Medal man

By JIM CUNNINGHAM/Staff

The number is 24 and counting. That’s the number of medals Trenton Crockett has compiled from the Coventry Commonwealth Games.
Crockett added two more to his collection after competition in this year’s Games. His two events this year were the shot put and the discus throw.
Crockett, who lives in Wytheville and is a 26-year veteran of the Wytheville Police Department, won a gold medal in the shot put with a toss of 36 feet, 11 inches. And he won a bronze medal in the discus with a throw of 95 feet, 7 inches. The track and field events were held July 22 at Roanoke College.
Crockett did not compete in his favorite event this year, powerlifting, because he just missed the deadline to enter.
He still holds the Games’ record in that event, however, with a bench press of 350 pounds in the men’s age 45-49 division. “I can still bench press over 300 pounds,” he said. He weighs about 260 pounds.
He didn’t compete in the Games at all last year because he “just didn’t feel like it.” But he is planning to go back as often as he can. “I’m going for 50 (medals),” he said. “It may take awhile, but I’m going to go for 50.”
Crockett, 51, competed in a new age group this year: age 50 to 54.
“I enjoy the competition,” he said as to why he goes back nearly every year. He also gets to see old friends and meet new ones. He has noticed recently that the Games has been drawing more competitors than before from Northern Virginia and from the Eastern Shore area.
Crockett has all 24 of his medals hanging up in the basement of his Wytheville home. “This is where I hang out,” said Crockett about the basement. It’s equipped with weights, a treadmill, a punching bag and other devices that he uses to stay in shape. He said he usually works out at least one hour every day.
He breaks up the indoor routine by going out to his backyard to throw the discus and shot put.
And lately he’s been putting in a lot of exercise time in the newly built Wytheville Community Center, near Wytheville Community College. He especially likes the Nautilus equipment there. “It’s one of the nicest gyms I’ve ever been in,” he said, “and I’ve been in gyms all over the world.”
During the summer he’s been taking his daughter, Kaylee, swimming at the center while he works out. Although she is only in the second grade, Crockett said she is very athletic.
He and his wife, Cindy, have one other child, B.J., who is a 2005 graduate of George Wythe High School. B.J. is now in the Navy, and Crockett said he dedicated his medals this year to him.
Crockett also expressed appreciation to his wife for sponsoring him in the Games. “She urged me to go,” he said.
The medals qualify Crockett to compete in the National Games, which will be held next summer in Chicago. He is considering competing there. Crockett has participated in several national and world powerlifting competitions that are affiliated with a police organization. He competed in a world contest in 2001 in Indiana and went to Australia in 1995 for another world event.
Crockett said the design of the medals at the Commonwealth Games has changed three times since he won his first medal back in 1994. He is planning to collect every type of medal that is awarded for as long as he can.