One Down, A Career To Go

Original Post: 7-10-2008

We did it! My 1st pro show is in the books! It was wonderful. I had over come so much to even get there. So many years of stumbling blocks on a foundation I built as I went. So many shows wondering if I was chasing a pipe dream and then getting just enough to tell myself it was a ‘sign’ to keep going. Rather they were ‘signs’ or just the fuel I needed to drive on, I made it pro, only to blow out my knee and maybe ‘never be the same.’ Well, that was ok; I didn’t want to be the same. I wanted to be a competitive IFBB Pro Fitness Competitor. And on July 5th, in Houston, Tx. I was just that. I didn’t place, but what did happen that day was wonderful. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous; I was excited. I felt like I was among my own. I remember telling my family after my first national show that I felt like a kindergardener in a high school, well this time I felt like a 9th grader in a high school. The show wasn’t without incident (is it really ever?). Standing back stage, we were in line getting ready to be introduced, and because of the way the curtains were I couldn’t see the stage. I asked the girl behind me “what are we supposed to do out there?” She told me, “what ever you want. Have fun with it!” Haha, I hadn’t practiced ‘what ever I wanted’ which meant I surely was not going to ‘have fun with it!’ I managed some model turns and thought it was amusing that I had gotten this far and was so ready and prepared on so many levels, but my introduction (the judges first look at me) wasn’t one of them. Then (there always seems to be a then with me) we had gotten warmed up for our 45sec routine (consisting of 6 mandatory moves which have to be executed in a specific order) and were back stage awaiting our turn to perform. Watching the first girl go I noticed a MAJOR difference between our two routines: the last mandatory move. I asked another girl from Phoenix what our last move was supposed to be, and it wasn’t the one in my routine. I had 12girls, 45sec a piece (they were going back to back) to re-choreograph the end of my routine. I was no where near flawless, but it was ‘legal.’ Even though my stumbles, I did really well. I don’t just think I did well. I did well. The promoter of the show came up to me and complimented me and my 2min routine. An IFBB judge found me in the lobby and told me “you had better not quit. You are going to do really well. You looked really good.” Stop? Ya, no. I have barely gotten started.