Words from Shannon

Well my very first competition has come and gone, and it's hard to believe the journey is over! What a first time experience it was! There was super-fit people swarming all over the Hilton in Hollywood! We even had two busloads of Japanese tourists empty out into Universal Studios just as we were preparing for our group bikini shoot. Needless to say, the security guards were chasing a lot of people with snapping cameras out of the area! The weather was warm and perfect for an outside stage, although many complained how the sunlight would take away from their physiques! Anyway, all I cared about was stepping onto that stage and not freaking out or tripping. Well, I did it. (Got up there without tripping, I mean!) I wasn't as suave as most of those girls but then again many had competed for 10 + years. After I was done, I felt like a million bucks. I was proud of myself for getting up there and doing my best against some really high calibre competitors. The high lasted for a whole day, until... the results went up. Let's just say I was devastated. But then after I cried a few tears, and went back to my hotel room to find the biggest, most amazing bouquet of flowers from my husband saying "Congratulations!" (they beat any anniversary bouquet, any day!) I thought about this experience. I had two very different ways of looking at what I had accomplished. I could remember the way I felt after doing the show, or I could focus on a list of numbers that were given to me by 5 Hollywood judges that knew nothing about me, and think, Should I have ever done this? Sure, I have tons of room for improvement. But I learned so much from this experience, especially in the months leading up to the show, that a few numbers no longer mean much to me, except that I need to "show them!" So I'll try it again for sure. It was fun, exciting, and I got to dress up and play prima donna for a day. Most of all, I've met amazing people, and have a husband who think I'm a winner despite the numbers! Take it from shy old me, if I can jump onto a Hollywood stage, anyone can! See me in the Pink bikini second row from the back, 3rd girl in starting on the right Well my very first competition has come and gone, and it's hard to believe the journey is over! What a first time experience it was! There was super-fit people swarming all over the Hilton in Hollywood! We even had two busloads of japanese tourists empty out into Universal Studios just as we were preparing for our group bikini shoot. Needless to say, the security guards were chasing a lot of people with snapping cameras out of the area! The weather was warm and perfect for an outside stage, although many complained how the sunlight would take away from their physiques! Anyway, all I cared about was stepping onto that stage and not freaking out or tripping. Well, I did it. (Got up there without tripping, I mean!) I wasn't as suave as most of those girls but then again many had competed for 10 + years. After I was done, I felt like a million bucks. I was proud of myself for getting up there and doing my best against some really high calibre competitors. The high lasted for a whole day, until... the results went up. Let's just say I was devastated. But then after I cried a few tears, and went back to my hotel room to find the biggest, most amazing bouquet of flowers from my husband saying "Congratulations!" (they beat any anniversary bouquet, any day!) I thought about this experience. I had two very different ways of looking at what I had accomplished. I could remember the way I felt after doing the show, or I could focus on a list of numbers that were given to me by 5 Hollywood judges that knew nothing about me, and think, Should I have ever done this? Sure, I have tons of room for improvement. But I learned so much from this experience, especially in the months leading up to the show, that a few numbers no longer mean much to me, except that I need to "show them!" So I'll try it again for sure. It was fun, exciting, and I got to dress up and play prima donna for a day. Most of all, I've met amazing people, and have a husband who think I'm a winner despite the numbers! Take it from shy old me, if I can jump onto a Hollywood stage, anyone can!Well my very first competition has come and gone, and it's hard to believe the journey is over! What a first time experience it was! There was super-fit people swarming all over the Hilton in Hollywood! We even had two busloads of japanese tourists empty out into Universal Studios just as we were preparing for our group bikini shoot. Needless to say, the security guards were chasing a lot of people with snapping cameras out of the area! The weather was warm and perfect for an outside stage, although many complained how the sunlight would take away from their physiques! Anyway, all I cared about was stepping onto that stage and not freaking out or tripping. Well, I did it. (Got up there without tripping, I mean!) I wasn't as suave as most of those girls but then again many had competed for 10 + years. After I was done, I felt like a million bucks. I was proud of myself for getting up there and doing my best against some really high calibre competitors. The high lasted for a whole day, until... the results went up. Let's just say I was devastated. But then after I cried a few tears, and went back to my hotel room to find the biggest, most amazing bouquet of flowers from my husband saying "Congratulations!" (they beat any anniversary bouquet, any day!) I thought about this experience. I had two very different ways of looking at what I had accomplished. I could remember the way I felt after doing the show, or I could focus on a list of numbers that were given to me by 5 Hollywood judges that knew nothing about me, and think, Should I have ever done this? Sure, I have tons of room for improvement. But I learned so much from this experience, especially in the months leading up to the show, that a few numbers no longer mean much to me, except that I need to "show them!" So I'll try it again for sure. It was fun, exciting, and I got to dress up and play prima donna for a day. Most of all, I've met amazing people, and have a husband who think I'm a winner despite the numbers! Take it from shy old me, if I can jump onto a Hollywood stage, anyone can! See me in the Pink Bikini second row from the back, 3rd girl in starting on the right http://www.fitnessamerica.com/