Puttin' It Down In My Hometown - Part 1

Ohhhheeeemmmmggggeeeeeee!!! You guys, I have been so busy eating Birthday Cake Oreos, carne asada fries, ribs, marshmallows, and drinking liquor that I completely forgot about posting a recap of the NPC Terminator and AZ Open!! I'm putting down the snacks and booze just long enough to recap the first show!


Peak week #1 went smoothly. It is not uncommon for me to have difficulty sleeping during the week leading up to a show but not this week. Each night I was in bed and snoring by 9:00 pm (awesome!). I had workouts to complete on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and I was surprised that my strength had not decreased as much as I expected it to. Tom was able to get some video footage of one of my workouts so he wants to put together something to share with you.

Practicing my posing between sets

The only issue that presented itself - my muthaf'n period!!!!

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I swear that I get my period EVERY single time I have a show. It doesn't matter how much counting or planning I do, the damn thing makes an unpleasant appearance every time! I was stressed because I know my body and I hold water like a camel during that "special time of the month".

One day out!

I was softer and more squishy than I wanted to when I stepped on stage, I was still happy about the way I looked. I really felt like I was bringing one of my best packages ever!

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The city of Tucson is currently putting in a "modern streetcar" (I'm not even going to talk about how I feel about this whole pile of shit) and the street in front of the theatre where the show was being held is completely torn up. This presented a bit of a problem in terms of parking and accessing the theatre. The hotel that was the "host hotel" and the location where check-ins were to take place went out of business a little over a month before the show was to take place. Gotta love Tucson...lol!

The Princess resting on the drive into Tucson :)

Tom demonstrating his mad driving skills...like a boss!

Check-ins were moved to another downtown area hotel and it was a bit of a mess. Athlete check-in, purchasing of NPC cards, and height measurements were all being done in the lobby of the hotel. The space was not meant for all of the things that needed to take place and the number of people present but somehow I was able to check in, get measured, purchase my show pictures, and pee all in a reasonable amount of time.

After we left the hotel, my fam and I headed off to run a couple of small errands. I needed to find a bracelet, buy a set of press-on nails, and a couple of other things. I was also anxious to get to my last meal of the day which was....wait for it....A BURGER!!! While waiting for my burger to arrive, I was able to chat with The Boss #1. I just love her! She asked how I was feeling and gave me some last minute instructions on what I was to do the next day.

I was able to sleep pretty soundly and when the alarm went off bright & early Saturday morning,  I was ready to do the damn thang!! I ate my first meal, drank my coffee out of my Wonder Woman mug, and watched the "I Am A Champion" video to put me in the right mindset.

Channeling my inner WonderWoman

The athlete's meeting was nothing extraordinary. The promoter spoke about the rules (ex. you must wear long sleeves and pants while in the front part of the theatre), the head judge and other judges introduced themselves, and the show photographer spoke about purchasing stage pictures. After everyone said their piece, they began calling up divisions. I heard "Open Figure, class B, 5'4 3/8 and up" but sat in my chair because I usually compete in Class E not Class B. After waiting about 5 minutes and hearing no other figure classes called, I scurried onstage and received my competitor number, #39!

I remembered from competing in the NPC Terminator last year that the backstage area at the Fox Theatre is very small. I made the decision to grab the same corner I found last year if no one had claimed it yet. Guess what? Everyone walked right past "my spot" and so I put down my yoga mat and bag. One thing I like about Miles Productions is the fact that they post an itinerary with projected times that each class will go on. This can be very helpful in determining when you need to be finished with your makeup, when you need to eat your carbs, and when you need to pump up. However, this show the itinerary was just a waste of paper...lol!  

It was probably 45 minutes before the posted time on the itinerary, when one of the expeditors starting yelling "Figure girls....you're up in 10 minutes"...uhhh....excuse me...what the what?!? I started scrambling to get ready. Luckily, I had done most of my makeup at home but I still need to put on my foundation and lipstick. I had a mirror in my bag so I whipped that bad boy out & started putting on the finishing touches. Once I was done, I threw a Reese's cup into my mouth and sprinted  walked quickly to the pump up room. That was a bad idea...for several reasons! The room was HUMID! It was tiny! It was packed full of male physique competitors hogging the weights despite the fact that their division was not going on for at least another 45 minutes (this seriously pissed me off). My makeup started sliding off my face so I quickly left the room, ran over to my bag and pulled out my bands. As I tried to pump up while drying off my sweaty body while trying to save my foundation while trying to get some cool air under my heavy ass wig, I heard the words "Figure Class B, it's time". I threw down the bands, adjusted my wig, patted my face one last time and told myself to hit my poses like my life depended on it.

We'll continue this in a couple of days :)