Plum graduate puts down tennis racket, picks up competitive bodybuilding

Apr. 28—Carson France put himself on the map in athletics as a tennis player at Plum, where he represented the Mustangs at No. 1 singles and qualified for the WPIAL singles championships before graduating in 2015.

He earned a scholarship to continue in tennis at Duquesne.

He doesn't look like a typical tennis player anymore.

Bodybuilding and weight training now is his focus, and he is set to put those gains into competitive practice.

France, 25, makes his debut Sunday at the Organization of Competition Bodies' Best of the Burgh and OCB Pro Qualifier event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh South in Bethel Park.

There are competition segments set for both 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. He will be in the classic physique division with a focus on form and muscle striations and definition in his presentation.

"I am pretty excited that it is almost here," France said. "I am ready to hopefully see the work pay off. I am proud of how far I've come.

"I probably won't be the leanest guy on stage because of where I started and the time I had to get ready. There are things I know I still want to work on and improve. But it's my first competition. It will be good to get up there on stage and see who I am competing against and who the competition will be for the next time. It will be a great learning experience. It's a start and that next step."

Tennis was a big part of France's athletic interests for nearly a decade.

"I was 8 years old, and I had just quit baseball," France said. "My brother and sister and I were at a summer camp with Club 4 Life, and part of the camp was tennis. I didn't mind it and kind of enjoyed it. I decided that it was going to be the sport that I play."

France continued in the sport and started to train with Rose Marie Stashko, who also was his coach during his competitive years at Plum.

He fell short of his goal of the WPIAL singles tournament for three years with frustrating setbacks at the section tournament. But as a senior, he broke through and was a part of the WPIAL field.

"Looking back at my Plum career, it was fun, and I feel I did my best," he said. "Sometimes, in hindsight, I wish I would've lifted more earlier to get a head start on what I am doing now."

He played one season at Duquesne before making the decision to give up the sport as academics surged to the forefront of his priorities. He graduated with a degree in supply chain management.

"It was a great feeling to play Division I tennis," France said. "A lot of hard work went into it, and it was nice to know Duquesne wanted me to be a part of what they were doing."

France doesn't get on the court these days and admits he doesn't think he would be very good if he picked up a racket on the fly and tried to play.

France said he started to gain weight toward the end of his time with Duquesne tennis and wanted to do something about it.

"Like a lot of other people, I didn't like what I saw in the mirror, and I started going to the on-campus gym," he said. "I lifted to lose some weight and get healthier, and I also started to put on some muscle mass. That was always a positive. I only started to lift to prepare to compete for the past two or three years."

When at Plum and at the start of his time at Duquesne, France checked in at about 160 pounds. Last Sunday, he weighed in at a lean 216.

With the goal of entering bodybuilding and physique competitions, France sought out well-known Monroeville trainer Ahmad Matour, himself a high-level competitive bodybuilder who has enjoyed success nationally and earned his pro card in December 2021.

"I started a program with Ahmad at 265 (pounds), but I began to lose a little bit before that to prepare," he said. "I was 272 at my heaviest. I was happy with my strength, and I knew I had muscle mass, but where I was, I wasn't exactly looking aesthetic. The size was there, but I just needed to sculpt and lean down."

France noticed the different areas that needed work.

"(Ahmad) could only push me and motivate me so much," he said. "I knew I had to put in the work and be disciplined with things like my schedule and my nutrition."

France has trained twice daily, and the final weeks involved a lot of cardio work in addition to the weight training.

"I've done two-a-days since I started, and things have really gotten ramped up," he said.

Matour has worked many hours with France in training and he said he's excited for Sunday's competition and what France can do moving forward.

"I am proud of how far he's come," Matour said. "He's made good improvements. I am sure he would be further along if he didn't injure his back (training) at the beginning of his prep. He had to take some time off from lifting, so it changed everything on the plan. But overall, he's a winner."

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 724-226-4665, mlove@triblive.com or via Twitter .