Having
placed third with an invitation to the Finals at the Southern Qualifying Round
in Dorchester 2004 I knew that I had a lot of hard work to do for the Nationals
in October.
I had entered the Dorchester show a novice and quite naive of what it was all
about. I knew the basics; the compulsory poses, symmetry and with the help of
a friend had put together a routine for the show.
I learnt so much from this first show. The BNBF pro-team members were so helpful
and readily offered advice and tips to help me work on my posing and overall
presentation.
A big thank you goes to Karen Mason who gave me some help with the compulsories,
symmetry and my routine leading up to the Nationals. This made such a difference
and increased my confidence tremendously.
When it came to the Nationals I was really happy with my overall performance
and although a little disappointed that I missed first place I was thrilled
when I received an invitation to compete in the W.N.B.F Amateur World Championships
in New York.
A big thanks to the BNBF for the financial help with getting there!!
As first-timers to the States my husband, Carl and I were really excited and
I hoped to get time to visit a few places while we were there.
The sight-seeing took a back seat though as I spent the last few pre-show days
resting and preparing for one of the most exciting times of my life. It took
time for it to sink in that we had actually got to this level so quickly. 2004
has been one of the fastest learning curves of my life!
Contest day came round quickly and before I knew it I was waiting to go on for
pre-judging. I didn't feel completely happy with my condition, although team-
mates assured me I still had the hardest condition in my class. I felt just
a little smooth and wanted the condition that I'd seen at 3a.m that morning!
Once out on stage the crowd were really enjoying the whole show and were very
encouraging of all the athletes. The BNBF crew were, without a doubt, the loudest
there!
The day went by too quickly and it was soon the evening show and decision time.
By this time I felt my condition was back on track and was much more confident.
Winning my class was fantastic and I then had to go up against the heavyweight
class winner for the overall. By this time I was loving it and thoroughly enjoyed
the 'pose-down' even though there were just the two of us. The crowd were brilliant
and the BNBF crew showed themselves to be the loudest there! Very Encouraging!!
When I was announced overall winner and Amateur World Champion 2004 I was ecstatic
although it really didn't sink in at the time. It wasn't until we got home that
it began to register what we had achieved.
After a couple of weeks rest it was back to training with a new goal set for
2005.
One of the highlights of being at the worlds was meeting Nancy Andrews. What
an awesome physique!
The New Yorkers we met were lovely and genuinely nice, when they tell you to
'have a nice day' they really mean it! It was great to visit New York and we
are looking forward to going in November 2005.
Carol Streeter (fudgeclan@btinternet.com).
