Dayton Tri-State Bodybuilding Championships
Open Figure Short top 5 
In between third place and second place 
Backstage with all the stuff! Being able to train and run during soccer practice gave me a whole new excitement that I had been missing in the winter months. I decided to enter the Tri-State Bodybuilding Championships in Dayton five weeks after vacation. I'd be traveling and competing on my own -- my first solo show! My biggest challenge was learning to do my own makeup, but my friend, Jill got me the right products, showed me how, and even drew me a diagram! I did a practice run one Saturday morning -- nothing like looking like a total floozy at a U13 boys soccer game.....I was ready!
Friday morning, I went through my normal routine and packed my bags -- 3 to be exact. One for my suit, shoes, tan, new show makeup, bikini bite, glaze, and candy for Saturday. One with all my toiletries and clothes for after the show along with the rest of my makeup and a bathing suit for the hotel hot tub post-show -- probably my most important bag since scrubbing and moisturizing after the tan is HUGE! The last one had my sheets, socks and gloves so I can sleep in the bed without getting tan everywhere. So, off I went to get my last spray tan then I cruised down to Dayton. I arrived at the hotel, checked in, and promptly went to my room to check the wi-fi and request a fridge and microwave. An hour later I went down to the car to get my bags and......there were only two!! Yep, I left my bag with toiletries up in the bedroom! I stood in the parking lot and calculated driving seven hours to get it and realized that I would barely be back before midnight. So, I decided to call Bill and ask for a MAJOR favor....please drive my bag down to Dayton. Oh, then how about get up at 5:30 AM, drive to Lodi for Conor's game, follow that by driving to Brecksville for Liam's first game, then to Toledo for Liam's second game and finally home to Mentor. And you can bring swimsuits since there's a pool! My sweet, amazing husband actually agreed to this scenario. Poor Conor even had to miss the school movie night and he was planning to sit with the girl he claims will one day be his girlfriend!
So, with that disaster averted, I just had to check in and polygraph for the show. Everything went smoothly and eating, tanning, and waiting for the boys was the remainder of the evening. The boys arrived by 10:30 and hit the pool while I got to bed. Sure enough, the next day they were on the road by 5:30 for the Tour of Ohio and I was trying my hand at my stage makeup.
It was interesting going to a show and not knowing anyone. I knew a couple judges, so it was definitely nice to be able to say hello and chat a bit before final prep. Just as I was in my pump up, one of my dangly sparkles on my suit fell off. I asked around for super glue, but no luck. It looked lopsided, so I grabbed the opposite side and yanked it off -- waa laa! Ready for stage!
First up was the Masters category and there were four of us. I was first out and felt confident as I went through my poses and walk. When we came out for comparisons, I was in the middle with another lady I knew would be tough to beat. The judges kept us out for a while and I felt good when we came off.
The Open class short division had a good group of ladies too. One had been at the Lakewood show and finished second there. We went through our walk and comparisons and this time the judges had us on stage for a loooooong time! I remember looking at the judges and thinking they totally had poker faces -- not a single smile or acknowledgement. Total business and that's what you want in this sport. I moved from the end closer to the center, but I couldn't tell exactly where I was in relation to the center when we exited.
Once I was done, I headed back to the hotel. Well, more accurately I drove around awhile before I got on the right road to go back to the hotel. Honestly, it is less than 2 miles, but the roads were one way and closed which made it crazy getting to the right one. When I finally got back, I ate and rested before getting prepped for the evening show. I headed back for the show and went through the usual prep. When the masters class came up, I waited as they announced fourth, third and when they got to second I kept saying my number in my head so I would know if they said it. But they didn't!! I WON the Masters Figure -- my first figure win!! I was ecstatic and am sure I was beaming ear to ear! At this point, my only other goal was to be top 5 for the Open class. When we lined up on stage and they started to announce, my number was called for 5th and I was happy to place in this tough group. The lady who I edged out in the Masters class, got fourth in this class and I learned the importance of each round of presentation. Nonetheless, I had my first victory under my belt and once again placed in both my classes. It took me less than a year to earn my first win and I couldn't have been happier. And I had done the prep and menus on my own.
After calls and texts, the only thing left was to find Chipotle and get my burrito bowl and a Corona. Well, this time I think I ended up driving around Dayton for 40 minutes before I got to the right road. Imagine walking into University of Dayton Chipotle with stage makeup and jewelry on a Saturday night....then into a gas station for Corona -- where I got carded (which is store policy - I didn't get excited like the guy ahead of me did). I took my little post show celebration back to the hotel and ate every last bite before I hit the shower and scrubbed the mud off. I quickly threw on my bathing suit since I had lost a lot of time trying to get out of downtown and headed down to the hot tub. Ahhhh, complete heaven!
It was an awesome show experience and I met great people. Bill and the boys saved the day and I was able to be self-reliant when it came to tanning and makeup. Now I feel ready for more competitions in the fall......after triathlon season, of course!
posted by Deirdre @ 7:38 PM
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