Don't Call It A Comeback: Tom Venuto's Bodybuilding Secrets Blog

Don’t Call It A Comeback

Tom Venuto

I can hardly believe that 2001 was the last time I competed. Where the heck did four years go? Man, does time ever fly!

I’ll never forget that last contest, either. It was the National Physique Committee (NPC) Natural Eastern Classic in Hackensack, New Jersey. It was the last time the show was held… and it almost wasn’t held.

On September 15th, 2001, just four days after the worst terrorist attack in US history; on a weekend with no football, no baseball, almost no professional or collegiate sports of any kind, one athletic event proudly carried on - Bob Bonham’s Natural Eastern Classic Bodybuilding championships.

Some people questioned Bonham’s decision to hold the show while nearly every other sporting event was cancelled or postponed. In hindsight, it was clearly the right thing to do, as it turned out to be as much of an emotional tribute to the victims and heroes of the 9-11 tragedy as it was an athletic competition. It was also a nice gesture to the competitors who had worked their tails off for the last 12-16 weeks.

Patriotism filled the air in the auditorium. The camaraderie and good sportsmanship were unlike anything I had experienced in all 26 of the shows I’ve competed in. Flags were everywhere. NPC official Steve Stone donned a red, white and blue warm up suit. The judges even changed their strict rules and allowed competitors to wear red white and blue bandanas. A few people even wore stars and stripes posing suits!

Competitors who had practiced their posing routines for months made last minute changes to their music: “Born in the USA”, “Living in America”, and “American Woman” were among the patriotic songs the athletes posed to at the evening show.

During the morning weigh-in, I tipped the scale at 174 pounds… Middleweight; with 2 pounds to spare. After the prejudging, my good friend and trainer Richie Smyth came backstage, slapped his hand on my shoulder, looked me dead in the eye, and with a reassuring grin, said two words: “First place.” There’s often a nervous feeling of uncertainty after a pre-judging, especially if you didn’t have a chance to size up your competition back stage or if the judges gave no clues about your placing, such as moving you to the middle of the stage during comparisons. But I knew I had won right there, because Richie does not b.s. me and he wouldn’t have said it like that if he wasn’t sure either way.

The night show was a blast. I had a huge posse of friends and supporters in the audience. I’m telling you, nothing is more gratifying than hearing the crowd cheer, scream and applaud for you when you walk out onto the stage and start hitting poses with your music blaring over the loudspeakers - except maybe knowing that you’re in the best shape of your life… and winning. A few minutes later, they handed me the first place trophy in the middleweight division.

It was close in the posedown for the overall title, but the light heavyweight edged me out, deservingly so. He was just as shredded as I was, but he had a tiny waist and he was slightly wider in the back and shoulders. Even though I didn’t take the overall, that first place middleweight trophy was a sweet victory for me because it was my third attempt at the Title!

In the early 1990’s, when I started competing, (I think it was ‘91), the Natural Eastern Classic was one of the first shows I ever entered. I was young and cocky, looking for a regional title after having won the Natural New Jersey Novice and The Natural Pennsylvania overall. I drove all the way to Jersey from Pennsylvania, where I lived at the time, and I didn’t even make the top 5 at the night show (only the top 5 get to do their posing routines at night).

The caliber of competition in a regional-level NPC show was far beyond anything I had been up against before. I felt pretty dejected about the loss. Usually, there’s a big feast and celebration after every competition, win or lose. Not this time. I didn’t go out or even eat afterwards, if you can believe that! It was a humbling learning experience. However, I’m thankful for the “lesson” because it was the first time I realized I had to continually raise my standards rather than settle for repeating past performances.

I didn’t quit. Several years later, I went back for another shot at the title: I landed in 4th place in a class of 9. I got to pose at night and went home with a trophy the second time around. Finally, in 2001, the third time was the charm. Although I didn’t compete in that show every single year, you could say it took me 10 years to capture the title. Persistence pays. Never give up on your goals and dreams.

So here we are in 2005, and the competition bug has bitten me again. I always knew that I would compete again. It’s in my blood and you can’t take it out of me. I also know that I haven’t come even close to my full potential yet, and there’s absolutely nothing sadder than unfulfilled potential. As Maslow once said, “What a man can be, he must be.”

Don’t call this a “comeback” though. Like LL Cool J sang in “Mama Said Knock You Out,” I’ve been here for years. I never “retired” from bodybuilding. I’ve just been away from the stage for a short while. I’ve been quietly pumping away in the gym these past four years, as hard as ever… focusing on symmetry, bringing up weak points, and making my strong points even stronger. I’ve also built much more muscle mass. Last week I weighed 205 pounds, and I can still see my abs.

Three days ago, on Saturday, June 18th, I chose my next competition. I was sitting in the audience with my training partner Mike Andreula, watching the New York State Natural Bodybuilding championships in Tarrytown, New York when I made the decision. Music Hall Theater in Tarrytown is a place I’ve competed many times before, at the Natural Tri-State, Natural New York State, Natural North America, and on October 1st, I will be up there once again for the Natural USA Championships. I’ll tell you more about my upcoming contest and how I plan to train for it next time.

Published on 21 June, 2005

Comments

Jessica Britt said:

Hey. Jessica Britt here. Once again, another inspiring blog. I love it. Just seeing pictures of bodybuilders inspires me tremendously. I could imagine how much more seeing a bodybuilding competition would inspire me! Congratulations on the decision to compete again. Here's to another win in the bag!

Posted on Jul 08, 2005 04:56 PM