Did you know that Malvern Prep has a professional strongman on campus?  Malvern Prep regards him as the “World’s Strongest Math Teacher.” Obviously, this refers to Malvern alum Mr. Basiura ‘18.

Basuira began playing football from a young age, before he came to Malvern. As he transitioned to Malvern, he continued to pursue excellence on the football field. His hard work enabled him to attend the University of Penn and play football at the collegiate level. 

Mr. Erik Miller, Malvern’s Director of Strength and Conditioning and formerly Mr. Basuira’s teacher, said, “[Basuira] has improved greatly since walking into the [Malvern Prep] gym in 8th grade.” 

Basiura started doing Olympic-style lifting and then shifted towards more football-oriented training while playing at the University of Penn. Basiura added, “ I remember when football season was over at Penn, and I would go to the gym every day, and the owner was a strongman.” He pushed Basiura to try to compete in a local competition near Penn, and after the competition, he decided to stick with it. 

Outside of the weight room. Basiura is a math teacher and football coach, as he teaches Algebra and Geometry in the Upper School. Basuira explained that it worked out the last two years in terms of scheduling, as football season allowed him to take a break. 

“The key downside to the sixteen-week prep would be that I have to miss family vacations. I sometimes have to miss birthday parties, or if my wife wants to do something, I have to turn her down,”  Basiura said. He explained that it is hard to miss these bonding experiences, but it was necessary to take the next step in his lifting career.  As he continues to move up the Strongman ladder, he will continue to earn more money and earn endorsements. 

Caroline Baisura, Basiura’s wife and a registered nurse, explained that she and their son miss him, but they look forward to his safe return and debriefs during his extended break from competing. “We pray that he comes back in one piece without harm and injury,” said C. Baisura.

Training for these competitions is rigorous physically and mentally. Strongmen can go on to train for four hours a day, lifting exceedingly heavy weights.  Mr. Miller aids in  Basuiras’ training as a guide and gives feedback on what he believes would benefit most. “I can bounce certain ideas off him, and I also train with other Strongmen, which increases the training,” Miller said.

Outside of the gym, however, Caroline is a key to his success. “She takes away a lot of the burden from household things. She is the glue, basically,” Basiura said. 

Basiura added, “He does all the heavy lifting, so I try to make everything else (cleaning, yard work, and more) easier so he can focus on his goals.” 

Mentally, these competitions are no easier. Over time,  Basiura has figured out how to get into the right headspace before competitions through years of hard work. “You know, we’re talking three hour sessions a lot of times, and it’s always heavy for the most part, that it’s hard to stay focused for that long for a lot of people, and then he’s got to do it for a certain amount of weeks before the competition.”  Miller regarding the perseverance to overcome distractions in training. During competitions there can be from five and six competitions to eight. As  Basiuira described it, “ a long emotional roller coaster.” Events can go really well or poorly, and that has to sit in your conscience during breaks, which can break you down. “During breaks, I just try to relax and move on.”

Basuira has been trying to practice new ways to get himself centered before big competitions. “Leading up to that, I like to spend a lot of time watching films.” The film  Basuira watches consists of other professionals who do similar events. “The day before the eve, that’s the main thing I tend to use to relax and look at minor details I can improve upon. On the day of it, however, I just try to be calm, but then when it’s time to compete, I get amped up very easily.’

In the end, Baisuira won his pro card in his last competition. He looks forward to competing at the next level, as he was very excited, saying, “After all the sacrifices I had to endure, I was relieved to see it pay off.” His family is the reason he keeps competing, as he wants to provide more income to the family. 

Basuria’s next competition is in March. Friar’s, let’s make sure we support him!