23 years later

In 1985, I started competing in bodybuilding competitions at the age of 20. My first show was the Plymouth Rock and I took 2nd place in the light heavy weight novice class and won best poser thanks to Vinny Greco who taught me how to pose and helped me put together a routine for that show. I remember Vinny and I going into a warehouse in Watertown with a stand up mirror and some music and we put together my first routine. This warehouse soon because “Vinny Greco’s Powerhouse Gym of Watertown. This was the gym I competed mostly out of. Vinny has since passed on, but his legacy will last forever in a lot of people. I could go on and on about Vin...

After the show I pretty much placed 2nd in every show I did going forward. The shows back then were the Gold's Classic, the Massachusetts States and The New England's for national qualifiers. My first time placing 3rd in a competition was when I did the Mass State couples in 1988. Around that same time, I also got my first place, for the first time, in the Cape Cod as a light heavy weight

In 1985, the first show I weighed 183lbs, then each year I competed heavier and in 1992 and 93 I stepped on stage at 194 

Back to the NPC Cape Cod, this is when I first met Photographer Tony Annicone, he brought me to the side after prejudging and had me do mandatory poses, as he clicked away...

Fast forward it's 1993, I've been completing every year since 20, now 28 and I remember doing two more show that year, the Mass States and the Gold's classic where I took 2nd in the Mass and 3rd at the Classic

I was pretty much done at this point and wanted to venture into something new that was still individual, so I looked to boxing. I took onto to this pretty fast and by 1996 I was able to fight in the golden gloves as a cruiser weight and in the semi finals, I knocked the guy out in 59 seconds of the first round, that felt real good. I ended up losing in the finals to a decision. My record was 5-1 with 2 first round KO's

I stopped fighting but stayed active sparring and teaching the sport to others. Up until 2004 where not being in the right state of mind on June 16, I drove my motorcycle over a jersey barrier off the Leveret circle bridge. After that, I wasn't able to stand on my feet comfortably (never mind box) for at least a year.

So from 2004 to 2007, I did nothing but drink a six pack a night and ride. Well, I did manage to build a bad ass rigid bobber from the frame up

Then near the end of May of 2007, on two separate nights, that were close together, I had a vivid dream of the feelings I had when I was younger and dreamed about weights and waking up and that's the first thing you think about... that's when you know it's time. I know I didn't want to go out as a fat beer belly old man now at the age of 42, I didn't want to go out this way when and I knew I could do this again and go back to my roots

On June 1st 2007, weighting 220 having a 38" waist and about 180lbs of lean mass, I joined the gym. I knew that once I started lifting weights I wouldn't feel like drinking. 

The drinking stopped and a year later I was 200 lb with abs. I like to think I put on 20lbs and lost 20lbs and met right at 200

Now we have the Internet, which we didn't have back in the day. I had previously qualified for the nationals, but never went... and I don't know why... So I go on-line and start looking at competitions and I said to myself, "I can do this again". So in May 2009, at the Jay Cutler, I take 6th in the open light heavy weights, out of 9

Fast Forward to 2011. I competed in the Masters Nationals and took 7th place out of 24 in the 40+ class. Then I won my first whole show, the NPC New Hampshire's, taking the opens overall and the Masters overall. Next I won the Masters overall at the NPC New England's and 1st place in the open Heavyweights.

Remember that guy Tony I talked about earlier? He recently found me on Facebook and sent me the pictures that he had taken at the NPC Cape Cod in 1988. Well he was also at the New England's and he took more pictures...

Now check these out, this is pretty cool...

With hair, I was 23 years old and weighed about 188 ... the bald guys now is 46 years old and weighs 216! My son Anthony thinks I look shorter!

I'm glad to be back to this sport and as of today, I still wake up and the first thing that comes to mind is my workout, so that tells me I'll be around for a while

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