According to
http://www.ncnewsonline.com/sports/local_story_206075649.htmlDeMonaco captures bodybuilding crown
By John D'Abruzzo
New Castle News
Marco DeMonaco’s comeback to bodybuilding was special in many ways.
After spending the past 13 years retired from professional competition, the 50-year-old New Castle native captured the 2007 Masters National Bodybuilding Championship in the 50-plus middleweight (up to 176 pounds) division of the National Bodybuilding Championships.
The event, which is a drug-tested competition, was held on Friday and Saturday held at Pittsburgh’s Sheraton Hotel in Station Square and was in conjunction with the National Teen, Collegiate and Masters Championships, which is the largest bodybuilding competition in the nation. More than 300 bodybuilders from across the country competed in the event.
Besides winning the 50-plus division, DeMonaco also completed in and placed third in the 40-plus division.
“I know it sounds cliché but it was just like (the movie) Rocky,” DeMonaco explained. “It was so exciting to be back. I felt like I never missed a beat.”
Through the support of his wife, Roxanne, and three children — Jennifer (25), Mark (22) and Gino (9) — DeMonaco decided to return to competitive bodybuilding after retiring in 1993.
“It took me 30 years to win,” DeMonaco said. “It really seems like a Rocky-comeback deal. It’s just a tremendous feeling, not so much because I won but because my family was there.
“I had a lot of support from New Castle there with me, but this actually brought my family closer together. I can’t explain it. People don’t understand how tough it really is.”
DeMonaco, a physical education teacher at George Washington Intermediate, began weight training at age 19 and competed in bodybuilding competitions for more than 20 years.
“I gave it all up 13 years ago right when I was ready to make my move,” DeMonaco said. “I was in the top 10 (nationally ranked) and just won the Mr. Ohio competition and was ready to compete in the Mr. USA. But things just happened and it wasn’t right.”
DeMonaco, however, never stopped working out and the idea of competing again popped into his head close to a year ago.
“I’ve been training for a little bit and always kept in shape,” he said. “I looked good and felt good. I got my family together and asked them what they thought and they were all for it. You can’t do this without your family. They have to be totally supportive.”
Sticking with a strict diet during the 10 months it took DeMonaco to prepare for the competition also stood as a challenge.
“It seemed like all I had was water and Crystal Light for 13 weeks,” DeMonaco joked. “I was eating eight meals a day. Everything had to be right. People don’t understand, but it’s worth it.”
Jim Dellaverson, who worked out with DeMonaco before he retired, helped him with the diet as well as his cardiovascular workouts.
“There’s a strict way to prepare for this contest and many different diet techniques nowadays,” Dellaverson said. “With the Internet, we were able to research different diets and see the different things he could eat. He didn’t have to eat nothing but chicken like you had to do years ago.”
Dellaverson never doubted DeMonaco’s ability to compete after his long layoff.
“Mark is exceptional,” Dellaverson said. “He’s got such good genetics for the sport. Guys can go to the gym, stick to the diet and do the cardio, but only a few guy’s bodies respond to all the work.
“He had the heart and was so focused. He really accomplished what he set out to do.”
With the comeback now passed DeMonaco must now decide his next move and whether or not he should re-retire.
“I’m in a tough spot,” he said. “It’s something that has to be discussed with my family.”
Nevertheless, DeMonaco knows one thing.
“It isn’t about how old you are,” he explained. “It’s all about how you condition yourself and take care of yourself. Age doesn’t matter at all.”
