My Journey to the world championships – 2010 I.N.B.A Natural Universe & Olympia
On November 4th , I arrived in West Hollywood to prepare to compete against some of the best natural athletes from around the world in my sport. I had an opportunity to meet and compete with people from Australia , New Zealand , Bulgaria, Britain and many more countries. All the I.N.B.A Natural Universe competitors would need to be qualified for their country and category before arriving at this event.
There are many things to consider for the athlete before the show begins. First off the competitor’s that are from different countries have a disadvantage as they need to find the right foods that have created their prize winning bodies which can sometimes be a problem depending on the country, as well as some serious jet lag for other athletes. This show happened to be in the USA which makes it easier to communicate and find what you need. After landing and settling in to my hotel in West Hollywood I must focus on staying relaxed and stress free which in return allows me to have the right type of confidence to excel on my special day. For me a work out is key so I can stay connected to my body physically & mentally. I try to do some fun things prior to the show to keep myself loose and relaxed. For those of you that know me I use my sense of humour to get through most things in life. The night before a big show is the athlete’s meeting which can be a tense event as all the athlete’s have come to win and it will be the first time we see who is in the show. I like to meet as many like minded people as possible so my goal here is to make some friends and feel out my competition.
The night before a big show I really need all my mental training to come forward and stay focused on what I need to do the next day. I never think of this event as competition. I choose to think of it as, I am in a contest with my last body condition and my job is to make that look better and enjoy the journey. Sounds simple but if you have not trained your mind to adapt and overcome, the energy back stage is chaotic and very tense at times so remaining calm is the key.
The night before the show I got my first coat of spray tan (A humbling experience as the suit leaves little to the imagination), followed by a second darker tan in the morning before the show. You must have an even dark tan as the show lights are very bright and can easily wash your colour out. My chosen category was the one piece figure classic, so I chose my smokin sparklin lime green one piece, along with my second class which requires a two piece for the category of figure. Of course your choice of hair and make up as well as suit design is very important as you do get points on some of these attributes as well. I personally have everything designed for my body using a company called, Gingerwear at www.gingerwear.ca has always provided me with a cutting edge look that fit’s my body well.
Arriving at the show well equipped is key, from packing everything to do with your look is important as well as water & food for the day each show is different and there may be a level of surprise to all of them so being prepared is every thing. In my category Ms Figure the judges are looking for several quality’s, structure of your physique, symmetry (how balanced your muscles are through out your body) even tone every where, along with suit choice presentation.. Most of the judging is done in the morning & very little at night. The night show is an opportunity to relax have fun and put on a great show for the audience.
Back stage about 15 minutes before it’s my turn to go out I will pump up my muscles lightly with bands or weights to get a fuller look and also a connected feeling so when I pose into position it feels and looks right. I ask someone back stage to lightly mist my body with Pam cooking oil spray so it may reflex off the muscles in just the right way. I stand in the line up with excitement and a proud feeling of all the hard work in the gym and the days of saying no to all the tasty foods and realize I did once again I smile and out I go making sure my stride and my poise is right for the photographers to focus on me :} oh as well as the judges too. After competing in my two classes for the day it is now time to down loaded the mind and body as we need to prepare for the evening show more audience and this is the chance to see your placement and if all goes well the award.
Most of the judging is done during the day so when you return at night there is a feeling of lightness and most competitor’s are more relaxed as they have been out on stage once all ready in the morning.
Exciting opportunity’s can happen when you put yourself out there. I was selected to be sponsored by a company from Virginia, Bioque skin care www.bioque.com they were looking to sponsor 3 girls and I happen to be one of them. Bioque was looking for certain looks to represent there skin care line
The excitement from the show and sponsorship was taking a tole on my condition as I rapidly started loosing weight having been coached from one of the best trainer ‘s Kevin Weiss at www.kevinweiss.com he new just what I need to survive the change. After feeding & hydrating my body condition started to look better than ever I felt ready to move on to the next show & prepared to start travelling to Reno Nevada. Once arriving in Reno I prepare for a photo shoot with my new sponsor Bioque skin care 4 hours later we wrap up the intense photo shoot
now it is time to gear up and repeat everything all over again.
As I bring my competitive year to a close I thank all of my supporters and coaches for all the time & help given to me to achieve my new level of excellence.
2010 INBA Natural Universe master classic 2 place
INBA Natural Universe master figure 3 place
INBA Natural Olympia classic figure 4 place
Thank you all for supporting my journey and always being so interested and curious. I hope you enjoyed my story.
Sandra Froher
www.musclelines.com
