville High School and the University of Iowa, winning the Outland Trophy in 1955 for the best interior lineman. Also, finished 10th on the Heisman Ballot. Drafted in the NFL by the Detroit Lions, he opted to go to the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bomber in order to return to the NFL as a free agent. Tragically, he lost his life in a plane crash, returning from the CFL’s East-West Shrine Game after capping a sensational rookie campaign as a Rookie of the Year.