Hunger burns within Nu'uanu firefighter
By Seabrook Mow
Special to The Advertiser
Honolulu bodybuilder Kirk Maluo, 28, always found it easy to gain weight.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
After one contest, he hit the buffet line and gained 30 pounds in three days.
Kirk Maluo, a 1991 Kamehameha Schools graduate, is pumped up for tomorrow's Paradise Cup Bodybuilding Championships.
Since his sophomore year at Kamehameha Schools, he's transformed himself from a "135-pounder with scrawny legs" to a 285-pounder who can squat 600 pounds and bench more than 400.
Maluo, a firefighter at the Nu'uanu station, is in the process of losing 50 pounds in hopes of winning tomorrow's Paradise Cup bodybuilding competition.
"It's especially hard when you're surrounded by junk food and goodies at the fire station; there's just so much temptation," joked Maluo.
"Remember this (bodybuilding) is just a sport, it's my hobby; my real job is being a fireman, first."
Still, Maluo, a 1991 Kamehameha Schools graduate who ran track and wrestled, is considered one of the favorites.
Two years ago, he entered the Paradise Cup as a 200-pound heavyweight in the novice class. He won his class, but came up just short of the overall novice title.
Since then, he has made big plans for his bodybuilding future.
"After my first and last contest (the Paradise Cup two years ago) I've trained hard and added 30 pounds of muscle," said Maluo. "My overall body is a little more built all-around and my symmetry is better."
So now, "I want to win a respectable show like the Paradise Cup," said Maluo, who will enter in the Open heavyweight division at 235 pounds.
After the cup, Maluo plans to again take a couple of years off and pack on more size. He hopes to enter the 2003 Hawaiian Islands Bodybuilding Championships and qualify for nationals as a heavyweight or super heavyweight.
"Most guys enter shows three times a year, and they look the same or worse," said Maluo. "I instead hid out, trained hard and did my homework. I want people to see the changes."
NOTES: Competitor Guy Copeland purchased 60 $30 tickets for friends and family. ... Guest posers are Michelle Tuggle, 1999 Paradise Cup Women's overall champion; Melvin Anthony, 1999 Mr. USA overall champion; Dennis James, 2001 European Pro Championship winner; Orville Burke, 2001 Toronto Invitational and 2001 Night of Champions winner. Special performance by Da Brahdah's.
