When Pete Miller was 17, he quit his childhood sport for good. For years, he had played hockey, and being a hockey player was a core part of who he was.
As he got more interested in weightlifting, he attended a competition called Teenage Mr. Chicagoland. When he saw the young men on stage, he never thought he would one day join them.
But soon he had a new title: bodybuilder.
“It was probably 15 minutes into the competition when I thought I could probably beat some of these guys with a little bit of education, a plan, and a lot of training,” Mr. Miller said, “ That’s where it all launched, and I took it from there.”
Mr. Miller participated in numerous bodybuilding competitions, and even won the Mr. America title in 1990.
A P.E. teacher at Lab for almost 25 years, he is known as being an unfailingly kind presence and can be found in Lab’s fitness center coaching students on training plans or saying hello to his students in the halls of Kovler and Sunny gym buildings.
Curious students have seen a glimpse of Mr. Miller’s life as a bodybuilder in a YouTube video, posted 17 years ago, which has comments from countless Lab students. Despite their speculations, they know little about his past, and how for almost seven years he was dedicated to his bodybuilding career.
Using the lessons he learned as a bodybuilder, Mr. Miller encourages students to chase their goals, both in his classroom and beyond. With his dedication and support, he helps everyone in the community reach them.
“I learned that in order for me to be successful at the level I wanted to be, I had to work hard in order to accomplish what I wanted to do. Nobody in my life at the time would have ever pegged me as the guy that’s going to accomplish this,” Mr. Miller said, “but, I did realize that with the capacity to work harder than a lot of folks, I could fly past a lot of people who would have probably been ranked way higher than me.”
Beyond the weight room, his sleep, diet and rest regime played a key role in his success in contests. Yet, the need for a strong, healthy mentality throughout his time in the sport taught him a lifelong lesson.
“I enjoyed the training, but what I really, really liked was being able to see progress. Bodybuilding taught me the importance of the simple act of setting goals,” Mr. Miller said. “Setting those, working toward them and then reaching them was such a satisfying thing, and I’ve applied that to everything in my life.”
Despite his dedication to his lifestyle, he was found to have contracted Epstein-Barr virus, causing chronic fatigue and pain that prevented him from training. Mr. Miller decided to pivot from bodybuilding, and turned to something he’d always thought about: teaching. He knew he’d be able to combine his passion for fitness with his affinity for helping people.
P.E. teacher Luke Zavala started at Lab 10 years ago and has been friends with Mr. Miller ever since, working beside him when teaching health to ninth and tenth graders. Mr. Zavala has noticed how helpful Mr. Miller is, often helping with students and fellow Lab faculty and staff who go to him for advice on building individualized training plans.
“It can sometimes be intimidating for somebody who wants to start to exercise more but doesn’t know where to start. And Mr. Miller is such a friendly, welcoming guy that he makes it easier and helps them out,” Mr. Zavala said. “He doesn’t get paid extra for staying after school to help kids out, but it’s something that he always does because he’s always wanting to show up and help people reach their goals.”
Last year, junior Austin Siu created the Powerlifting Club, and asked Mr. Miller to be the club’s faculty adviser.
“Mr. Miller is always willing to sacrifice his time for others and is a perfect facilitator for the club,” Austin said. “He is free-spirited and overall kind. He is always willing to speak to you as a person or an athlete.”
Mr. Miller draws upon the lessons of his career, knowing how far you can come when you believe in yourself and put in the work. He now holds another title: helper.
“I just always want to do my best to try to help people,” Mr. Miller said. “What I attempt to do is just help people see that process that I loved in bodybuilding: working, seeing the improvement, feeling the satisfaction of that and then setting new goals over again.”
