Student is Going Strong With Weight-Lifting Challenge

Cole Smith was a high school student in Stuttgart, Germany, when he first became “Cole from the gym.” 

“I remember the first time one of the other kids called me that, and I was like, ‘Oh, I guess that’s who I am now,’” he laughs, explaining that – after an ankle injury ended his days on the football team – he started going to the gym instead. “All of a sudden, I started seeing results, and I was hooked. And then I just kept going.”  

That’s why Smith decided to bring to the College something that had been so motivational when he first started his fitness journey back in high school: the 1,000 Pounds Club, which requires members to perform a squat, a bench press and a dead lift with a total of 1,000 pounds or greater under the guidance of a George Street Fitness Center staff member within an hour. 

“I decided to introduce this club to the George Street Fitness Center to inspire students to strive for challenging fitness goals and have their names on our club board for all others to see,” he says, adding that just three months after its launch, the club has 15 members – and a lot of people trying to get in. “It makes me proud to see people getting excited about fitness and working hard to achieve their goals.” 

Before he was “Cole from the gym,” Smith was born to his military family in Honolulu and then moved to Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and North Carolina before his father – a 30-year Marine Corps vet – moved the family to Germany halfway through high school. 

“I couldn’t have had a better experience there,” says the international studies major. “I loved being right in the heart of Europe – just go three hours in whatever direction and end up in a different country.” 

After he graduated, his family moved back to the States – specifically to Beaufort, S.C. – and Smith decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather, joining the Marine Corps as an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and deploying to Syria in 2017 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. 

“I was 20 years old, a brand-new Marine – just a year in – and I loved it,” says Smith, who was a turret gunner on mobilized convoys traveling across the area of operation in support of Syrian Democratic Forces. “I was living my dream.” 

He recalls the first time he left the forward operating base, departing friendly lines: “It was surreal – like,
OK, this is the real deal.” 

After four months in Syria, Smith returned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Five years later, he decided to make another move: to college. This time, he got to decide where he went. 

“It was an easy choice to come to the College of Charleston,” says Smith. “I chose to attend the College of Charleston because I wanted to go to a smaller school where I could focus on my studies. I’d heard about the College’s great programs for veterans, too – but mostly I wanted to stay close to home
so I had that family support.” 

Since he moved in with his younger sister, Shannon, a track and field student-athlete who’s now a senior at the College, Smith certainly has nearby family support. He’s also found support among his fellow Marine vets at the GSFC, where he works as the student manager.  

“The gym is my sanctuary,” he says. “It’s where I go for a little weight therapy and feel like I’m accomplishing something throughout the day.” 

“Cole from the gym” is still going strong.