Windham High School 2021 graduate Bria Campobasso graduated during a rough time. Campobasso was a multi-sport athlete cheering and playing lacrosse. COVID-19 had ended the previous year’s spring season, and schools and athletes were still dealing with its ramifications. COVID-19 completely reshaped Campobasso’s plans. She had planned to attend college, but with circumstances as they were, realized it wasn’t the right environment for her. She did not let this stop her; she used this setback as a chance to focus on her health, discipline and long-term goals.
 |
| Windham High graduate Bria Campobasso flexes during a photo shoot in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 2024, After high school she began to compete in bodybuilding and last year she won the OCB Bikini Pro title. PHOTO BY PEDRO BLANCO PHOTOGRAPHY |
“After high school, I discovered my love for the gym and weightlifting and found it was a great outlet from transitioning (from) a multi-sport athlete to no sports,” said Campobasso. “I fell in love with the gym and wanted to take it to the next level.”
As a Windham senior, Campobasso was asked by former Windham Athletic Director Rich Drummond along with a small group of athletes to speak on behalf of athletes and classmates in a ZOOM Windham Town Hall meeting about the importance of athletics, during the initial years of the pandemic. She spoke about how important it was to participate in a physical activity and a feeling of normalcy during a detrimental time. Campobasso was honored to have been chosen for this.
High school athletes were eventually given more freedom and sports and practices were able to resume.
After discovering her passion for bodybuilding, Campobasso got involved with the Organization of Competition Bodies and entering competitive bodybuilding events.
“As I trained and learned more about the sport, my coaches and I came to the decision that the OCB would be a great Federation for me to start my journey,” said Campobasso. “After two years of being in ‘prep’, I entered my first show in New Hampshire in 2022, and that experience really solidified my interest in competing at a higher level.”
During that first competition, Campobasso placed first in two out of her three categories and placed second in her third category.
Campobasso said the off-season is about building muscle. Some of the preparation for competition includes lifting heavy, eating enough to grow, and improving weak areas that the judges give feedback on. Once preparation begins, training becomes more targeted. She lifts six to seven days a week, but with more emphasis on shaping, symmetry, and conditioning. As it gets closer to a competition, cardio increases, nutrition becomes more precise, and everything is done with the goal of bringing your best physique to the stage. Campobasso said it’s one of the most disciplined things anyone could ever go through.
In March 2024 Campobasso won her OCB Bikini Pro title.
“I won my OCB Bikini Pro title by outworking everyone,” said Campobasso. “I showed up every day, stayed disciplined, and brought a physique to the stage that proved it. It wasn’t luck — it was years of grind, sacrifice, and refusing to quit.”
Her advice to athletes who encounter adversity is your journey isn’t over, it just means it’s changing. Setbacks can feel huge in the moment, but they can also push you toward opportunities you never expected. Stay disciplined, stay open-minded, and trust a new direction can still lead to success.
She’s taking a lengthy offseason to give her body more time to build muscle and get ready for the stage. Campobasso plans on having a pro debut in late 2027 at the Yorton Cup, the most prestigious event in the Organization of Competition Bodies; considered the premier professional title in natural bodybuilding. <
