So, I posted the
Play by Play and now I will let you know how it all went down for ME, how I felt and what I thought of my experience of my First Figure Competition.
As my day started out I was tired. I got very little sleep the night before, going to bed around 11 or so and then awakened at 2 till 4 and then slept about an hour and then awakened again and then slept about 1 more hour. I woke up feeling good and excited but not great. As my morning progressed I felt better and better and more and more excited about stepping on stage.
When I arrived at Gina's hotel to meet with her and get my hair done I was starting to get pumped and feeling a little free/silly! Gina instantly said "we need to feed you". So I got some more food in my system ASAP. Traci did my hair which I love having done and it looked amazing!! I saw Gina on my way out of the room and got a pep talk from her and was ready to hit the stage. I was still not nervous, just excited. I went to the venue and met up with Kim (another of Gina's girls) and went through the athlete brief. Even then I wasn't nervous. I got sprayed, made up, and hair touched up as well as eating more and I was ready to hit the stage. STILL not nervous, just excited really. I guess excited and overwhelmed. Thank goodness I had some veterans to help me out or I would have been lost! It's weird how unprepared I was mentally for the backstage final touches. Then they called us out of the dressing room. We gathered in one hall and then we walked to the other side of the stage where we were going to enter. We're standing there in line ready to go and right before they call us on stage the competitor in front of me decides that she needs some Bikini Bite for her suit since her boobs are WAY too huge (oh I'm sorry...in her words "my top is too small")!!! Yes, this right before we're going to step on stage. Well, that's when my nerves kicked in...waiting for someone to find some Bikini Bite for her and then her having to apply it and then wait briefly for it to dry. It just didn't help the nerves at all! So there I was ready to go on stage and then I started shaking from nerves. If I had gotten to step on stage right at the time we were supposed to be called I wouldn't have been so nervous but that's not how it went. So when I finally walked out on stage I was shaking like a leaf!!! Luckily no one in the audience could tell and I still nailed all my poses just like I was supposed to do. Even with my shaking and crazy nerves I managed to feel GREAT about my presentation. It was fun and exhilarating.And then it was over...lickety split!!
Then it was backstage to wait. It was fun backstage with all the other girls and just the underlying current of excitement. There were some fun girls back there and it was just funny to listen to everyone. After a couple of hours I was back onstage again. I was definitely not as nervous as the first time but then I also didn't get to pose again, just walk out and stand basically and then up for comparison. I knew I didn't make the top 5. At that exact moment, when I knew I wasn't in the top 5, I was surprised/shocked and disappointed. I'll be honest. It's a lot of work and when there are only 7 girls in your class and you're not one of the top 5 it's kind of frustrating and maddening...ESPECIALLY when you know your posing was much better. I really believe that there should be better judging criteria for Figure. There should be deductions for things like 1) not posing correctly, 2) walking like you're doing Bikini, 3) not smiling, 4) being TOO muscular, etc. As stated on the website "The judges are looking for the best package of symmetry, stage presence, overall skin tone and femininity." Well, I definitely think in my competition that they overlooked the femininity side of it!! LOL!!!
So I returned to the dressing room and then headed out to the audience to meet all my FANTASTIC supporters!! It was so great to see all those familiar faces and just to hear them being so excited for me, my journey and my experience! I was lucky to have a VERY big group of supporters and they had made my time on stage even better so THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you that not only showed up but showed me your VERBAL support!!! You are all AWESOME!!!!!
Then it was back home for some R&R and reflection. While at home I mulled over the fact that I knew I wasn't top 5 and also had no idea where I had landed in the Masters. I just became okay with it. As I said in my previous post, I brought the best possible me and did everything I could so if I couldn't have done any better then I just had to resign to the fact that this is a subjective sport and where the judges place you doesn't indicate your journey or your own personal growth. After that I could finally sleep and that I did for a little bit. When it was time to get ready to return for Finals I was NOT amped at all. But I went there anyway and just looked forward to hanging out with friends and family afterwards.
I got to the venue and met up with Kim again and also got to meet her mom. Then we went in and watched some of the bodybuilding before heading backstage. They were moving the show along quickly and I was out on stage again before I knew it. I knew most of my supporters weren't there though because it was so much earlier than I thought it would be. No problem. I still went out there and did my thing, got my photos and then it was offstage again. Back in the dressing room I went. Then sitting and waiting and sitting and waiting. I think in those 2 hours I grew a lot!! A LOT OF PATIENCE!!!!!! That was a pain in the neck and honestly I was kind of ready to just bolt and not even worry about making my final appearance where I would just walk across stage, wave and then stand some more while others did their model poses. It just didn't seem worth the wait. Here is where they need to make another change. The Finals are way too long and you already know who's in the top 5. So to me, why make all the non-winners wait around for hours to do nothing? They should just have everyone from every class in every category make their final appearance and then at the end have the top 5 and award trophies then. It just seems silly. Hmmm....well, actually I still would have had to wait around though because I did get 4th place in my masters group. Oh well. Anyway, it's just a thought.
So after it was all said and done these are my thoughts on the experience and answers to questions I've been asked:
Q: Will you do another one?
A: Not right now but maybe someday
Q: Did you have a good time?
A: Yes! It was a lot of fun the first and even second time on stage. But the Finals oddly weren't much fun at all and kind of a drag. To be honest, I didn't really care for the finals and was really ready to go home after going out for my Masters category. It's a long day and really loses its excitement when you go home, settle down and then have to get all amped up again for the Finals.
Q: Will you continue with your regimen?
A: Yes and no. I will continue to eat clean and continue to find new recipes and fun food that make my maintenance enjoyable. I will continue to train with weights and I will continue with cardio. I will decrease my amount of cardio and weight training though. I will take many of the tools I learned from my experience/journey and put them to use every day. So yes, I will continue it as far as doing all similar things but the reins will be loosened and I will be able to enjoy it all a lot more. I can incorporate activities I love and keep a lot more variety in my workouts AND food and that will keep me happy!
In summary, I enjoyed my journey to the stage IMMENSELY!!! I'm extremely proud of what I have done, setting my goal and NAILING it!!! I've met some amazing people along the journey that I'm very grateful for. I have a sense of self that I have never had before! I know I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. I love to cook and it's fun to find new ways to have the foods I love! I am more aware than ever of where I want my life to go now and what's important to me. I am very glad and grateful for the experience of stepping on stage and I enjoyed it in general. I would say to all that whatever your dream, whatever big goal you have, just go for it!! MAKE IT HAPPEN!!
THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE FOR ALL THE SUPPORT I HAVE RECEIVED HERE AND ELSEWHERE!!!
