By Staff Writers
His massive arms and chest are a clear display of the great strength this man must possess. People take notice of this man anywhere he goes because of his enormous presence. He carries himself with great pride and appears intimidating but his soul is gentle. He is Eskasoni’s icon of natural brute force. His name is Noel (Seymour) Doucette.
Doucette is a six-time Canadian bench press champion, nine-time Nova Scotia bench press champion, two-time State of Maine bench press champion, and an Atlantic States bench press champion.
He represented Canada twice with great honors during the world championship. His best result was in 1999 when he placed 12th overall in Vaasa, Finland.
With all these accolades one would think 40-year-old Doucette has been in the power-lifting business for a long time. Believe it or not, his first competition was 10 years ago at the Nova Scotia bench press championship.
In his first appearance he took home top honors with a lift of 369 lbs. The following year Doucette won his first Canadian title with a lift of 402 lbs. From then on he has kept on the rise capturing more awards on his climb.
Why Doucette began to power lift is a story in itself. Eleven years ago, he lay in a hospital bed listening to a doctor who lectured him on drug abuse. The doctor warned Doucette that if he continued his drug abuse he would not see his 30th birthday. For 17 years of Doucette’s life all he cared about was where his was going to get his next high.
From that moment on Doucette awakened from his abusive ways to lead a healthy and drug-free life. Immediately, Doucette turned to something that came natural to him, lifting heavy weights. Weight lifting was like a new addiction for Doucette.
The adrenaline rush he gets while trying to go beyond his limit is far superior then any drug. Pushing himself more and more and getting national record results have exceeded his expectations. He never imagined his passion would show him the world.
Au naturel
Doucette has been drug free for 11 years. He takes pride in the fact that he will not take enhancement drugs to improve his strength. It’s all natural strength.
Lately Doucette has been having a hard time getting motivated. The word retirement has been creeping up. He’s injury prone lately, but it has to do mainly with his other passion – hockey. He plays for the Eskasoni Bears Senior hockey team.
He is Eskasoni’s champ and feels obligated to fulfill people’s expectations. The nationals are only a few weeks away and Doucette hasn’t had much chance to train due to his injuries.
Bring back the title champ. Heck you’re only 40! You haven’t even reached your prime yet!
Doucette will defend his title mid-March in Alberta.
