Three weeks ago, I had the opportunity to compete in the Fitness New Mexico Pageant in Albuquerque…and what an amazing weekend it was!  I ended up taking 1st place in Fitness and earned my Pro–Card!  The show is put on by the amazing Cristin Kiburz as part of the Fitness Universe Tour.

This show was by far one of the most organized, laid back and fun shows that I have done! The whole weekend ran so smoothly, which helped keep the stress levels low. If you aren’t familiar with the competition circuit, check out my post from last month about the world of competing!  I wanted to give you guys a behind-the-scenes look at the trip and what it was like in the final hours before we stepped on stage!

I arrived at the airport Friday afternoon, with my carry-on suitcase full of swim suits, costumes, clear heels, gaudy jewelry, make-up and tanner…and a cooler packed full of chicken, asparagus and yams!  (Chicken and asparagus every 2.5 hours leading up to the show…yams and chicken every 2.5 hours starting Friday night through Saturday to fill my depleted muscles!)  At this point in the game, my water intake had been cut to about 24 oz and was going to be cut in half again Saturday until after the show.  I had met up with my Pittsburgh friends Lori and Krystle at the airport in Dallas during a layover. We rode through the desert to the Route 66 Casino Hotel where the show was hosted…this ride really drove home how different New Mexico is from New York City!

New Mexico Desert

Once we arrived at the Hotel/Casino Friday afternoon, we headed over to registration, which is really the first time all the competitors are in the same area…and there were a lot of them across all of the different divisions!! (Fitness, Figure, Bikini, Muscle Mania and Model)  Aside from meeting (and sizing up) the competition, registration is also great because we usually get free samples and fitness gear from the show sponsors…this show actually included one of my own sponsors, Nutrishop!

Registration

After registration, the Fitness girls got to check out the stage and mark through our routines.  It’s definitely helpful when we get to observe the elements before a performance.  This floor was cement, so I’m glad I got to try a few passes before going live!

Fitness Stage

Then it was off to shower and apply tanner! The tanning process is somewhat messy and can be long and involved….and usually requires some help!!  I think I pretty much have it down to a science now when it comes to avoiding looking too much like an Oompa Loompa! Two layers of Jantana and two layers of dream tan and I’m good to go! The tanner is so messy, the hotel actually requires competitors to bring their own sheets!  After the coats had dried, it was off to bed!

Lori’s tanned feet!

Saturday morning came early with a competitor meeting at 7am! Lucky for us, Fitness didn’t have to compete in prelims, so we had the rest of the day to primp…hair, makeup, nails etc!

Once the show started at 5, it was a whirlwind!  We started the fitness division with the routine round, which involves a theme, music, and a costume.   I chose hunger games and channeled my inner Katniss!

May the odds be ever in your favor!

One of the challenging things about fitness (aside from the tricks & skills,) is the quick change into a swimsuit and the transformation of our hair into a glamorous “down-do”.  After this was all done, it was onto the swimsuit round and the infamous bikini walk!

The show was streaming live on webcast, so my whole family watched and cheered me on from PA and NY! I’m so lucky to have such a solid support system!

PA family on top, NY on the bottom

Once all competitors had finished, it was onto comparisons and awards.  The judges like to see the competition side by side one last time before handing out the awards.   I was so surprised when I ended up getting 1st place and my Fitness Pro-Card! There were so many great competitors and with only one month to prepare, I was hoping to just go out there and do the best that I could!  All of that hard work during the month of May really paid off!

Getting my Pro-Card means that I can only compete in certain Fitness America Professional shows against the other top girls out there!  The next professional and amateur show is actually this weekend…if you are interested in seeing what it’s all about, you can stream live via webcast all weekend from the Fitness Universe site! I won’t be competing in this show, but I’m considering one in September in A.C. The “SuperBody” is a Professional show but also has the amateur division as well and is a Pro-qualifier.  Anyone else interested? More to come on this one later!

And finally, what would a competition be without a cheat meal!  I’m not usually one to promote un-clean food on a fitness/health blog, but so many people have been asking what my post-show meal was! So if your are against cheat meal pictures…look away!  I always seem to go for the chicken quesadilla and some chocolate post show!

Big thanks to Cristin and the Fitness America crew for such a great weekend!  Good luck to all of the competitors this weekend down in Miami!

You’ve seen a few pics from the weekend, but for more pictures of the show, check out our Facebook page!

-Kayte