Mike_RN
Senior Moderators
Staff Member
- Aug 13, 2013
- 2,650
- 2,939
I sat for lunch with a buddy today who is leaving his family for the 2nd time to pursue his IFBB Pro card. Of my local bros who compete, he probably has the most legitimate shot of doing it but.....
...he is walking out the door on two kids and a loving wife to pursue a dream which doesn't pay much, is only relevant to a niche population and has a tendency to be a fleeting glory. For every Ronnie there's a lot of Toms Dicks and Harrys you'll never know or ever miss. I have tried to tell him this but he says he has never wanted anything more in his entire life.
Part of me gets it. I'm old and small and don't kid myself about my own prospects. My wife on the other hand has the drive, genetics and coachabilty to go far in the sport. She made Nationals in 4 shows (2 Figure flops and 2 Physique successes) and got 2 x 1st Callouts at her National debut. All of this happened in the 3yrs since our daughter was born. I could have handed my wife's Prep and Diet over to a Pro/Guru/Coach and she might have already won her card in July. My ego and desire to make her a Pro without any expert assistance did get her 4th in the Open and 5th in Masters but I also know that she might have come in better at the hands of a Shelby Starnes or Fakhri Mubarak.
The father in me wants to slap the shit out of him and tell him he's got his head up his ass. I also know that somebody's gonna win the show and he's got the right amount of freaky that seems to win on the East Coast.
Anyway...back to the topic, How far would you go (or have you gone)?
...he is walking out the door on two kids and a loving wife to pursue a dream which doesn't pay much, is only relevant to a niche population and has a tendency to be a fleeting glory. For every Ronnie there's a lot of Toms Dicks and Harrys you'll never know or ever miss. I have tried to tell him this but he says he has never wanted anything more in his entire life.
Part of me gets it. I'm old and small and don't kid myself about my own prospects. My wife on the other hand has the drive, genetics and coachabilty to go far in the sport. She made Nationals in 4 shows (2 Figure flops and 2 Physique successes) and got 2 x 1st Callouts at her National debut. All of this happened in the 3yrs since our daughter was born. I could have handed my wife's Prep and Diet over to a Pro/Guru/Coach and she might have already won her card in July. My ego and desire to make her a Pro without any expert assistance did get her 4th in the Open and 5th in Masters but I also know that she might have come in better at the hands of a Shelby Starnes or Fakhri Mubarak.
The father in me wants to slap the shit out of him and tell him he's got his head up his ass. I also know that somebody's gonna win the show and he's got the right amount of freaky that seems to win on the East Coast.
Anyway...back to the topic, How far would you go (or have you gone)?