Judgment Day...(Part 2)

Whew! All that work for a few minutes of glory on stage and it was definitely worth it! You already know how prejudging went (and my ensuing disappointment), so I’ll let you know how the evening show went!

I arrived back at the Winspear early enough this time to make sure I wasn’t madly swallowing my last meals before the stage (I ate SO much on show day, I even asked Layne for permission to skip one of my meals! By the end of the day, I was just feeling so overstuffed!) and got my tan touched up right away to avoid the rush. They told me that Bikini Bite (a glue to make sure our suits don’t ride up or shift in position while we’re posing) and glaze couldn’t be applied just yet, but that there was more than enough time to apply it before we went on stage…so Sophia and I hung out for a while before trying again. Well, this time (they hadn’t even called the Medium class to get prepped yet), there were huge lines, and the people applying the Bikini Bite and glaze were moving SO SLOWLY! I didn’t even have time to get mine done before we were called to line up in the hall. Great! (There was a woman walking around in the hallway who applied Bikini Bite to me, thankfully!)

The night show went by much quicker than the daytime show (our comparisons were in numerical order, but the judges had already made their decisions by this point, so it was mostly just for show), and as they called out the top 5, I was over the moon that Sophia was among them! (Although I had suspected it!) Even though I didn’t place (the rest of us didn’t get ranked), it was really special to see her do so well and take home SECOND PLACE!!! She worked really hard to get to the competition, and she looked amazing (not to mention how far she’s come in the last few years as a result of consistently eating clean and working out)! It meant a lot to me to be able to celebrate in her victory, and we were both more than a little teary-eyed backstage! Congratulations, Sophia!!!

After Sophia had left for dinner with her husband and friends, I HAD to stick around and talk to the judges! I asked again backstage, and the girls again offered that I could just email them, and the judges would “hopefully” get back to me, but that wasn’t good enough for me! I had to know now! So I sat down in the audience and waited for the show to end (it’s an entertaining show, so I’m not sure why a lot of people were discouraging me from staying all the way to the end to talk to the judges!). The girls had said that I should sit close to the judges so I could talk to them before they packed up their things and left, so I parked myself as close to them as possible without feeling like I was creepily stalking them, and the second the show ended, I ran to their table!

Since deciding to compete and hiring Layne, this was by far the best decision I’ve made! (I was surprised that no one else was lining up to talk to the judges! I couldn’t have slept that night not knowing where I could improve!) The judges had already starting packing up their things, but I managed to ask them sweetly for some feedback, and they were actually really nice and supportive! And they all said the same thing: while they loved my tiny waist and all noted that I “had potential,” they all thought I needed to build muscle because I was too small! This was not what I had been expecting (I’ve got some guns!), but I had wanted to gain muscle in the offseason anyway, so it works out! It was a relief to know why they placed me so low, and I even asked if I was too lean (since they picked girls who were much less lean before me), but they said I just needed to bulk up (but not my waist), and then I’d be golden! I let Layne know right away, so he knows how to tailor my diet in the offseason (starting Sunday!).

All in all, my competing experience was great, and I would still encourage everyone to try it at least once! Or at least commit to a diet and exercise plan for 12 weeks and see how far it takes you! (But once you’ve done that, why wouldn’t you go that extra step and compete?) I still have the competition this coming Saturday at the Citadel, so I’m excited to see how they like me there! (Since it’s a different federation, the rules are a bit different, as is the judging.) Hopefully, they’ll be as open with their feedback as they were at the last show, and I’ll know exactly where I can improve when/if I decide to compete again next year!

I had another incredible photo shoot yesterday with David Ford, who was also the official photographer at the competition (and will be the photographer at the one coming up too). We took some great gym shots and some AMAZING black-and-white artistic shots! They turned out even better than I had expected, and I can’t wait to see some of them when they’re edited! Here’s a sneak peek:

I have one more shoot on Friday with Pink Elephant, and that shoot is in a nightclub, which will definitely be different! I think if anyone wants to challenge him- or herself but perhaps not compete, a photo shoot is wonderful motivation to get in shape, and they’re a lot of fun! (The photographers will light and position you in ways that make you look better than you ever thought you could!)

I’ll keep you all updated on how Saturday’s show goes! I’m looking forward to getting another chance to showcase my hard work and hear some feedback from a different set of judges!