Shiloe Steinmetz has earned a place in bodybuilding history that's noteworthy for a variety of points. For starters, he competed drug-free in the toughest "amateur" bodybuilding federation in the world. It's interesting because the NPC (as an amateur organization) is far more competitive, popular, and respected than many "professional" organizations throughout the world - then, now, and dare I say - in the foreseeable future. Shiloe has competed in over 60 shows, with over 25 titles! He's won some, he's lost some, but there's one place he hangs his hat; it's his homeland of sorts, his castle.
OHIO! Shiloe Steinmetz IS Mr. Ohio! It's nice to be Mr. Universe (where's that at? Do they have good pizza there?). I would imagine it's nice to be Mr. Olympia (sounds like a title given in Pan Hellenic Greece), but Shiloe is the "Mr." for the state he lives in - and everyone knows it. That's pretty darn cool, if you ask me. And what's really the mark of a champion, is that while I've never formally met Shiloe, he's always helped out my site, always been a friend to me, and always helped those I've tried to help - whether in hindsight - they deserved it or not.
But let's not just talk about natural bodybuilding or natural competition at a local level; Shiloe has competed in Team Universe and won his class before! The same Superbowl of Natural Bodybuilding that made guys like Skip LaCour, Jeff Willett, and Kai Greene so popular. He was there - and he did battle! But he was also at national level (UNTESTED) Pro Qualifiers - and guess what? He did battle there too.
Everyone deserves props for what they do, but you take guys like Shiloe, Skip, or Jeff - who competed drug free in events where juiced guys still were able to get on stage (and easily at that), and they were winning - you HAVE to recognize that COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE and that IRON WILL TO SUCCEED. It's more than nutrition, weights, and posing oil, folks. These champions had to develop a mindset, nurture it, fortify it, so that when they were in the pump up room they were unaffected by anything or anyone, it was time to battle and nothing short thereof.
You have to admire that, heck, you almost have to wish you could have that DRIVE for yourself.
It's a great pleasure to hopefully generate some much deserved publicity for a such a great role model to us all!
