“I’ve always worked out,” Shotts said. “It’s always been my stress reliever if you will.”
The 37th annual Natural Athlete Strength Association national meet takes place Feb. 21-22. Shotts will compete in the 242-pound weight class.
Shotts qualified by winning the Ohio regional championship in Springfield in October. He set state records in his weight class in the Masters 1 Division for squat, bench, deadlift and total weight in Retro Powerlifting (lifting belt only).
Shotts got his start in lifting when he was just 4 years old because his older brother, Isaac, lifted and had dumbbells in his room. He had another inspiration in his grandfather, Frank “Friday” Allman, a professional wrestler locally before moving to Hawaii.
“I started, and I never stopped,” Shotts said.
At 8, Shotts started to get serious about lifting when his parents bought him a Hulkamania workout set. These were the glory days for Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation.
Around the same time, in 1989, Shotts’ childhood friend, Robert Warren, was accidentally shot and killed at age 12 on Providence Avenue in Springfield.
“It destroyed my adolescence,” Shotts said. “I became very introverted. I was depressed, I was a loner. I was just in a very dark place. After I lost my friend, I talked to a doctor and a counselor, and nothing was really clicking or working. I really didn’t want to talk to anybody. I didn’t feel like it was helping. My dad knew that I needed discipline and structure.”
Shotts’ dad, Robert, encouraged him to get serious about lifting weights in the garage.
“It didn’t matter if it was winter time and was 20 degrees out there,” Shotts said, “his goal was just to wear me out, and if he could wear me out, I would sleep good. It fixed my depression. It fixed me being so introverted, and I became confident. I was healed.”
That led to Shotts becoming a competitive powerlifter in high school. He attended Kenton Ridge and graduated in 1995 and then graduated from Sinclair Community College in 1999.
Shotts stayed in shape over the years but didn’t return to competition until 2007 when he met trainer and nutritionist Pat Frock at the Springfield Athletic Club.
Shotts’ return to competition didn’t last long because he started a tool-and-die business that demanded his attention. For 18 years, he worked out but didn’t compete until last year when the time was right to try it again.
On Facebook, Shotts keeps friends and family updated on his exploits. He shared videos this month of a 500-pound deadlift and a 365-pound squat.
After competing in Oklahoma, Shotts will travel with Team Ohio to a NASA meet in June.
Asked if he thought he would be successful in his return to competition, Shotts said, “I never really worried about what anybody else was really doing. I went out there for fun, and it just kind of worked out. All I really wanted to do was be the better version of myself the next day.”
About the Author
