women’s figure debut

12 Comments Sunday, 18 May, 14 Lexa

There is something magical about the many “firsts” that we experience in life, which cannot be duplicated.

The jubilation a mother experiences after hearing the first cry of her newborn, the jittery feeling of starting a new job, the joy of buying the first car or home, your child’s graduation from kindergarten or college, or in my case debuting as a figure competitor at 48 years old are feelings that can never be replicated.

The raw and unexpected ball of emotions that evolve from the onset of something new is remarkable!

Calm… anxious… proud… hype… disbelief… happy… tearful… overwhelmed… and more!

It took nearly two years of me pondering and to man up to the challenge of competing. The seven-month flight took me along a road of expected twists and turns. Today I’m scratching my head and earnestly wondering,

“Why the heck did I wait so long?”

I can’t help but to reflect on one of my favorite Langston Hughes poems:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Thankfully, my desire to compete didn’t dissipate into a distant memory . However, my desired lingered and festered like a sore. Like a relentless kid in a candy store pulling on mom’s shirt tail, the want to compete, tugged and nagged at me until I couldn’t take it anymore and succumbed to the challenge.

I am happy I did, for I would have surely missed out on an incredible experience.

Ohm-gosh! There is so much to say, I’ll have to break it down into segments of several posts.

I’ll start with the question of, How did I measured up?

Women’s Figure Debut – 2^nd Place

Women’s Figure Debut is for first time competitors. To place second behind a woman who has previous “stage” experience is pretty cool. I’ll take it.

Women’s Figure Masters 40+ – 3^rd Place

Women’s Figure Masters 40+ is just that, women over 40 years old. I went up against a few seasoned unofficial pros. To place 3rd is a major accomplishment!

Women’s Figure Open B ~ 4^th Place

In Women’s Figure Open, I competed against women’s entire figure division, young and old, so I am pleased with my results.

The most inspirational and moving moment was the ANBF’s first wheel chair body builder competitor.

Amongst spectators, I sat and then stood screaming and applauding in amazement at his performance. This guy was remarkable! It was his front chest pose that stunned the audience evoking tears from many, including me. His muscles were well-defined and his composure and finesse was outstanding.

People come up with endless excuses for why they can’t or (chose) not to exercise. Yet a man, suffering from a brain tumor, with every valid excuse not to work out, obviously takes on the challenge and title of bodybuilder. Come on now; really there is NO excuse.

I credit my success in this competition to my wonderful friend and trainer.

My inspirational friend and BEST Trainer around!

She’s an awesome woman, who helped me to develop not only the body, but also the confidence and ump to successfully compete!

Her dedication to a healthy lifestyle and her commitment and work ethic is impeccable. Regardless of how many hours she worked before we hit the gym, she brought her A game and kicked my butt daily! Most mornings, I started my day feeling very sore (some days like I had been hit by a truck), but it was always after a fun, challenging, and very creative workout.

Thank you AR; you ROCK!!

My family and friends made me feel special on stage. They sported their blue, “Team Tanya” t-shirts and make their presence known. The competition had a large number of competitors, yet my crew sat for the entire show (over 6 hours) and waited for the presentation of the awards. Thanks guys! I am so blessed!

Some of the loyal “Team Tanya” supporters.

The guy in the front with the black t-shirt is from “Team Karen” who shared in the enthusiasm of my team. Lol!

The extra sparkle and edge on stage surely came from my “Glam Squad!” Hair stylist and owner of KinHairitage Salon, Victoria Shelton and the fabulous make up artist Miss Takiyah did their thang!! I wanted to represent the Natural Chicas in a Big way and they came through big time!! I loved the hair!!

There are more pictures to share with you, I have to get them off of my daughter’s camera, so I will post them in a day or so. For now, here are a few more photos.