Wow, my last 2 weeks have been INSANE!
I apologies for the lack of blog posts – I want to be way more active on here but work, comp prep & life has been crazy busy lately!
As you know I have been prepping for IFBB Nationals (which was held on Saturday) & my 8 Week Mind & Body Transformation Challenge was coming to end (which finished last Friday)
I decided to throw myself into those 2 things completely & now they have both been & gone I need to find balance again.
I wanted to use this post to share with you my IFBB Nationals experience!
What a day! This was my 2nd Competition (my first show was QLD Titles 5 weeks ago)
The whole week before Comp goes by so quickly. I absolutely love this week – so much to do! Training is coming to an end & its time to glam up for the show with nails, hair & eyelash appointments! It makes the 3am wake ups & fasted cardio seem like a distance memory.
An increase in carbohydrates in this week is also a bonus!
Plus the hype & excitement is next level. Everyone asking how I’m feeling, what I’m doing & what my next plans are. So here is a run through of the day before & show day!
The Day Before The Show
3pm
We are on the Gold Coast & head to the Gold Coast Convention Centre for registration. I collected my competitor band & they checked my height for my division. (I’m 159cm – Short Class)
5pm
Once registration was done I headed to the apartment to check in & get my comp day essentials packed.
I always check my bag about 10 times over to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything!
Shoes, bikini & jewellery are the 3 most important items. I also take spare clothes, a robe, headphones, makeup brush, lip gloss & FOOD.
I have white rice, rice cakes, bananas, honey & putter butter on me for Show Day.
7pm
Time to get the base coat of my tan & then one final check in with my coach. When I checked in with Mike while running through my poses he says “Now don’t freak out but…” I found out 2 of the 4 poses had been changed by the IFBB.
So after he showed me the mandatory changes off I went to go & practice.
The night before comp I try & get as much sleep as possible. Surprisingly I had the best night sleep (air con helps haha)
SHOW DAY
Let me tell you… Nerves are at an all time high on show day!
5am
Wake up – I head over to my coaches apartment to check in. (he was happy so I was happy)
6:30am
Glam time! I go through a company called Shique Beauty, which takes all the stress of getting ready away! They do my hair, my make up & both coats of my tan.
I’m not one to wear a whole lot of make up so I ask the girls to keep my make up as natural as comp make up can be. Golds & browns work best for me & my hair will always be curls for comp! I LOVE CURLS.
9am
I pick up my competitor number from the registration desk & head back stage. For nationals I was competitor number 86! (QLD’s I was number 16 so I was more than happy to still have a 6 in my number for some reason!)
Backstage is really cool. At the convention centre back stage was MASSIVE. All the athletes are out here warming up, there’s a tanning area & so much going on! The vibe & feels is incredible. We set up our #TeamMikeD corner & us girls put our feet up! There were quite a few divisions in front of me so I had a bit of time before I was on stage.
10am
My family & friends had arrived so I ran out to say hello before show time!
I had my boyfriend Josh, my mum, my best friend Fran & her husband Chris & their 6-month-old daughter Miss Celia, a great friend Brandon & my mentor Coby in the crowd!
11:30am
Time to pump up. This is when my nerves start to kick in. I use light resistance bands to pump up. Focusing on my shoulders. The back stage crew call the line up “BIKINI NOVICE SHORT 84, 85, 86, 87….” (11 competitors in my division)
We all line up side of stage & my heart is beating out of my chest. I am overwhelmed with nerves but as soon as I take my first step on stage I don’t know what happens – My nerves are gone, I’m focused & ready to go!
We run through our poses (consists of 4 Quarter Turns)
We shuffle around & I love EVERY second of this!
Nationals were a little different to QLD’s – there were no call outs. (A call out usually happens when they call particular competitors to the front for comparisons)
I had NO idea how I went in regards to judging but I was really happy with my poses & my time on stage!
12pm – 4pm
During this time I went & hung out with my family & friends. I got to watch the open girls compete which was really cool!
5pm
Back stage again & ready for finals! Finals are so much fun, you get to do an ‘I’ walk & show off your hard work. Directly after our division waited side stage until all Bikini Novice competitors completed their final walk. This was so nerve racking, so many thoughts running through my mind. “Did I place?” “Have I done enough” “What if I don’t place?” my stomach was full of butterflies & my body felt so exhausted.
5:30pm
This was it! Finally time to find out the winners of Bikini Novice Short… a lady called out top 3 numbers & directed us to side stage. I was so HAPPY! Top 3 at Nationals I thought to myself. My smile was so big & my stomach was still full of butterflies.
Being up on stage as part of the top 3 was amazing, I felt super proud to be standing next to Michelle & Nicola. These girls are beautiful & truly deserve their placing!
They announce the winners – starting with 3rd place. As they read out 3rd then 2nd I just couldn’t believe it! 1st place at Nationals felt so surreal. I was presented with my massive trophy & I had a smile on to match!
Coming off stage buzzing straight into the arms of my coach! Massive hug & so many ‘thank you’s’ from me to him! This man helped me so much & helped me become 1st in Australia! How cool is that.
Backstage I got a few quick photos from the photographer – then a couple of selfies!
I couldn’t wait to see all my family & friends! The people that have supported me throughout my whole comp prep, in a way the trophy & title is as much theirs as it is mine!!
7:30pm
Dinner time! Time to celebrate!
There you have an insight of comp day! I’m excited for my future in IFBB Bikini & excited to share with you my up coming adventures.
ng x
