Ex-Cop Aims to Strike Weightlifting Gold Again in World Police & Fire Games

Robert Cutts is on a mission, and you don’t get in the way when his mind is set. After winning Gold on the international stage ten years ago, the 65-year-old Cape Cod native and Boston resident is gearing back up for an overdue repeat attempt when the biennial World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) comes to Birmingham, Alabama in June.

The Army veteran is now retired after serving as a Master Deputy Sheriff with the Fairfax County, Virginia Sherriff’s Office for 30 years. The WPFG allows retirees to continue to compete in a wide range of sports. Robert validated years of hard work when he captured a Gold Medal for Bench Press in the 2015 Games. He says several circumstances and conflicts prevented him from returning to the event for nearly ten years, but the way is now clear for a long-awaited repeat performance this summer. 

The passion for weightlifting did not come until Robert was 34. “I played basketball, baseball, and a little bit of soccer here and there, and I had a four-year scholarship,” he recalls. “But I didn't stay long at college and joined the military. I did play around Europe in the All-Army Basketball Team, which was fun. I had always spent time in the weight room, but it was nothing serious.”

That all changed when another lifter approached him at the gym. “Lenny Lolunogo said, ‘Hey, you’d be a good powerlifter’ and I replied, ‘What's that?’ So we went out catfishing on my boat all night and he convinced me to do it.”

Robert was advised his body was suited to bulk up to be a super heavyweight. “I was going to Golden Corral twice a day and went from 234 to 400 pounds over six years. I was benching 600 pounds at 40.”  

“Jerry told me I was going to be one of the top benchers in the world. I didn't believe him at first, but then I noticed how I was getting much stronger and I just dedicated myself to it.” Robert currently weighs a muscular 420 pounds and is ranked 4th in the world in his age group from competitions he has entered in police leagues and other meets. “I don't know that I want to meet those other three guys,” he says humorously, and then gets serious. “I go to win. I mean, I go to have fun, but I go to win.” 

As impressive as his lifts are, Robert says his wife Bonnie Switzer Cutts always gets the most attention at his meets. “Bonnie was a fitness instructor and pro bodybuilder for 30 years, and was on the Olympic stage at one point,” he explains. “At the Games in 2015 everybody asked to do the bicep pose with my wife. These guys all wanted to compare poses, and her bicep was bigger than theirs. There was nothing about me and my record. It was just all about her!”

Robert credits his wife for much of his accomplishments. “We knew each other since high school and met each other again when we were older and much smarter. She’s very supportive of my lifting. She's even thinking about doing it.”

“Competing in the World Police & Fire Games is a special experience,” he adds. “You meet your counterparts from other parts of the world and form lifelong bonds, and it’s that spirit of camaraderie that draws me to the Games. However, I will be ready to fight till the end to bring the gold back to Massachusetts.”

By Del Moon