Thomas Holcomb
Powerlifting Coach
Room: 405
Email: tholcomb@bellvillebrahmas.org
The Bellville Brahmas Powerlifting program represents Bellville High School in meets throughout the powerlifting season, with lifters competing individually and as a team. Follow the program for meet results, personal records, advancement, and stories about the strength, preparation, technique, and discipline behind each lifter’s performance. Contact Powerlifting Coach Thomas Holcomb for schedules, official results, team information, and coverage opportunities.
- Upcoming meets and schedule changes
- Individual lifting totals and team results
- Personal records in squat, bench press, and deadlift
- Weight-class standings and medalist performances
- Lifters qualifying for regional and state competition
- Training, preparation, and lifting technique
- Athletes reaching new strength or total milestones
- New varsity lifters and developing athletes
- Senior recognition and final meets
- Awards, honors, and postseason accomplishments
- Team activities and powerlifting-program achievements
Covering the Powerlifting Beat
Start Here
- Introduce yourself to Coach Holcomb and explain that you are covering Bellville Powerlifting for the BVP Newsroom.
- Ask how he prefers to be contacted and how far in advance interviews, photography, video, or meet coverage should be arranged.
- Request the current meet schedule, including district, regional, and anticipated state competition dates.
- Ask where and when the team practices and whether reporters may attend.
- Request the current roster and identify returning lifters, new lifters, seniors, and team leaders.
- Ask how official meet results, individual totals, team standings, and advancement will be communicated.
- Learn which weight classes Bellville athletes are competing in.
- Ask which upcoming meets or opponents are expected to provide the biggest challenges.
- Check regularly with Coach Holcomb for schedule changes, results, developing stories, and coverage opportunities.
- Submit possible stories as pitches before beginning full coverage unless your teacher tells you otherwise.
Your Responsibilities
- Check for Powerlifting updates at least once each news cycle.
- Track meets, individual results, team results, and postseason advancement.
- Watch for personal records in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overall total.
- Look for lifters moving up in standings, placing at meets, or qualifying for the next level of competition.
- Follow athletes demonstrating improvement, consistency, leadership, or perseverance.
- Pitch promising stories to the newsroom.
- Arrange interviews, photography, video, and meet coverage in advance.
- Confirm names, weight classes, individual lifts, totals, placements, records, and advancement before publication.
- Follow up after meets for official results, photographs, reactions, and information about the next competition.
- Explain more than the final placing by identifying the lifts, improvements, setbacks, or decisions that shaped an athlete’s performance.
Important
Powerlifting competition is organized by weight class, so results must be reported in context. A lighter athlete and a heavier athlete are not necessarily competing directly against one another. Always identify the athlete’s weight class when it is relevant to the result.
A lifter competes in three events: the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Successful lifts contribute to the athlete’s total, which is used in determining placement. Be careful not to confuse the weight of an individual lift with the athlete’s overall meet total. Verify all weights, totals, placements, records, and advancement with Coach Holcomb or official meet results before publication.
Powerlifting areas contain very heavy weights and actively lifting athletes. Stay out of lifting and spotting areas unless you have permission to be there. Never distract a lifter during an attempt, interfere with spotters or officials, or touch weights or equipment without permission.
A meet result is only the beginning of the story. Find out what happened behind the numbers—a personal record, a missed attempt followed by a recovery, a difficult training period, a change in technique, an athlete qualifying for the next level, or a performance that helped the team.
Reporting Your Powerlifting Stories
Possible Story Ideas
- A lifter sets a new personal record in the squat, bench press, deadlift, or total
- Athletes place or medal at a meet
- A lifter qualifies for regional or state competition
- Team results or strong finishes at major meets
- A first-year lifter makes significant progress
- A senior competes in a final home or regular-season meet
- An athlete returns from an injury or other setback
- A lifter moves into a new weight class
- Training or technique changes lead to improvement
- An athlete reaches a major strength milestone
- Behind-the-scenes look at powerlifting training
- Regional or state preparation
- Awards, honors, or postseason recognition
Signs There May Be A Story
Pay attention when:
- Someone sets or approaches a personal record
- A lifter places unusually high at a meet
- Someone qualifies for the next level of competition
- A previously struggling athlete shows major improvement
- A new lifter begins contributing to the team
- An athlete has an unusually strong squat, bench press, or deadlift
- A lifter recovers after missing an earlier attempt
- The team performs better than expected
- An athlete reaches a milestone they have been working toward
- A senior is approaching the end of their powerlifting career
- Coaches or teammates are especially excited about someone’s progress
- Something changes in training, technique, weight class, or preparation
Questions to Ask: The 5 W's and 1 H
You will not necessarily ask every question below. Select the questions that fit your story and ask follow-up questions whenever an answer is unclear or incomplete.
Who was involved?
- Which lifters competed?
- Who had a particularly strong performance?
- Who set a personal record or qualified for the next level?
- Who helped the athlete prepare?
- Who contributed significantly to the team’s result?
What happened?
- What meet or competition took place?
- What were the athlete’s squat, bench press, deadlift, and total?
- What personal records were set?
- What place did the athlete or team finish?
- What was the most important or difficult lift?
- What went better—or worse—than expected?
When did it happen?
- When was the meet?
- When did the athlete realize a personal record or qualification was possible?
- When is the next competition?
Where did it happen?
- Where was the meet held?
- Where does the team normally train?
- Where will the next level of competition take place?
Why does it matter?
- Why was this performance significant?
- Why did the athlete choose a particular attempt weight?
- Why has the athlete improved?
- Why is this result important for postseason advancement?
How did it happen?
- How did the athlete prepare?
- How did the lifter respond to a missed or difficult attempt?
- How has the athlete improved since the beginning of the season?
- How did technique, training, or strategy affect the result?
- How does this performance affect what happens next?
People You May Need to Interview
- Coach Thomas Holcomb
- The lifter or lifters involved in the story
- Teammates
- Team leaders or experienced lifters
- Seniors
- A teammate who trains closely with the featured athlete
- Other coaches or staff involved with the program when appropriate
What You Need to Collect
Before writing or producing the story, collect:
- Correct spelling of every athlete’s name
- Athlete’s weight class
- Official meet name, date, and location
- Squat result
- Bench press result
- Deadlift result
- Overall total
- Individual placement
- Team result, when applicable
- Personal records
- Regional or state qualification information
- Quotes from the athlete and coach
- Photos of competition or training
- Video of lifts when available and permitted
- Information about the next meet
- Official results or another source for verifying numbers
Before You Leave
Ask yourself:
- Verify all names and spellings.
- Confirm each athlete’s weight class.
- Confirm the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total.
- Verify whether any result is a personal record.
- Confirm individual and team placements.
- Verify any regional or state qualification.
- Make sure you understand why the performance mattered, not just how much weight was lifted.
- Get usable quotes from the athlete and coach.
- Get enough photographs and video to tell the story.
- Ask what happens next and when the next meet will take place.
- Make sure you know how to contact the people you may need for follow-up questions.
- Do not publish numbers from memory—verify the official results.