Kuba eyes another division win

Kyle Kuba spent time using weights in his high-school gym, but the thought of lifting them seriously never crossed his mind. Then he came to Southeast Missouri State University and met Ron MacCubbin, a local bodybuilder.

"In high school I lifted, but I had no idea what I was doing," Kuba, 19, said. "Since coming to Southeast, Ron has really pushed me, he got me interested and also prepared me for my shows."

And the shows continue next week. Kuba will be on stage in Ottawa, Ill., next Saturday with Southeast bodybuilding teammates MacCubbin and Adam Miller.

Although the two others will compete in weight divisions, Kuba will show in the teenager division, a division he won at the Show Me Naturals last year. The Naturals was a tested show for illegal substances, while the 2003 NTC Mid-Illinois Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Figure Championships is not a tested show, leaving Kuba with a bit of a disadvantage.

"I'll be going against some teens who have been using steriods for years now," Kuba said. "Staying natural is a big deal to me, something that I plan on doing throughout my career."

It's a career Kuba plans to continue long after his college years.

"It's something I'll have to continue, like an addiction -- I can only go so long before I have to be back in the gym," Kuba said.

Kuba said he hopes to compete in two more shows before the end of May. He plans to follow the Illinois Championships with a show in Rockford in mid-April, then try to repeat as champion at the Show Me Naturals on May 17.

"It is going to be tough, and it's going to wear me out, but I want to get as many shows in as I can while I'm still a teenager," Kuba said. "I really enjoy it. It's a very sportsmanlike sport. Everybody is serious, but after the show we all just kind of hang out together."

Kuba, Miller and MacCubbin are sponsored by Pam Cakes, The Meat Shop, Glen and Rhoda Reeves, and Ron and Darlene MacCubbin.