Mark Valenti has been a pro a long time.  I met him a few years ago and have always enjoyed his company.  I think what I like is he is a straight talker.  No beating around with this guy, you are going to get his feelings on a topic.  I think from some of his answers here we can learn about ourselves.  Like some of the things posted on the NASGA board.  He is so on target in this area.  The guy has been working on his game and has some impressive wins over top opponents.  When you can boast wins over Craig Smith and Kerry Overfelt, among others, you are doing something right.  So enjoy the straight scoop from Mark.





How old are you? 36

Where were you born?  Erie, Pa

Where do you live now?  Amherst, Ohio

How did you end up there?  My father came here looking for a new job and we loved the town.

What do you drive?  Ford Escape

What do you do for a living?

I work for the courts doing intake for a juvenile detention center and I also run my own strength and conditioning business called Dynamo Sport Athletics

How did you get into that?

I have had the job at the court since I was 21...the Strength and Conditioning business was something I got into because I was working out at a gym that had a trainer working with local kids,,, he had a lot of kids and needed someone to help him.  He asked me and I said, "ok” 12 years later I'm still doing it and loving it.

Tell me about coaching and how that came about?

I started coaching track and field the same year I started training athletes.  I have a love hate relationship with the profession.  Right now I am switching to another school after 12 years at the high school I graduated from.  I have also done strength and conditioning for my high schools football team and am thinking I would like to get back into that with a different school.

Tell us about your education?

I have a degree in Criminal Justice from Lorain County Community College where the motto is "Tomorrow is yesterday"

Tell me how you met your wife?

She was a mail order bride from West "by God "Virginia...No actually we met at the gym and she stalked me until I asked her out...I stood her up for our first date.  She called and yelled at me and we went out that night...been together ever since.

Tell me about your kids?  I have a 4-year-old Hayden "Butch" Valenti who is in training for the 2028 Olympics.

As a kid growing up, what was your first job?  I worked at Finast Supermarket dragging in carts from the parking lot and bagging groceries.

When you grew up as a kid, what sports did you play?

Football, wrestling, track and field, soccer, swimming and Tae Kwon Do (my first instructor was Billy Blanks of Tae Bo fame)

Did you throw in high school and if so what did you throw?

I threw the shot put mostly my best in a meet was 52'6" and played with the discus when my coach wasn't looking, he thought we should only focus on one event.

Tell us about throwing in college.

I got recruited by a lot of schools and ended up going to University of Toledo...I was there getting ready for indoors.  I taught myself to spin and was already better then the senior they had throwing for them.  One day the coach calls me into his office and says “ well we don't have any money for your scholarship like we had said we would have for you,,, we want you to throw for us and work at the football and basketball games to pay for your trips to track meets.  I basically told him to go F himself and started to look toward turning pro on the heavy events circuit.

What was your first Highland Game and when was that?  The Oberlin Ohio games and I was 17 years old.

Who was at that game?

Kurt Pauli and I were the ams along with another future pro Brian "Scooby" Alford and former worlds strongest man competitor Dave Waddington,, the pros were Jim Mcgoldrick, Paul Ferency, Ben Plucknett, Harvey Barkauskus, Jim Pauli, Mark Palmer and Carl Braun.  Quite a field,,,, and people wonder why I wanted to turn pro!

What made you decide to try and compete at a game?

My best friend at the time Brian Alford had done it the year before and I was throwing the shot put and thought it looked really cool...the local bus mechanic Norm Miller was an am and agreed to teach me how to throw the implements.  I was hooked after the first practice.

You travel a lot with KO and Craig, tell some stories about that.

Oh man there are so many freaking stories. I have had such a great time traveling with those two retards as well as Chafin.  I guess the best was me and Kerry flying to the Enumclaw, Wa games a couple years ago.  We got isle seats across from each other...This big girl gets up half way through the flight to go to the bathroom.  When she passes us she flat out grabs KO's arm and gives it a squeeze.  Now I'm laughing my ass off cause of the look on Kerry's face...well 5 mn. Later she comes back and this time she reaches down and rubs my chest...So now we are rolling laughing.  Half hour later here she comes again...this time she grabs Kerry's arm and rubs her butt across me and on her way back she switches directions.... We got totally violated by this big girl and we are just giggling the whole time.

What is your favorite event?

I’ve always loved the 56wfd,,, but lately I've been digging on the caber.  I have always wanted to be a big caber tosser and last year I started turning some big sticks.  I am really wanting to improve on that this year.

What is a common mistake you see people make in that event?

In the caber it's all timing and body positions....most guys will run...stop and then try and sink and explode up...well as you are doing that the caber is still moving full speed.  So by the time you go to pull the caber is pretty much horizontal and you have no prayer to turn it.... Run like hell and pull the shit out of it as soon as you stop. Don’t over think it.

Who were the first people to influence and coach you in the sport? 

The Pauli family has been a huge help to me and I always say it was Jim Pauli who taught me what it meant to be a "Pro", Ryan Vierra has influenced everyone in the sport and I am no exception.  I have learned a ton in the last 4-6 years from KO and Craig though. 

Talk some about throwing games as an amateur, what games you did and where. 

I did Ohio, Detroit, Carlton, KY, Alexandria, Va and Fredrick, MD.  Throwing am was great and I just tried to learn as much as I could.  My first year at Oberlin they made the ams shag weights for the pros after our games was over.  It sounds kind of degrading but I learned more about throwing that day then I did the whole year leading up to the competition.

What were your favorite amateur games?

Alexandria, VA....it was awesome to travel down there for the East Coast Championships. I really felt like it was an honor to be invited it was a huge deal to me.

Talk about some of the pro games you have done and your favorites.

I have always said if I could do Bethlehem, Pa,,,, Fergus, Ont. and Pleasanton, Ca I will feel like I had done it all as a pro.  I have thrown at all of those games and they are incredible games, top notch best in the business.

Portland, Detroit, Glasgow, Stone Mountain and Wisconsin are fast becoming historic type places to throw like those games are.

I kissed the ground in Fergus last year just like I did the first time I was invited to Bethlehem and Pleasanton,,,, I don't always do this where people see me,,, but it gets done.

Who do you enjoy competing with and why? 

There are very few people I don't enjoy throwing with these days.  We have a great group of guys on the circuit and we all seem to get a long really well.  Well everyone hates Will and Hadley but that's a given.

Talk about some of the throws, games and moments you are most proud of.

43' pr in Fergus last year in the 56 wfd felt great,,, as did turning the big stick in Wisconsin three out of 5 times last year.   Throwing 16' in the weight for height to beat Craig in Edinborough and take the overall was a real gut check moment.  I guess my favorite moment was beating Kerry in Michigan last year...he was so jealous he stole my trophy...can you believe that guy.  Glory hog.

Why don’t you post more on the NASGA board and what would you change there? 

The board is really frustrating,,, I think if you ask people I am more then willing to help anyone who asks with training advice or throwing, but the people on that board I think are in a totally different sport then I am.  I am training my balls off on a daily basis to throw far and win.  When I see posts about traveling kilts, getting drunk or doing overhead squats I just get a little sick to my stomach.

Every time you post on there, someone will write something just to bash ya.  Now don't get me wrong I love the smack talk,,, hell I created it on that board, but if someone is posting something and they are better then you,,, stop and listen,,, no one cares about your opinion.

I remember a few years ago Mcgoldrick was posting about caber tossing, I mean f**king gold mine right?, and the thread got totally hijacked with other people giving their thoughts...no one f**king cares! It’s the big chief! Shut your pie hole and listen!

Talk about training and your philosophy in that area?

I have had the great fortune to work with and listen to some great people over the years including Jud Logan at Ashland univ. where I spent two seasons just sucking his head dry.  I think my whole philosophy about lifting changed when I heard Louie Simmons talk for the first time...I was really impressed with his approach to training.  I started making some trips down to Westside Barbell in Columbus and I have learned so much from him.  Kerry and I actually took him to Hooters in Nashville a couple of years ago and just picked his brain for two hours.  The guy is a gold mine.

I believe in the Max effort method,, pull, squat and press something heavy every week!  I believe in the dynamic method for throwers,,, train for speed on a different day!  I believe that Olympic lifting is great if you are a good Olympic lifter,,,, most people are not good Olympic lifters.  I haven't done a clean in about 4 years.  They aren't necessary for explosive power.  I feel that in most cases the weights are too light due to poor form or injuries and the time under tension is way too short.

My question is are good Olympic lifters explosive because they Olympic lift or are they good Olympic lifters cause they are already explosive.

 Tell us about some of the injuries you had as an athlete.

Thank the Gods nothing major...I had a really bad ankle sprain a few years ago, I did it two days before the Wisconsin games and was going to drop out and Craig guilted me into trying to throw on it.  So I did...ugggggh that was a rough weekend.

What impresses you now in the sport?

Athletic directors are starting to impress me...they are really going out of their way to make us feel wanted at these games.  When I first started they acted like you were a piece of shit cause you were taking cash.  Now the ADs see how much time and energy and sacrifice is put into doing this and they are really doing great jobs to make their games successful ...Gord Walsh, Alex Murray, Richard Jackson and a bunch of others im forgetting...great job folks.

Who makes you laugh at games now?  Hands down Chafin...funniest guy in the games and he doesn't even know he’s funny.  That's what makes him so funny.  It’s like traveling with a drunk caveman.

If you were watching Larry Brock wind up in the hammer and it slipped from his hands, who in the sport would you most like to see the hammer hit in the sack?  Kerry no doubt about it.  I'm laughing just thinking about it.

You have gotten a lot more serious in the gym these days, tell us about that change and why?  I have been in the games for 19 years and I learned to train 3 years ago.  I switched to full Westside with some minor modifications and have never looked back...Kerry also got me to stop throwing so much and let myself recover. So that helped as well.

What training philosophy do you follow in the gym?  Westside!

What do you like to do outside of the games? 

I love to travel down to those little latitudes ...just south of Florida.  Gimme Duval street on a Friday night and I am in seventh heaven.

What other hobbies do you have? 

Does porn count?

What is your favorite food?  Mom’s cabbage rolls.

What supplements do you take?  What’s a supplement?  Really all that stuff is junk.

What do you drink with a meal at home?  Usually just water or sweet tea when I come south.

What beer do you like?  Landshark or Carona .

Do you mow your own grass and what kind of mower do you have?

I have a guy who I hire to do it...he charges me like $30, it’s a big yard and I'm lazy.  I do have a rider when I really feel motivated Ill go out and mow it as fast as the thing will carry me.

Do you like to garden?  hahahahahahahahahahaaha

Are you a Democrat or Republican? I am just right of Attila the Hun

Are you into Astrology?   NO  What sign are you?  I'm a Libra

Are you a religious man, and if so, what do you practice?

I was raised Roman Catholic like all daigos, but I told my son the other day when he asked me "who created the Earth?"   "The Gods did"

How did you find Jimmy Buffet music in Ohio?

When you deal with sub zero temps for a good portion of the year you need an escape.  My parents gave me a love for all things involving the beach.... We lived in the Outerbanks for most every summer of my life.  I found him in high school my senior year and after my first show at Buckeye Lake I was a Parrot Head...FINS UP!

 What does your wife call you when nobody is around?  Asshole

Where do you take the wife out to eat?  The town I live in has some great places...So we hit the local BBQ joint or maybe Mexican.

What would your wife say is your best body part?  She likes my ass,,, I have the lips and ass of a black guy...to bad it stops there.

Chris Chafin told me when he first saw you he thought a midget was following you, then he realized it was your ass.  What did you think when you first saw him?   I’m laughing that's a good one...I remember thinking he looked top heavy.

What do you like to watch on TV?  Sons of Anarchy, Man vs. Food, UFC and the Jersey Shore (fist pump bitches!)

Are you a western movie or sci fi person?  Tell a favorite.   Western for sure,,,,, The Searchers.

What are the goals for this year?  Prs baby,,, lots of PRs,,, I want my 28 back over 80' and I want to turn every stick I get my hands on. EVERY STICK

Thank you brother.

My pleasure and thank you.