Colorado Singles Resource Guide - Fall 2007 - (Page 34) Mark considers his marital woes to be a metaphorical poke in the eye, and he knows firsthand how a physical poke in the eye transformed this former All American’s dreams and goals of becoming a professional athlete. Salesman, sports anchor, television co-host, writer, motivational speaker, non-profit leader, dad and twice divorced Mark McIntosh now perceives a poke in the eye can be a turning point to success. “I loved competing as an athlete,” claims this long-time Denver television personality. “I was All-American in football, basketball and baseball when I was at Raytown South High School in Raytown, Missouri. I had signed a letter of intent to play football and baseball at the University of Missouri and was expected to be an early selection in the amateur baseball draft. However, during my senior year, while playing a high school basketball game, I was reaching out to catch a pass, when out of the blue an opponent’s finger poked me in the eye, pushing my eyeball towards the back of my head. It happened so fast, that I don’t remember it happening at all. I stumbled and fell to the court into unconsciousness, fracturing my skull and breaking bones in my inner ear which resulted in hearing loss, and left me with equilibrium challenges.” Mark’s one and only physical poke in the eye left him with more than a good story about his former glory days. It stretched, challenged and prepared Mark with the Age 7, Mark’s on his way to opportunity and possibility to becoming All-American tread on the road less traveled when it came to overcoming emotional pain and suffering. “I lost my identity when I could no longer play competitive sports,” Mark claims. Perhaps part of this lament was due to living in a home divided with parents who lost their love for one another years before. “My parents were quite loving and supportive of me, but the last few years of their marriage were a bit rough,” claims the former high school star athlete who sought support from outside the family home when things were amiss within his childhood home. 4 FALL 2007 Sitting in front of Colorado and Company television cameras, Mark co-hosts this magazine-style show that airs live on Channel 9, KuSA-Tv from 10-11am on weekdays with Denise Plante. His life appears charmed, but he’s not sitting on the laurels of a lofty career. He’s learned life lessons the hard way, especially when it comes to love. Closing in on the half-century mark of his life, Mark Mcintosh is demonstrating to himself and others that cyclical patterns, when it comes to relationships, can change, if you make a conscious effort. “With a track record of two divorces, my ego and self-esteem were badly beaten,” Mark reveals. “i thought love would conquer all, not wanting the first divorce, much less the second. i dated my first wife about two weeks before she started pursuing her career in North Carolina, and my career took me to Texas. i didn’t have much self-confidence when it came to women. i called the woman that became my first wife for a casual, long-distance conversation, and somehow during that phone call we agreed to get married. We hadn’t established a foundation for a relationship, and we should have spent more time dating. Our marriage became focused on our careers and our son. We never took the time to get to know one another, to become best friends before we married. instead, we fell in love with our careers and our child.” Less than two years after the first marriage ended, Mark remarried, to someone 13 years younger. “My ego and my self-esteem were in the tank,” confesses Mark, “and having a younger wife superficially bolstered my ego.” Less than five years into the second marriage, it started to unravel, and Mark reveals, “i had to go through these twists and turns to make me more aware of who i am, complete with my co-dependent, enabling ways. As a motivational speaker, i’m really putting myself out there to walk my talk, and people are watching me. More importantly, my children are watching me.” it’s been 6½ years since Mark’s second divorce, and he declares, “i’m a better man when it comes to relationships. i’ve matured, and i analyze critical components and realize relationships must have a serious component that will honor the commitment. There are too many examples of people repeating the same mistakes when it comes to relationships. i certainly don’t feel like an expert on the subject having two failed marriages, but i’ve learned there must be a common ground, or relationships become a roller coaster ride.” Enthralled in a committed three year relationship, Mark imparts, “i’m doing things differently now, and i’m better for it.”
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.