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Post by Tim Wescott on May 26, 2004 7:50:43 GMT -5
Greg Rando is a competitive bodybuilder with a great build .Greg has won the NPC Team Universe contest in 2001. More impressive than that is the fact that Greg is legally blind. In a sport where relying on your vision is imperative ,Greg has overcome this adverse situation by making it into the ranks of IFBB pros.Not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination,but considering that he`s blind makes it just that much more impressive. Truly an inspiration to us all.  |
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Post by Tim Wescott on May 26, 2004 7:53:58 GMT -5
I had the pleasure of meeting Greg at a contest in Boston and he is a very humble person. He can barely make out certain shapes or colors and has to hold up a bill to his nose to just barely make out the denomination of the bill. I`m not sure if his sight has since deteriorated beyond this point or if it will.  |
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Post by Tim Wescott on May 26, 2004 7:55:40 GMT -5
Another shot of Greg`s great physique!  |
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Post by Tim Wescott on May 26, 2004 7:57:46 GMT -5
All of these shot`s were from 2001. Greg has since made improvements to his physique and competed at the NOC last weekend.  |
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Gord
Novice Bodybuilder
Posts: 55
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Post by Gord on May 26, 2004 10:05:06 GMT -5
The man is a true inspiration.
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Post by GerryT on May 26, 2004 17:26:22 GMT -5
Thinking alike yet again, Tim! Beat me to the punch here. Greg is an amazing athlete and personifies what is good about the sport. He did a great job at NOC and was the greatest champion there!
Far as I knew, he is legally blind in one eye. Don't know his current status. But he is humble. Saw him after the show and he was thrilled to be there and also overwhelmed by the positive reaction. Nice person for sure!
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Post by Tim Wescott on May 27, 2004 6:21:18 GMT -5
This is from bb writer Ron Harris. It`s good to see that Greg is gonna` get some well deserved coverage!
GREG RANDO - A TRUE INPIRATION
Wednesday, May 26 2004 [ 11:39:26 AM ]
The most impressive man on stage at last weekend's Night of Champions wasn't Melvin Anthony, despite the fact that his physique was judged the best out of 46 IFBB pro's. I instead propose that the distinction should go to Greg Rando of Massachusetts, who was making his pro debut. Why? Because Greg is blind. Not only that, he is also a lifetime drug-free bodybuilder. Talk about beating the odds!
Greg won the Team Universe lightheavyweight and Overall title in 2001, beating out heavyweight Jeff Willett, middleweight Tito Raymond, welterweight Tricky Jackson, lightweight Derik Farnsworth, and bantamweight Marvin Ward to do so. Marvin had won the Overall the year before, and Jeff won it last year. I had known Greg since he had competed in Musclemania about ten years ago, and actually got to meet up with him one time and train at the Nautilus Plus in Billerica. That gym, no longer there, was so well-equipped that Jay Cutler used to make the 80-mile round trip from the Worcester area a couple times a week to train there.
Greg has always struck me as a sincere, hard-working guy who is dedicated to natural bodybuilding. He wasn't born blind, but instead began losing his sight as a child and it has been rapidly deteriorating ever since. Last time I talked to him he said he could see shadows, that is to say, if someone walked in front of him and blocked out the light, he would know they were there. But he certainly can't see enough to be able to move around and do things like the rest of us who take our eyesight for granted. He has to be led around the stage when he competes, and has to count the plates on dumbbells and machine stacks with his finger.
I saw Greg guest pose at the New England on May first, and it was the first time I had seen him in a few years. He had put on some really good size and thickness and I admit I secretly wondered if he was still natural. Then, when I saw him standing on stage with the other 45 pro's at the Night of Champions, I knew he was. I felt bad for even thinking it in the first place. Greg has a great physique and was in top condition, he merely lacks the size and fullness of the other pro's that choose to use steroids. But there was no doubt he was a winner. The crowd cheered loud and hearty for him, and he deserved it.
Greg is the perfect person to point to and ask yourself, "what was your excuse again?" So many guys love to tell me that they want to look like a bodybuilder, but can't. They don't have the money, they don't have the time, they don't want to take drugs, they have a bad lower back, shoulder, knees, whatever. I have heard all the excuses there are. Then you look at what Greg has accomplished without even being able to see. The guy had to learn how to pose by feeling his muscles contract. He can't look in the mirror and see the incredible body he has built.
Right now I am talking to one of the magazines I write for about a profile on Greg, and I think they will go for it. Sorry I don't have any contact info on Greg right now, but I am working on it. But the important thing is what Greg Rando stands for. If anyone ever personified the saying, "never give up," it's him. He didn't make the top fifteen at his pro debut, but I have as much respect and more for him as the winner.
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