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Nearly two weeks ago, I competed once again after a 3 year "retirement." I really enjoyed being on stage again and being with all the other athletes/competitors. It's also nice to meet new people and make new friends. It just so happened that 3 of us who competed in fitness out of the 6, competed together way back in 2005! It was a little reunion of sorts, which I think is so cool!
So, how do I feel I did? How do I feel about the results? Well, IMO, there's ALWAYS room for improvement. Of course, I am my own worst critic too. I felt like I really struggled in the routine round. I was exhausted, hungry, dehydrated, etc. I messed up in a handful of spots in my routine in the morning, and I was super bummed about that, but everyone said that it wasn't even noticeable. Even so, I think it was quite obvious that my energy level was extremely low. When the routine round was over, it was kind of a relief. After all, that was the hard part! Comparisons and quarter turns are a breeze...well, if you've practiced enough...which I had.
After prejudging was over, we headed straight to The Cheesecake Factory to get some fuel in my system..and then to Yogurt Land (the BEST frozen yogurt EVER)! I filled up and totally enjoyed it!!
We still had several hours before we had to be back for the evening portion. So, Kelly and I headed to Nordstrom's for some MAC shopping. Then, we just hung out and put our feet up while she got some work done on her laptop.
When the time rolled around for routine round in the evening, I was feeling confident and full of energy! However, I messed up AGAIN!!!! It was only one spot, but it was pretty obvious. However, I felt like my performance was much better than in the morning. I was more relaxed, a little bit hydrated, and not hungry! Although, it felt like a better performance, I'm not sure it actually was. When all was said and done, it was evident to me that the morning performance really was the better one, once I watched the videos. That's fine though. If one of them had to better, I'm glad it was the one in the morning!
A little later, after we did our quarter turns again, I got a surprise! The promoter decided to give me a special and unexpected award for "The Most Inspiring Athlete in Arizona." He said some nice things and ALMOST got tears out of me, but I held back...I didn't want to mess up my makeup!!
Now, all that was left to do was wait around to see if I was in the top 5. In every competition I've ever been in, I get placed dead last, whether that's 1st(when I was the only one) or 17th! So, I totally expected to be in 6th place, which would mean no trophy and no qualification for Jr. USA's. Qualifying for Jr. USA's was my main goal!!! I was debating whether I should leave or hang out to see. Something in me mad me stay JUST IN CASE I didn't place last for a change. I am sure glad I stayed!! Out of 6 competitors, I placed 5th!!! For me, this was a BIG DEAL! Not only did I NOT place last, I was now qualified for the next level!! I think I was on cloud 9 for at least a week!!! I still think I should have been in 4th place, but you won't hear complaining from me. I qualified for the show I want to do, and that's good enough for me!!
So, what's next??? For the next 8 weeks, I am back in contest prep mode. I will continue to work on my glute conditioning and overall conditioning. I am also going to work on sprucing up my routine and fixing the problems that I saw in the videos. Then, I'll be off to SC in May for Jr. USA! Wish me luck!
So, how do I feel I did? How do I feel about the results? Well, IMO, there's ALWAYS room for improvement. Of course, I am my own worst critic too. I felt like I really struggled in the routine round. I was exhausted, hungry, dehydrated, etc. I messed up in a handful of spots in my routine in the morning, and I was super bummed about that, but everyone said that it wasn't even noticeable. Even so, I think it was quite obvious that my energy level was extremely low. When the routine round was over, it was kind of a relief. After all, that was the hard part! Comparisons and quarter turns are a breeze...well, if you've practiced enough...which I had.
After prejudging was over, we headed straight to The Cheesecake Factory to get some fuel in my system..and then to Yogurt Land (the BEST frozen yogurt EVER)! I filled up and totally enjoyed it!!
We still had several hours before we had to be back for the evening portion. So, Kelly and I headed to Nordstrom's for some MAC shopping. Then, we just hung out and put our feet up while she got some work done on her laptop.
When the time rolled around for routine round in the evening, I was feeling confident and full of energy! However, I messed up AGAIN!!!! It was only one spot, but it was pretty obvious. However, I felt like my performance was much better than in the morning. I was more relaxed, a little bit hydrated, and not hungry! Although, it felt like a better performance, I'm not sure it actually was. When all was said and done, it was evident to me that the morning performance really was the better one, once I watched the videos. That's fine though. If one of them had to better, I'm glad it was the one in the morning!
A little later, after we did our quarter turns again, I got a surprise! The promoter decided to give me a special and unexpected award for "The Most Inspiring Athlete in Arizona." He said some nice things and ALMOST got tears out of me, but I held back...I didn't want to mess up my makeup!!
Now, all that was left to do was wait around to see if I was in the top 5. In every competition I've ever been in, I get placed dead last, whether that's 1st(when I was the only one) or 17th! So, I totally expected to be in 6th place, which would mean no trophy and no qualification for Jr. USA's. Qualifying for Jr. USA's was my main goal!!! I was debating whether I should leave or hang out to see. Something in me mad me stay JUST IN CASE I didn't place last for a change. I am sure glad I stayed!! Out of 6 competitors, I placed 5th!!! For me, this was a BIG DEAL! Not only did I NOT place last, I was now qualified for the next level!! I think I was on cloud 9 for at least a week!!! I still think I should have been in 4th place, but you won't hear complaining from me. I qualified for the show I want to do, and that's good enough for me!!
So, what's next??? For the next 8 weeks, I am back in contest prep mode. I will continue to work on my glute conditioning and overall conditioning. I am also going to work on sprucing up my routine and fixing the problems that I saw in the videos. Then, I'll be off to SC in May for Jr. USA! Wish me luck!
1 comment:
Congrats on your placing! You are an inspiration. Take care, Crystal
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