Changing Seasons

Whew! After a WHIRLWIND three weeks (sorry to anyone I’ve been neglecting; I’m just getting around to finally phoning people back!), my competition “season” is over! As amazing as it was, I’m kind of glad I get a break from it all now!

So, I had my second competition on Saturday! It was a lot of fun, and I felt much less nervous this time! On Friday, it all kicked off with our sign-in/registration and athletes meeting. I had no idea that the CEO/President and Vice-President would be there and came dressed after my photo shoot (I had such a fun photo shoot at Empire Ballroom with Pink Elephant Photography that afternoon! They were such nice people, and their daughter is so charming and adorable!) in casual clothes. After I checked in and got my number (308!), I sat around to wait for the meeting to start and saw so many tall girls walk in, all done up and in short bandage dresses! At the meeting last week, most of the girls were in sweatpants (I was in a silk robe!) to protect their tans, so this was a definite change! Guess I missed the memo on that!

Paul Dillett, the CEO/President, welcomed us with a really encouraging speech. The vision of the WBFF is to promote athletes with regards to modelling, and the focus is more on that aspect of the industry than competing (as he said, whoever gets first place has to go to work on Monday just like whoever gets last place; nothing changes with a trophy!). It left me feeling really good about the next day, and after getting back to our hotel room (it was really close to the Citadel, where the competition took place, and I got an incredible deal on Hotwire!) and applying my Jan Tana (this time, my wonderful hubby helped even out my back!), I hit the hay for some beauty sleep.

I got up a little earlier than last time, warmed up, and managed to eat all my meals on time. I was ready to hit the stage long before they called us, which was so nice! (What a difference!) My category (Diva Bikini Model Short) was really small this time: only 7 competitors! There were a lot of first-time competitors there on Saturday, and it felt weird to not be a first-timer anymore! Backstage, the atmosphere was quite different than it was at my first show. Although I didn’t feel the competitiveness at the first show that I’d been warned about, it was definitely more lighthearted and relaxed at the WBFF show. The girls were spread out into 5 different dressing rooms that made it feel more glamourous in itself (as opposed to the Muscle Beach competition that had everyone gather in one big warm-up room). Girls were excited and nervous, and it was just a really fun atmosphere!

Finally, we were called to line up. I was chomping at the bit this time! It was amazing to have my husband and Sophia and her husband, John, in the audience, cheering me on! As soon as I walked out onto that stage and heard Sophia calling my name, it gave me an extra push to work the stage! And my lips were not shaking (at least, not as badly!) this time! I guess the experience of last week really helped get the jitters out of me! I definitely felt more confident this time too! I walked back into the line of competitors and waited for them to announce their callouts for comparison. This time, I was in the second group of girls (there were only two groups, but it sounds less depressing this way!) and then, they had us do a pose-off! Since the WBFF really concentrates on modelling more than a physique competition, I just had to work it as if I knew what I was doing! It actually ended up being a lot of fun, but I was excited to see my cheering section outside in the lobby!

After some chit-chat, my husband and I went back to our hotel room for some down time. I had a much-needed nap before having to eat my meals, redo my makeup (I still wasn’t happy with it, and I think next time, I’ll hire a makeup artist to do it for me! I found it really hard to do makeup to go with my skin being so dark), pump up (lift light weights to try to force blood into my muscles and make them nice and plump) and head back to the theatre. My loving husband was so patient with me that day, taking me here and there all day (he was out of town for week the three weeks before and got home on Thursday). Love you, Sweetie!

One thing I was really excited about with the night show was that the bikini round was up first! After our athletes parade (we basically all walked out, wave, stood in lines, and then walked to the front of the stage and posed--here's a video! Try to find me!), my category lined up right away, and it was time! This was basically a repeat of the morning show, but we were all compared at once (a perk of being in such a small class!), and it went by much faster. We each stepped forward one at a time, posed, and that was it!

When I got backstage, I couldn’t wait to get my bikini off! We’re not allowed to wear deodorant with our fake tanner on (it smelled REALLY good backstage! Haha!), and we have to use a product called Bikini Bite to glue our bikinis to our bodies (so no one accidentally shows too much skin while we arch our backs and/or lean over in our back pose!). So basically, my body was covered in brown paint and glue, and I just wanted to put normal clothes on! I got into my evening gown and then waited…and waited…and waited! I think it ended up being a whole TWO HOURS until we finally went out again! I spent the time eating my last snacks (a cake-batter Rice Krispy treat that Sophia’s sister made for me! It was sooo good and a welcome substitute for one of my rice cakes with honey that I had been instructed to eat that day! Thanks, Rachel!!!), surfing the Internet, and chatting with the other girls in my dressing room. I was just so anxious to get it all over with so I could shower (!!!) and hang out with my hubby!

After an ETERNITY, we were called to line up for the evening gown round! The exciting thing was, the Diva Fitness Model category was up before us (I really want to compete in this category next year; they get to wear theme wear, which sounds like so much fun, and their bodies are closest to what I’d like my body to look like. Kind of like a cross between bikini and figure and really lean!), and since this was near the end of the show, they were handing out medals, trophies, and pro cards to the winners. The girl who won the DFM short category had shared a dressing room with us, and she was so ecstatic to have won her pro card! And the woman who won the tall category was so over-the-moon happy that she ran screaming down the hall backstage! It’s wonderful to see people win who really appreciate it, and it’s so exciting to think of what’s in store for their future!

So, we finally paraded out in our gowns. I was happy with the gown I found (on eBay for $50!), but it definitely wasn’t a dress that I’d spent hours looking for, as I wasn’t about to spend a lot of money on a dress that I’d wear once. I felt pretty good, and then, it was time for the moment of truth.

Each of us received a medal (kind of like a “Participant” ribbon in the elementary track-and-field days), and they announced their top three. I wasn’t third or second, and as they kept the audience in suspense about the winner, I secretly hoped it wasn’t me. What?! you may think. Isn’t this why you did the competition? To win? Well, I knew that one particular girl had been competing for over a year and really, really wanted her pro card. And what would I do with a pro card anyway? I’m just at the start of my fitness journey! I did the second show mostly to get some more feedback, so I can come back better next year!

The girl I wanted to win ended up winning, and since it meant the most to her, I was really glad! I love it when hard work gets rewarded, and who knows? Maybe that will be me next year!

So, two competitions later, I have yet to place, but they were really fantastic learning experiences! I’m really proud of the changes I’ve been able to make in the past 12 weeks, and Layne is really happy with the results as well (I even got some really heartwarming emails from him last week about how honoured he is to have been part of my journey and how proud he is of how I look!), so I definitely think I’ve won in achieving what I set out to achieve! It’s been a life-changing 12 weeks (REALLY made me realize how important nutrition is and learn a lot about diet), and I wouldn’t have done a thing differently! I followed Layne’s plan through and on point right to the very end (and I’ve never stuck to any diet or eating plan for this long before!), and as far as what the judges prefer, that’s really out of my control.

But of course, there’s always room for improvement, and I’m taking the judges’ suggestions! The focus is now on building muscle, and my diet has been changed accordingly (Layne will see how my body responds to his plan, and we’ll adjust as necessary). I started my offseason diet and training on Sunday (no time to waste if I want to start working toward my offseason goals!), and so far, it’s going really well! I’m sore from my workouts and have the energy to lift heavy and intense again! It feels so great, and I can’t wait to start seeing results! The next competition will likely be in June (the Northern Alberta Bodybuilding Championships) and possibly July (the date hasn’t been posted, but the WBFF usually hosts a show in Calgary mid-month). And definitely next fall for these two competitions again! I’m using the pictures from this time as my new “before” pictures. It’ll be exciting to see what my new “after” pictures look like next year!

Thanks for sharing in my journey to the stage! I’ll keep updating this page with various topics (including my more-than-fashionably-late Olympia blog post!). I really appreciate everyone’s support!

My second week of training until now

What a difference 13 weeks makes!