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mokenamessenger.com news
the Mokena Messenger | February 15, 2018 | 3
Bodybuilding a reputation for success
T.J. Kremer III, Editor
The world of bodybuilding
might be foreign to most of
us, but for three competitors
who train out of Iron Warzone
in Mokena, it’s a way
of life.
Bodybuilding is different
than powerlifting, in that the
top competitors, especially on
the women’s side, are judged
on their overall physique and
appearance, and not necessarily
on how many butts they
look like they could kick.
That desire to be in top
physical fitness is what drove
Carol Milkins, of Mokena,
and Wendi O’Brien, of New
Lenox, to team up with Iron
Warzone owner Adrian Michalewicz,
of Green Garden,
to compete in this year’s Arnold
Sports Festival in Columbus,
Ohio, March 1-4.
Building more than muscles
“Over the course of the last
15 years, you put on weight,
you focus on the children,
and I decided it was time for
me to put myself first and
live a healthier lifestyle,”
O’Brien, who is a mother of
four, said.
O’Brien said she had no
intention of ever doing bodybuilding,
but now that she
does it, she loves it.
She said she lost about 25
pounds working with a trainer,
and in about nine months
was ready to try getting on
stage to compete in the master
women’s bikini division.
Yes, the competition takes
her out of her comfort zone,
but part of the trick to being
successful is to have a mentality
that you deserve to be
there.
“It does definitely give me
a greater sense of self-confidence.
I have really grown
in that area,” O’Brien said.
“It’s always something I’ve
struggled with since childhood:
I was always the tallest
Wendi O’Brien, a 45-year-old mother of four from New
Lenox, works her triceps and shoulders in preparation for
the Arnold Sports Festival March 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio.
Photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media
Carol Milkins, a 56-year-old grandmother of three, works on
her biceps. Milkins is a former masters bikini champ, and
is looking to repeat that success at her first Arnold Sports
Festival.
one, I was always the leanest
one, and so got made fun of a
lot for being real skinny and
I was never really athletic, I
never played sports, I was
never part of a team. So this
is really my opportunity now
to be an athlete and be part of
a team now, and it’s something
I can do for myself.
“When I’m up there, it’s not
just about being up on a stage,
because the stage kind of
frightens me, but it’s the end
of the journey and the goal
that you’ve worked so hard
and trained so hard and been
so disciplined, to get up there
and do that, it’s sort of the icing
on the cake, so to speak.”
Milkins, a 56-year-old
grandmother of three, used
to be an instructor in group
exercises and a runner. After
running her first marathon,
she suffered an injury and
went to the gym to rehab. She
started hitting the weights
harder because she couldn’t
run and is now in her fourth
competition, where she previously
has won a master
bikini division title, but this
will be her first showing at
the Arnold Sports Festival.
“I love it,” Milkins said of
the competition. “It’s sort of
like soaring with the eagles.
It’s hanging with the best
of the best, and I like being
part of that. It’s a tough road
to go down. The discipline
it teaches you is amazing. It
makes you realize you have
a lot more in you than you
think you do, and it rolls over
into every area of your life.
So, you can just be stellar everywhere
and not just in the
gym.”
She, too, gets taken a little
out of her comfort zone on
stage, but she said she hopes
that by overcoming those jitters
and showing what she’s
able to do, that she’ll be able
to help inspire other women.
“It’s a little nerve wracking
to get out there,” Milkins
said. “But then something
takes over, it’s just like I
deserve to be here, just like
everybody else. I’ve worked
hard, I’ve earned this, and it’s
the best I can be.”
Putting in the work
The women work with Michalewicz
throughout most
of the week, and what time
they don’t spend in the gym
training, they spend working
out on their own and taking
care of the rest of their normal
daily functions.
O’Brien trains five days a
week, plus cardio workouts
throughout the week; three
days a week on legs and the
rest on thighs, triceps and
shoulders. During competition
preparation, she gets up
at 5:30 a.m. to do 30-45 minutes
of cardio, lift for about
an hour, then more cardio.
“Get up early, get it done
and then get back to family,
to work,” O’Brien said of
her regiment. “I could make
excuses. I could say, ‘Oh, I
couldn’t get here because of
the snow,’ or whatever, but if
it’s something that you really
want to do and it’s a goal of
yours, then you’ll get it done.”
Michalewicz emphasized
the point: “Not preparing is
Please see bodybuilder, 7
Mokena remembers Kozik,
co-founder of Tinley Wish
Cody Mroczka
Contributing Editor
Rich Kozik, 58, of Mokena,
a co-founder of Tinley
Wish and lieutenant with the
Illinois State Police, died on
Feb. 6.
Illinois State
Police Director
Leo P. Schmitz
announced
Kozik had
passed
on duty in
District 15
while
Rich Kozik
(Downers Grove) at approximately
11:01 a.m. after suffering
a medical emergency.
He later died at the hospital,
according to a press release.
“Rich was not only a
great leader, but a personal
friend. Rich was a dedicated
19-year-veteran who was respected
and revered by many
both inside and outside our
department,” Schmitz said.
“Rich will be remembered
for his dedication to the Illinois
State Police and living
up to our motto: ‘Integrity,
service and pride.’”
Prior to becoming the District
15 Special Operations
Lieutenant overseeing the
Motorcycle Unit, Truck Enforcement
Unit and the Criminal
Patrol Team, Kozik spent
several years as part-time
police officer with the Tinley
Park Police Department.
In 1996, Kozik and friend
Dennis Mahoney started Tinley
Wish, a not-for-profit,
community-based organization
that raises money
throughout the year to give
back to Tinley Park families
in need with the help of village
employees, churches,
schools and private citizens.
“Rich Kozik was a genuine
person with a heart of gold
who wanted to make a difference,”
Tinley Wish said in a
statement. “Rich was an extraordinary
human being who
genuinely cared for people.
He will be missed by so many.
Please keep the Kozik family
in your thoughts and prayers.”
It was during his time as
a part-time officer when he
became friends with Rick
Bruno, who retired from the
force in 2010. Bruno said
Kozik courageously battled
cancer for many years, but always
kept a smile on his face.
“People say it’s a cliche
when people say, ‘What
a great guy.’ But he really
was great with a capital ‘G.’
He was such a gentle, quiet
individual,” Bruno said. “I
think one of the things he
really loved was helping out
the community. I was fortunate
enough to meet a lot of
good men and women, but I
think he was the best. People
like that, I don’t know if they
come around everyday.”
Visitation services were
scheduled for Sunday, Feb.
11, at the Robert J. Sheehy
and Sons Funeral Home in
Orland Park followed by a
mass for family and friends
on Monday, Feb. 12, at St.
Francis of Assisi Church,
also in Orland Park.
The Illinois State Police
also conducted an honorary
procession route Feb. 12, departing
from St. Francis of
Assisi Church immediately
following the funeral service
on Monday. The procession
departed the church at approximately
noon following
a designated route to the
cemetery. Intersections along
the route were blocked to allow
the safe travel of the vehicles
in the procession.
Interment was private at
Resurrection Cemetery. In
lieu of flowers, donations to
Illinois State Police Heritage
Foundation, P.O. Box 8168,
Springfield, IL, 64791, isphf.
org/donations, or Tinley
Wish, 7850 W. 183rd St., Tinley
Park, 60477, tinleywish.
org, would be appreciated.