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Steve was born
in Akron, OH of Hungarian and Italian descents. His early October
birthday classifies him as a Libra. Perhaps it contributes to his
search for balance in everything. He loved exercise, sports, and movement in general. Some of his early activities were T-ball, swimming, pee-wee football, wrestling, and weight training. After showing an interest, his Dad introduced Steve to a workout bench and some free weights. He was just twelve years old. In high school Steve narrowed his focus to both football and teenage body building. He found them to be a great blend. On one hand, he learned autonomy in training and competing in body building; on the other, he gained a fond appreciation for what it means to be part of a team. His body building career was short lived (two years), however he was able to always place in the top three with two 1st Place finishes. While pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Health Education from the University of Akron, he began to dabble in some other activities such as cardio kickboxing, mountain biking, and circuit training. Free weights remained a focus but other modes were also being introduced. Steve even did a short triathlon in 2000 as a fundraiser for the local YMCA. He winged his training and barrowed a mountain bike from his friend the day before the race. He met his goal of finishing but also discovered a new natural high from this type of competing/endurance sport. The following year, he ran into a Team In Training participant for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. After learning he could contribute to a good cause, he signed up to run in the Rock N' Roll Marathon in San Diego, CA. He finished the race in June of 2001 and raised over $4,000 in the process. Over the next two years, Steve fell into the corporate grind. He was working 9-5 (more like 7-7) as an IT Project Manager for a large bank in Cleveland, OH. He only managed to get to the gym 2-3 times per week for some free weights. That's when everything changed. See Triathlete tab. |
