I entered my first figure contest last week, I was a nervous wreck and did a terrible presentation, all the posing practice I did, did nothing to prepare me for the stage and lights that I wanted to run away from. It was really hard to hit any turns correctly, because I was shaking so much. I placed 4th out of 5 but I know I could have done better. Since the show I have felt lost and unsure of what I want to do next. I have been on an eating binge, lots of ice cream! I am trying to plan my next goal so I have something to look forward to, but it is hard, I dont know if I want to be on stage again and let 5 judges tell me wheather I am worthy of a trophy or not. I have read some of Koris atricles, but boy is it hard to move forward! Besides my emotional eating, there was a woman in my age class over 35, who was in the contest last year in an older age class, Im not sure how she went backwards in age, but it was brought up to the promoter, not sure if anything will come out of that. It was certainly an experience I will never forget.
I entered a contest, now what?
Sun, 2011-04-10 16:39
I entered a contest, now what?
Sun, 2011-04-10 18:47
#1
Hello Kailua,
Congrats on your first contest...sometimes we put to much in our placing and forget the amazing accomplishment of just making it to the stage and putting ourselves in such a position! You should be very proud of yourself!
The problem you are in at this time is pretty common for competitors. We spend so much time preparing for that day, that we forget about what comes next. We spend very little time looking past that day...almost like taking a final exam for a tough class that we've pored our heart and soul into. Once we take the final and get our course grade...we look around going "what do I do with myself now?"
For me, the choice to compete again was decided when someone pointed out that you really don't know what you need to improve until the fat comes off. I made the choice to give competition one more try after I had time to improve on the weak points (and there was a lot of them!). I also must point out, that I know I wasn't at my best after my very first show....so I continued my diet and did two more with the idea that I know I would get much better at each one.
Long story short...I'm giving it one more year to see if all the work really translates to noticeable improvements.
At each show...my posing and confidence got better and better...the same will happen with you. Don't give up on it unless you know for sure that you've given it all you can give...that is one only you can judge!
Sun, 2011-05-08 08:37
#2
Kailua,
Gosh, it has been about a month now since you competed. How are you doing? What have you gleaned over the last four weeks?
Your first competition-- there is sure to be a flurry of emotions. Expect that. You work very hard and devote a lot of time and energy to the goal, and then all of a sudden it's over. Liken it to any big event--a wedding...your first music recital or performance. There is a lot of build up and then it's gone. Looking back at the first time I stood on stage and everything I did to prepare leading up to that moment, I recall feeling utterly lost afterward. That "now what?" you spoke of is very norrmal for competitors.
Now that you've had a few weeks to process the experience you might be in a different place. You can look at photos, you can step out of the emotion and look and the experience more objectively, set new goals, and decide whether you'd like to try it again. Think about anything you've tried for the first time not having a sense for what you were getting into ... doing something over and over makes it familiar until it begins to feel normal.
In everything you do it's worth anticipating what will happen afterward as well as how you will feel. Taking a little time to identify if/then scenarios will prepare you for what could occur. Those who are helping you with your nutrition/dieting, posing, and training should be involved in your pre and post competition plan as well so you can feel more grounded. Even if your plan is to take a couple weeks afterward to assess the situation and not necessarily make a decision about whether to compete, you can still set some goals in that regard.
As for letting the judges determine your "worthiness", that's tough for any new competitor. You develop a hardiness after standing on stage so many times and recognize that it's that ONE snapshot in time that the judges are assessing...you against whoever is on that stage right then and there. Your worth is not even a factor. If you do this it should be fun. A challenge to test your stamina. But certainly not to measure your worth as a person. None of the judges know who Kailua is.
