Body and Mind: Local woman working her way back from tragedy

WESTBROOK – A Farmington woman took first place in her class at a statewide bodybuilding event earlier this month, winning her pro card and earning professional status in the open figure competition. It’s a big deal; becoming a professional athlete at any competition is not easy.

But for Tena Trask, the milestone was far more important.

Trask grew up in the Wilton and Farmington area, graduating from Mt. Blue in 1989 and attending the University of Maine at Farmington. She married to Rick Gaboury and had two children, Cody and Taylor.

She became involved with competitive bodybuilding, a rigorous, demanding activity that requires immense focus and dedication. Trask, now 45, hits the gym at 5 a.m. and works either cardio or strength-building exercises, targeting one major muscle group each day. She follows a strict diet, eating six meals a day while weighing and measuring everything.

“A person can work out day after day after day and not see any change,” Trask said of her regimen. “Once the nutrition is dialed in correctly and you are consistent and patient, results will come.”

She competes in the figure class, which judges physique on elements such as symmetry and muscularity. Everything has to be perfect, which takes hard work and time, something that Trask sees a lack of patience for in everyday society.

“Our society is one that wants instant results, quick fixes,” Trask said. “Those kinds of things just set you up for disappointment. Slow and steady wins every time.”

She built on her successes, culminating with earning her first figure pro card in the masters, or 40-plus, category two years ago. Winning a pro card allowed Trask to compete at pro-level shows, but her toughest challenge still lay ahead.

On Jan. 1, 2016, Taylor Gaboury was struck by a drunk driver and killed. It changed Trask’s life forever.

“Taylor’s death put me in a place of deep sadness,” Trask said. “I was completely broken, drowning.”

Along with her son, Cody, Taylor had been one of her biggest supporters, Trask said. She didn’t compete that year. She sold her gym equipment, “gave up on anything that meant anything to me.”

It took time and help from her family, community and fellow fitness friends (who Trask calls her “fitfam”) but Trask began to climb out of her depression.

“I’m not sure the exact day,” Trask said, “but one day I woke up and knew that if Taylor could see me she would be so sad and hurt that her absence in my life drove me to hide in this dark place.”

Bit by bit, Trask began to involve herself once more in her bodybuilding competition. She asks herself every day “what would Taylor do” and reminds herself that she is watching, as is Cody.

“It’s important to me to teach Cody to be strong and keep going,” Trask said.

With her faith in Taylor’s energy as a constant, Trask began to find herself again; “be able to believe it is okay to live,” as she put it.

Earlier this month, Trask participated in the Organization of Competitive Bodybuilders Pine Tree State Championship at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center. OCB Pine Tree State is one of the premier bodybuilding events in the state, often drawing more than 100 competitors. She won the open figure class, competing against athletes ages 18 and up and adding an OCB pro card alongside her master figure pro status with the OCB and World Natural Bodybuilding Federation.

Trask hopes others can take a lesson from her own journey. “I hope it helps people out there to know,” she said. “It’s okay to fall, to break to get lost, but it’s okay to get back up and live.”