SYDNEY, N.S. — Chad Sinclair has come a long way in a short period of time.
From originally wanting to pursue a career in bodybuilding to changing course and becoming a powerlifter, the New Waterford resident has achieved quite a bit in the sport over the past 10 years.
Today, Sinclair remains an active member of the Cape Breton powerlifting community and will compete at this year’s provincial championship, hosted by the Nova Scotia Powerlifting Association Saturday in Dartmouth.
The 29-year-old, who will compete in the 105 kg three-lift category of squatting, bench press and deadlift, has high expectations.
“I’m anticipating a top-three finish, but I can’t say for sure,” said Sinclair. “I think there’s seven guys in our class, including an absolute legend in John MacDonald of P.E.I."
Although the majority of meets were cancelled this year due to COVID-19, the pandemic hasn’t set Sinclair back in his preparation for provincials.
“My training hasn’t been altered too much because I have my own powerlifting gym set up at home, so I have all my competition-grade level equipment here,” said Sinclair.
“As far as the hindering in the community, it definitely has — they’ve missed out with gym closures for three months and for a lot of people that was kind of major in their growth and their potential for competing.”
Sinclair, originally from Glace Bay, began powerlifting after graduating from high school in 2009. He moved to New Waterford and started training at a backyard gym known as Petley’s on Arthur Street.
“I started training in and around the same time as some of the powerlifters who had already been training there,” said Sinclair. “I didn’t quite know what the sport was until I saw some of the guys training and it went from there.”
Sinclair credits well-known powerlifters Mike MacDonald, Brennan MacDonald and Mike Sweeney for leading him in the direction of powerlifting and where he is today.
“Chatting with those guys, they really made me motivated,” said Sinclair, who competed in his first provincials in 2010. “They offered me an opportunity to train with them and really took me under their wing.”
Since then, Sinclair has recorded seven first-place finishes at the provincial level and has attended four regional championships.
He’s also attended nationals eight times and competed with Team Canada, winning three gold medals and one silver in various events through the International Powerlifting Federation.
Sinclair isn’t the only Cape Breton powerlifter competing at the provincial championship.
Nicole Webber, a native of Marion Bridge, will take part in her first-ever provincial meet. The 32-year-old hasn’t set any expectations for the event.
“I’m a baby at the sport, I’m just trying to see what I can do,” laughed Webber, who credits Sinclair and family members for pushing her to be a powerlifter.
“I’m more competitive with myself. I’d obviously like to be more competitive with everyone else, but I’m going to see how far I can push myself at this event and hopefully see where it goes.”
Webber, who will compete in the 84 kg three-lift category, has been involved in the powerlifting community for the past year. Prior to joining the sport, she was an avid runner, competing in various local 5K races.
Overall, she believes powerlifting has made her feel better about herself.
“I really like pushing myself and I liked seeing improvements in my strength and confidence as well,” said Webber, who took part in her first competition in February in Sydney.
“Powerlifting has done a lot for how I feel about my appearance and how I feel about myself.”
Although the sport is highly dominated by men, Webber would like to see more female powerlifters competing, especially locally.
“I have so many girls who talk to me about powerlifting, but I feel it’s not super popular around here,” said Webber. “I wish more females would be involved. There are some who are definitely interested, but I think if there was another meet here in Cape Breton they’d probably get involved.”
Other Cape Breton powerlifters competing this weekend include Chris Grant (Glace Bay), Glen Hutchison (New Waterford), Neil Bunyan (Port Hawkesbury) and Parker Murray (New Victoria).
As for Sinclair, he’s aware of the task at hand and has respect for all competitors but feels ready for the event.
“I’m looking forward to the battle for the top three spots for sure,” said Sinclair. “John (MacDonald) is a powerlifting machine and Joe Benoit is on the rise, so it’s going to be fun to compete against them for sure.”
Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. He's been with the publication for four years. Follow Jeremy on Twitter @CBPost_Jeremy
