 | HARD CORE
GYM #36
(from PowerliftingUSA Magazine ©
Nov/2004 edition Vol. 28, No. 2, article and photographs used by
permission)
THORBECKE'S
... That Magical Place Where A Brick is Human ... HardCore
in Tempe, AZ ... as told to PowerLiftingUSA by Rick
Brewer
Pure ambience at
Thorbeckes. (Photographs courtesy of Marty Vogt)
We skipped around over the last few months;
measuring the neck of Ken Snell, the neck of Joe Ladnier, the head of
Vincent Dizenzo, and then we even had a little outdoor bloodshed.
Bleeding is generally good, but always more fun outside - where
'wimmen-folk' don't complain about the carpet and stuff.
Reminds me of a story that we were
talking about
last night. It was a fun day we had in the country a couple of years
back. The main thing you need to know is that NO MOMS WERE PRESENT. My
brother-in-law (Scott C.) and I had taken all of our varmints to the
country. He had his 4 boys and I had taken my three kids (2 girls and 1
boy). We were shooting guns and fireworks, riding 4-wheelers, driving
the truck fast with kids in the back, and looking for snakes and wild
hogs. All at the same time. As I said, NO MOMS WERE INVOLVED.
Anyway, there we were, enjoying our
relaxing day in
the woods, when my youngest nephew Nicky (age 4 at the time) got
slammed into the back of a pick-up cab, hard enough that his teeth
came. through his cheek. No big - you can't die from that - but we did
have to rush him to the ER for a 10-hour ordeal of stitches (inside
and outside his mouth). He lived, and it probably built character. Or
pain tolerance. (Something good.) When the wives heard about this they
cried out "Who was driving the truck and why were they going so fast?!"
I explained that it wasn't Pip's fault, because she couldn't see over
the dash, and couldn't reach the pedals. (My daughter Callie - AKA Pip
- was 8 years old at the time.) My wife looked at me like I was
speaking a foreign language. "Why was Pip driving if she couldn .t
see or work the pedals?!" Well, naturally we had put a small child in
the floorboard to work the pedals with their hands. At this reasonable
explanation, my wife turned white as a sheet. I think she gets too much
calcium, or caffeine, or something. She spoke very slowly; 'WHEN YOU
SAW
that this crazy idea was going to end in a crash, WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE
CONTROL OF THE WHEEL?' Sensing that the mental anguish was affecting
her, I explained slowly; BECAUSE I WASN'T IN THE TRUCK AT THE TIME.
At this point the strain of her day
became too much, and she lost
control of her arms. For that matter both moms (my wife and Scott's
wife) became totally unreasonable, and probably said things that we
cannot repeat here. You know how crazy wimmen-folk can get for no
apparent reason. But the point is, Bloodshed is not always bad, and
Bricks are not always for masonry construction.
Arizona lifter Martin Vogt told me that he got stronger by training
with a Brick. His exact words: "It's really enhanced my
competitive lifts. "Since he speaks properly, and trains with
Brick-I'll let him tell the story:
Is
that place still open? This is the question I am often asked
whenever I wear my Thorbecke's T-shirt to various meets throughout the
country. A gym of legendary proportions, it is indeed, very much still
open, and perhaps by certain standards might even be considered
flourishing. Perhaps an integral factor in the confusion that surrounds
its existence can be attributed to its unique location. Some lifters
claim Scottsdale as its residence; others feel they're lifting Tempe.
Regardless, today's Thorbecke's is located off of Curry Road between
McClintock (Hayden) and Rural (Scottsdale) Roads, just north of the
202. You can't miss it - just look for the sandwich board sign by the
auto body shop that says GYM, and turn in. (Unfortunately, if the wind
is blowing especially hard that day, the sign may have blown down, and
unless persistence is one of your strengths, you may miss a golden
lifting opportunity.) Nevertheless, if you're successfully negotiated
this first obstacle, then simply follow this road (Stadem Road), and
just
before it ends, turn right into an alleyway that fronts a number of
industrial workplaces housed in garages. Now, simply follow this alley
to the end, and it's the last garage on the left. Once again, you can't
miss it, because the letters GYM are prominently displayed above the
door; besides which, if you go too far, you'll drive your vehicle into
what's affectionately known as the Thor Creek. Upon entering
Thorbecke's, be prepared to take a step back in time as this is that
gym your
dad lifted in; and, if a further comparison is necessary, you'll soon
sense the overtones of the gym Apollo Creed took Rocky Balboa to in the
film "Rocky III." The owner describes it as a trip through a time warp
in the 70 's where "if you stay in here you won't grow old."
Eclectic would probably best describe its internal atmosphere. To begin
with, the weights themselves represent over forty years of accumulation
and represent a lifter's dream- they're functional.
There are two power platforms (each prominently placed
before an American flag), two benches, two squat stations; and to keep
it from beginning to exclusively approximate Noah'sArk, incline and
decline benches, supine benches, numerous dumbbells, pulley stations,
and all
the other necessities one would expect to find a gym in this class. In
addition, there is the special equipment: a hack squat/leg press
machine reputed to have once used by American forces for the invasion
of Normandy, and Inverted leg press (a true antiquity), and one of the
most unique push up devices known to mankind. The locker room area is
also unique and yet once again befits the term functional. It actually
comes disguised as the bathroom. And, then there are the lifters
themselves, who represent a socio- economic cross-section of America,
which includes: policemen, firemen, engineers, teachers, musicians,
executives, laborers, students, businessmen, et al. Nevertheless,
regardless of your occupation, overall it is like CHEERS - "a place
where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came."
The locker
room/juice bar area at Thorbecke's.
At the same time, this is not merely EVERYMAN'S gym; this has been and
stilI is a cathedral for many of America's premier powerlifters - Dave
Pasanella, Dave Keaggy, Fred Millan, Bob Calvan, Mike Morris, Marty
Einstein, Brick Darrow, Dave Draper, Jack Barnes, Wayne Coleman (aka
Superstar Billy Graham), Bruce Wilhelm, Mike Wonyetye, Harold Escobedo,
and the legendary Jon Cole-who have all trained at Thorbecke 's at one
time or another. Similarly, the team itself - albeit presently a more
mature group - continues to win powerliftlng championships at the state
and nationallevels, having recently earned Its 30th team championship
in Arizona. But, to return to the concept of EVERYMAN once again,
there's yet another special quality to Thorbecke's that's especially
evident every Saturday - a BARBERSHOP quality - good dialogue and
enthusiastic conversation. For if you ever have the opportunity to come
in on a Saturday morning for a workout, In addition to your lifting
opportunity (as well as the opportunity for some first-rate
Instructjon), you'll enjoy the passionate discourse, sometimes
bordering on pontification, as this particular group revels in not only
dissection America's social, political, and economic concerns and
issues, but willingly offering solutions to these maladies as well.
It's truly enlightening, and always entertaining, to take a break from
your workout, get a container of Ralph's special blend
of 'Thorbecke's "coffee and watch the "competition". Then, there's
always
the requisite ambiance, yet another unique component of the Thorbecke's
lifting experience, as it soon becomes apparent that
this is, indeed, not a contemporary ".. .Fitness" center.
Immediately
upon entering, the first thing you notice is a comfortable and familiar
sound, that of Classic Rock & Roll, the only music Thorbecke's
offers. Then, as you enter the garage (oops, facility), listening to
hits like "Knights in White Satin" or "Stairway to Heaven", you are
immediately next overwhelmed by the walls. On the walls {as well as on
the garage door) are, instead of the steri Ie pastels and motivational
signs all too prominent in the contemporary "Spandex" gyms. A memorial
to the "Who's Who" of powerlifting- plaques commemorating the setting
and breaking of records, and of award-winning teams, autographed
pictures, posters of meets dating back to the 70 's and, a visual
record of the Power Bowl
meets of previous years. Above, and below, and amongst this pictorial
array of lifting prowess are trophies-lots and lots of trophies -
recording the numerous competitive successes of the gym. And, if you
look very carefully, when taking a break between sets, you '11 even see
a life-size poster of the present-day governor of Califomia in his
earlier
lifting days, as well as some treasured photos from Muscle Beach in
California. By now, you're
probably asking yourself how the members manage to keep this lifting
emporium fiscally solvent. Well, there are actually two sources of
revenue. First of all, there is the CO-OP perspective, whereby each
member contributes a specified amount monthly, which entitles him to a
key, thereby making this truly a 24x7, 365 day- a-year facility. But,
for
those who are only "occasional" lifters, for the modest sum of $2 (yes,
Virginia, much like there is, indeed, a Santa Claus, there is also
still a place you can train for $2 a day) you can work out any day you
want when the doors are open, which is usually from Odark 30 in the
morning until midnight and beyond six days a week.
So, what is it then that holds this
lifting Xanadu together?
Ironically, it's not glue, it's a brick. Much like any other
grandmother,
Lucy May Thorbecke looked on her grandchildren as a treasure sent from
above. This was especially significant in her feelings towards her
grandson Brick (Darrow). In the early 60 's, when Brick and his friends
were lifting in his bedroom at Grandma's, they began to render the
building structurally unsafe as they increased their poundages. She
them moved them to a 12' x 20'
cement carport slab outside the house. This, subsequently, remained
their headquarters for many years with Grandma functioning as the
caretaker for what would serve as the original Thorbecke's. However, as
the gym membership grew (from 40 to 250), a larger more permanent
faculty was needed; and so, Brick and his cohorts moved to Scottsdale,
until rising rent cost next forced them to move to this present
location (actually, it's Tempe). Through it all, the one constant has
been Brick, an East Val/ey treasure, who still runs and trains at
Thorbecke's, and what's even more ironic is that the journey has now
come full circle as he presently mentors his own grandson, Connor, who
also trains there. So, if you're ever traveling in Phoenix, more
specifically its East Valley, and you're looking for a good place to
train amidst many of the legends of power lifting, stop by Thorbecke's,
invest $2, and take a trip back in time. And, remember, in this gym,
everybody's "always glad you came."
His Highness (as the members affectionately refer to him)
Owner/Manager/Lifter sometimes spotter, Brick
Darrow, (email Brick)
who once did a
450 lb. incline press at 220 Ibs. in an Odd-Lift Contest at Muscle
Beach, CA.
I don't know about you, but Thorbecke's sounds way cool to me! Next
time that I'm in Tempe, AZ - I'm gonna train there (heck, it's only
$2). Next time you're in East
Texas come play with us - cause we will have some fun, and we don't
quit until someone gets stitches. Next month, we'll meet "The Keeper of
Hell's Gate." Stay tuned.
Comments or questions? Rick@HouseofPain.com;
mail, or $$,or photos:
HOUSE OF PAIN, P.O. Box 333 Fate, TX 75132.
© PowerliftingUSA Magazine Nov/2004 edition Vol. 28, No. 2
(article and photographs used by permission) lightly edited by WebMaster@ThorbeckesGym.com)
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