REPORT ON THE BODYBUILDING SHOW - FIGURE COMPETITION - AGAIN

It was soooooooooo long.

I was always taught that it is rude to arrive late and leave early during a live show.

I learned something today. You frigging have to do it at a body building show or die of starvation,dehyration and extreme boredom.

The 'theatre' does not allow food to be consumed inside (not even a damned protein bar although the lobby is full of sales booths) yet people were bringing the judges food and snacks - I almost grabbed stuff off their plates and I was a spectator. And eating in front of starving competitors - how mean is that?

It is the second show I have attended. The first was in November in Toronto. That show was short and sweet.

There were a whole bunch fewer competitors in Toronto. I don't know why that was. It is a very big city. Perhaps the competition had qualifiers such as prior wins where the Kelowna one does not.

It was the "Western Canadian Tested Bodybuilding Show"

Categories: body building men - junior, light, medium, heavy and ?light heavy, masters, grand masters - same with womens - minus the junior category. Then short, medium, medium tall, tall figure competitors, masters figure and fitness.

Yikes there were a lot of competitors. Particularly women. The other interesting thing is most of the figure competitors had far better physiques that the ones in Toronto. Go figure! Way to go BC - you are getting it right.

All I could say - was - how the heck are the judges going to pick? They all have similar beautiful physiques - I have no idea how they will choose.

That is when the fun began. Jeepers Creepers. Because there were so many in each lineup they had to bring up smaller sub groups and put them all through the poses, then the next subgroup and so on...it was a blur

The morning prejudging which I though should be over in no more than 2 hours - went on for 5 hours. I ran out of steam at 4 hours and had to leave. My tapeworm fainted at least three times. I wasn't even competing. Those poor women having to hold their poses soooo long and in the starving and dehydrated competition mode.

I would not leave however, until I saw the entertainment part. For me that is watching the fitness class routines - holy cow those women are flexible, strong and entertaining.

The evening show was no faster - for that part, they give 'bios' too. As well as the manditory I'd like to thank my mother, father, cousin Emilio, sister Sheila, Body Fit Gym etc etc...2 1/2 hours into the evening show, they still had not yet made it to the figure competition class - the group I really wanted to see. We were only about 1/3 way through the show. Heck - had to leave without seeing what I went for so I will have to look up the winners on line.

Yes the male body builders were hot and one Vernonite Darrin won his class but believe it or not I don't have time to spend looking at hot men. Although I very much admire the female body builders dedication and accomplishment, it is just not my area of interest either. Just not me. So both those categories and sub categories of each were first.

And hubby, bless him, sat through all of it with me uncomplaining (him not me)but in the end it was me who wanted to leave first - weird. But I am not toning my @$$ as long as I am sitting on it watching others pose for hours on end.

I was in learning mode so I did learn a few things.

Lesson 1. Get the schedule ahead of time and go only in time to watch the class of interest and leave when they are done. That is acceptable spectator behaviour for this type of show. Some people just attend to see one competitor and leave immediately after.

Next.
A group of older women I met last year were lobbying to have the grand masters figure added otherwise we over 50 year olds are competiting against 35 year olds. I am 26 years older than that. For some reason they have grandmasters bodybuilding but not figure. I guess the group I mentioned did not succeed because the category is still absent and I see they did not bother to compete this year. I don't blame them. What is the point.

So.

Lesson 2. If I want to compete in this show next year it would have to be in the women's grand masters body building not figure and I don't I am not interested. So...I'll find another show.

And
I find it is easy to strike up conversations at these things. So I happened to notice the woman behind me was very 'bodybuilding' looking and had a perfect tan. I was 'pre-worried' about the tanning stuff and was hoping to find a sunless, tanning bedless method of tanning. So I asked her "What tanning method do you use?"

She said it was an airbrush method which she does herself and told me she air brushed her competitors the day before. She said it was much better than the tanning spray booths and added that no pre-tanning in the sun or tanning bed was required. It was awesome - I got her business card. She also mentioned she was a personal trainer and had 6 girls in the competition. She teaches posing and I have been looking for someone who at least lives in the Province who teaches posing. But I was most interested in the tanning method.

Lesson 3.

One of her competitors was sweating a bit holding excessively long poses under hot lights. OMG. Big brown/black streaks with a streak of white where it dripped off streamed down her neck, chest, and tummy. I don't think she knew. We were very very embarassed for her and I have no idea how she would feel when she realized what happened when she got backstage. I for one would kill my trainer/tanner. Or at the very least maim them.

Eeeewww kay back to square one on the tanning.

On to the next lesson.

During the morning pre-judging I recognized a Vancouver personal trainer/promoter who I happened to know had a bunch of her personal training clients in the show - she was at the judges table. I thought that is weird. I said out loud isn't that ..........so and so??!!!!What'sup with that?

A guy beside me whose wife was competing in figure said - yeah and oh boy is it hot backstage. The competitors are livid and saying what a conflict of interest it is.. and how unfair is that... and it is all so political....

Lesson 4. Appears body building may be like olympic skating. Just great.

Lesson 5 - ignore, put head in sand, train, eat clean, get ripped ;)