As a fearless 12-year-old in New Jersey, Frankie Rongo jumped on his sled and sped down an icy slope after his friend warned him not to.
Aiming for a space between two trees, Rongo lost control. His head missed one tree, but his legs did not: one leg nearly wrapped itself around the trunk.
Rongo spent two months in traction, two months in a body cast and two months on crutches. Doctors told Rongo’s parents he’d never walk without a limp and to forget sports.
On Oct. 6 that same Frankie Rongo, a popular trainer at Seattle Gym on upper Queen Anne, strode away with a trophy from the Washington Ironman Bodybuilding, Fitness, Bikini & Physique competition held at Snoqualmie Casino. Rongo, 53, took second place in his division.
That competition, based on a number of criteria, is for show. Or, as Rongo put it, “They (the judges) just look at you.”
There was no heavy lifting involved.
But Rongo is also a power-lifter. Last February he won the state championship in his age and weight category.
Rongo, an energetic, humorous man who still speaks with a trace of Jersey accent, looks back on his recovery with wonder.
“The little Italian down the street who had a gym had me lifting,” he recalled. “He said, ‘I’ll have you playing football in no time.’ It worked.”
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