Earthquakes, The Arnold Classic & back to reality...



with Jen Hendershott





With Latisha Wilder & Claire Torr



It has been a crazy time of mixed emotions & physical challenges.  When the Feb 22 quake struck I was on the bike doing cardio.  I lived closed to the CBD in Christchurch & severity was apparent as soon as I went outside.  People everywhere, some crying & many panicking.  Several buildings had lost walls & windows, everyone including me was scared beyond words.  I made the decision to get out of Christchurch & booked a ticket to Auckland to spend 6 days before flying to Ohio training there.  I packed necessities into a suitcase & left my flat, dropping my pets at the nicest boarding kennel I could find before heading to the airport.

In Auckland I spent each day doing a couple of hours of cardio & 2 hour weights sessions, eating & sleeping & finally feeling safe away from shaking ground.  It was hard work & good to have something else to focus on.  I felt guilty for leaving my pets & in a sense for leaving Christchurch but felt I was doing what had to be done - I'd had my eyes set on the goal of doing my best at the Arnold classic for months & knew I'd regret it if I didn't carry on as planned.

The show was a whirlwind - you're not on that stage for long!  Mine was the smallest figure class, the standard of the girls in all classes was great - not just physiques, but bikinis, hair, makeup etc was all immaculate.  I was so relieved to be in the first call out.  Once prejuding was over I had a day at the expo which I had been excited about for months.  I loved it so much I'd like to go back another year just to watch the show & enjoy the massive expo again, it's a dream come true for any fitness fanatic.  The highlight of the day was getting to meet Monica Brant which had been on my to-do-list!  Then Saturday was finals on the expo stage, everything went quickly & I was pleased with my 4th place finish & very cool trophy.  I had been day dreaming about red meat for weeks so ordered & proudly finished a very impressive 22ounce steak that night - the best steak of my life!  Sunday I went back for round 2 of the expo, overall highlight for me was meeting & chatting to Jen Hendershott who has been one of my biggest Idols for years, I also met the lovely Latisha Wilder at her booth who I met again at the NZ Pro Show in Auckland on March 19th, both of these ladies were so lovely & down to earth.

After a little downtime in I got back into some good high volume training - tried out Harbour Fitness in Birkenhead which I liked.  Was great being in Auckland to see the Pro Show - highlights of this week were getting to jump in on a training session with Erin Stern - Miss Olympia!  Also I got to sit & chat with my lovely friend & fellow figure girl Claire Torr while watching the show.

Not so fun was a knee operation last week - arthroscopic & a lateral meniscus repair.  I don't respond to pain relief so was unpleasant initially but am more mobile & have pain under control now.  Unfortunately I think the same may need to be done to my other knee so have an appointment with another surgeon for next week!  I came back down to Christchurch for the surgery & have really enjoyed being back training my clients at Eastside Barbell Club.  My youngest client Maddi (13) is training for her first year in sport aerobics & impressively learnt almost her full routine over a couple of days & had the choreography to music speed 2 days later - something I first did when I was 16 after 3 years of competing - really looking forward to seeing how she progresses.  I've also spent 10 hrs this last week with 3 ladies preparing for their first shows - 2 in the sports model class & 1 in figure.  They all have done a great job & can't wait to see how they go on show day!

So it's been a month of exciting, sad & happy moments  - with some of the most memorable events of my life to date.  Some things have put a massive smile on my face & made me feel like I know exactly what I want in life - others have made me shed unstoppable tears & made me feel lost.  As for me & my next steps, I'm working on it!  In terms of my physique I have decided what I need to focus on.  I have my long term competitive goals mapped out along with some career ones & will share more about all this when life has some normality back...
"Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see life with a clearer view again"

With Chie Terui, 3rd place in Figure A