Powerlift For The Spirits Spokane Man Turns Heavy Lifting Into Gold

When John Wood was born three months early in 1949, he weighed 2 pounds, so tiny that he fit in his mother’s hand and regular diapers didn’t fit him.

That didn’t stop Wood from growing into a bear of a man who hovers near 200 pounds and has a type of Midas touch.

Wood lifts certain things that turn to gold.

The Spokane man returned this week from the Special Olympics World Games, where he earned three gold medals in his powerlifting class. He earned more gold medals than any of the 84 other athletes from Washington. His personality earned him the most-valuable player award for men from the state.

“We are very proud of him,” said MaryRita Wood, John’s mother. “We are so proud of him we can’t shut our mouths. He’s what you call a success story.”

John Wood can’t stop smiling. His bedroom is a shrine to his eight years in the Special Olympics.

Wood, who is mildly retarded, has won 21 gold medals and dozens of bronze and silver medals, which hang on one wall. Most are for powerlifting, but some were earned for downhill skiing and swimming. Bowling trophies blanket his dresser.

“He could be a rich man, if he melted them down,” said his brother Ambrose Wood.

John Wood’s crowning medals were won at last week’s world games in New Haven, Conn., held July 1-9. More than 7,400 athletes from 140 countries competed in the biggest, most ambitious Special Olympics ever.

In addition to Wood, three other Spokane residents competed in the world games, and two won medals.

Lance Nelson grabbed two silver medals and a bronze in his power-lifting division. Stacey Johnston earned a silver medal in golfing.

Wood’s been practicing hard for the world games for six months. His arms are small trees, his chest a barrel. His legs are roped with muscle.

“Touch him,” said his mother, slapping him in the thigh. “Hit him there, and it’s like iron. I hurt myself once, touching him there.”

For Wood, the entire trip was a sweaty carnival ride. He saw Arnold Schwarzenegger. He picked up plenty of free red, white and blue clothes. He made friends and gave other athletes high-fives when he walked through the opening ceremonies at the Yale Bowl at Yale University.

“I tried to talk to people from other countries, but it’s hard,” Wood said.

He ate free food, although he didn’t like all of it.

“That’s one thing - I never want to eat rice again,” Wood said. “That’s what we ate, every meal - rice, rice, rice, rice, rice.”

Wood’s family and his girlfriend flew to Connecticut to watch him compete. They waited all week. Meanwhile, Wood cheered on his teammates and watched and studied the other lifters.

On Friday, Wood finally got his chance. He bench-pressed 237 pounds and dead-lifted 429 pounds. Each performance earned him a gold medal, and the combination of the lifts earned him another one.

After the competition, Wood was selected as the most-valuable player for Washington because of his support for other athletes. He constantly looked after them.

“He’s like a father hen with them,” MaryRita Wood said.

Because of the honor, Wood got the movie-star treatment on his plane trip back to Seattle. He rode first-class and got to sit in the navigator’s seat.

Now, Wood’s life has returned to normal. He bags groceries and sometimes helps in frozen foods at Albertsons near 37th and Grand. He lifts weights almost every day, bowls, and rides the bus with his live-in girlfriend, Michelle Roberts.

It’s been a long road since Wood was a baby, when he spent two months in an incubator.

“He was so tiny, he sounded like a mouse when he cried,” MaryRita Wood said. “He was so tiny but he had such a strong heart. The doctor said that’s what pulled him through. That’s what pulls him through now.”

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