What began as a novel idea for a senior project may end up providing Shane Holiday a new career path should the 18-year-old keep up his exploits in bodybuilding.

Only a month removed from graduation at South Medford High, Holiday has already made quite a name for himself on the bodybuilding circuit.

Competing at the Musclemania Superbody Championships in Miami last month, Holiday earned the championship trophy in the high school division and placed third in the 22-and-under men’s junior class.

It was the second successful venture in as many attempts for Holiday, who won the teen division and finished fourth in the adult novice middleweight class at the Max Muscle Naturals in March.

"It was really cool," Holiday says of the Miami event. "There were a lot of really talented people there. It was a good competition."

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And one in which the 5-foot-7, 182-pounder felt more comfortable.

"It was nice not just going out there and having no clue what to do," says Holiday, referring back to the Max Muscle Naturals event. "But I was also going against more experienced competitors in Miami, so that made it a little different."

Holiday had originally planned to compete only once as part of his senior project at South. For his assignment, the all-conference soccer standout trained and toned his body, recorded his diet and finished up with the competition in March.

But the lure of the sport — and his immediate impact — led to a second go-round in Miami and quite possibly more down the road.

"I think I have good potential and a good future in bodybuilding, so I think I’m going to stick with it," says Holiday. "It’s pretty fun. It’s hard, but it’s pretty fun."

Holiday considers his overall body symmetry to be the key to his sensational start in the sport.

"I’m not nearly the most massive guy out there," he says, "but I think I’ve got that aesthetic type of look that they’re looking for (at competitions)."

To maintain that physique, Holiday works out six days a week for about two hours each day, and has a diet catered to helping him maintain and further develop his muscle mass.

"I eat all the time," says Holiday, who has about seven small meals a day involving high-protein foods like chicken and various nutritional shakes.

"Training is the fun part compared to the diet," he adds.

While the dietary constraints may be different, Holiday says getting into bodybuilding really hasn’t affected his overall lifestyle.

"My daily habits have changed a little bit, but it’s kinda like the lifestyle I like anyway," he says. "Just watching what I eat a little bit and training every day makes me feel good."

Holiday tentatively has designs on competing next at the Northern Pacific States Classic Bodybuilding Championships slated Oct. 8 at Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville. Keeping him from a total commitment is the fact that he leaves next month for the University of Hawaii, where he’ll major in nutritional science.

"I don’t know what kind of shape I’ll be in for that, but we’ll see," he says. "I think it’d be a lot of fun, though."

As for a prolonged future in the business, Holiday says he is still trying to figure out if he can make a career out of bodybuilding. He’s firmly against the notion of taking steroids, which is the rumored dark side of top-level competition, but wouldn’t want to abandon the sport totally. A career in fitness modeling has its appeal, but Holiday says only time will tell.

For now, his attention is on Hawaii and plotting out his course in life.

"I just kind of want to get out of Oregon and start a new life and see where that takes me," he says.

Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail khenry@mailtribune.com.