Tottenville HS footballer changes sport during pandemic while worries about health of mothers in difficulty

When the Tottenville HS football team came on the field this spring, Marc Quitsch, Jr., no.

Despite the fact that the Pirates JV team started defensive at the end of the previous year, he was instead in a secluded gym with a trainer – preparing for the first bodybuilding competition. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck last year, Quitsch decided to give up football for the time being for fear of being infected with the virus.

However, the 17-year-old Huguenot native did not think of himself. She was concerned about her mother Janine’s health, which is plagued by fibromyalgia, a condition that causes pain throughout her body and leaves her vulnerable to viral side effects.

I was excited to take the offseason while working on the performance and then came back even better, said Quitsch, who started playing football in fourth grade.

Covid then struck along with my mother with worsening health problems, he explained. He has a stent in his main artery and a severe form of fibromyalgia. I couldn’t get Covid by chance and I was constantly nervous.

Nevertheless, the Quitsch family had the worst nightmare in February. All five members, including Quitschs ’parents Marc Sr. and Janine and her younger brother Mason, got a positive result for Covid-19.

We took precautions and did everything we could, Quitsch, who had lost both of his grandparents just months earlier, did not join the virus.

This was a very difficult time for my family and I, there was a point where my mother needed an antibody infusion and was taken to the hospital, Quitsch said. It was definitely the hardest time of my life so far. Fortunately, after this chaos, we all recovered significantly.

TIME TO TRAIN

Quitsch has since stepped up his efforts in the printing room by moving from football training to bodybuilding. It’s a strict routine that requires his constant attention.

He plans to compete in an organized bodybuilding competition for competitive bodybuilders in Manhattan in August.

I knew I had to find a more independent sport that I could participate in. I’ve always been in pretty good shape and loved the gym, but I decided at the time to take it to a new level, Quitsch said. personal trainer Robert Santangelo.

For the past four months, Rob has not only been my trainer, but also my mentor who has pushed me to my limits and supported me throughout, he added. He suggested that I follow in his footsteps and start training to compete in natural bodybuilding. Since then, I loved the process and everything that came with it and haven’t looked back.

Since his older HS year, Quitsch has lost over 40 pounds and replaced it with lean muscle.

I eat almost every three hours, about five meals a day with the strict diet Rob gives me, and both I and he work out together six days a week, he explained. I do cardio every morning and again after each workout.

Hell enters the stage for the first time in a race on August 7 and even plans to leave football behind.

I look for a sense of reward and satisfaction as I step onto the stage and I want to show everything I have to offer in every way I can, ”Quitsch said. Everyone starts somewhere, and I don’t want to stop soon.

I probably won’t go back to football because bodybuilding has brought me joy that no other sport could give me, Quitsch noted.