coachcinzia
Today marks one week since the 2010 NPC Fitness National Championships, and I can finally begin this entry by proudly announcing that… I DID IT!!! WE did it!!! I am the 2010 NPC Fitness Class B National Champion! All the way from Eagle River, Alaska to Hackensack, New Jersey, the many miles that divide these two states are for sure representative of the three year long training journey I traveled along side my trainer and my son to achieve my goal – professional status in the IFBB Professional League (International Federation of Body Building and Fitness).
Many have asked what does “pro” mean in my sport? Well, there are a couple of answers to that question. The practical answer? In the USA the largest amateur organizationa for body building, figure, fitness and bikini combined is the NPC (National Physique Committee). According to the official site of the NPC, “The IFBB, which oversees international competition and the professional side of the sport, recognizes only one amateur physique federation per country, and in the United States, the NPC is the amateur arm of the IFBB. All bodybuilders – must win a qualifying NPC show before they can become IFBB professionals.” And so, I did, and I am now an IFBB Pro! I will no longer be competing in the NPC, since I am no longer an amateur in the sport. I will compete amongst the pros in the IFBB. If you want to learn more about the NPC I would recommend loging onto their website http://www.npcnewsonline.com/new/history.htm Good luck with your journey in the NPC!
For more information about the IFBB check out http://www.ifbbpro.com/ Great site as well!
Now, what does becoming a pro really means to me and to my family? It feels like I have just completed one of those million pieces puzzles, the 3D kind with the million pieces on every side. All of those pieces represent the pieces of information both myself and my trainer have gathered over the past 3 years. Information that came from competing, training, dieting, from personal experience, professional advice, from the successes, the losses, the injuries, the victories and the mental and physical growth. I felt like crying at that moment on stage when they announced my name as the class winner. Right at that moment I had completed my journey. My trainer and I had finally finished that complicated puzzle that often made us argue, feel frustrated, even consider quiting, but that most of all kept us working on together as a faithful team inspiring and motivating our son. I felt a little sad my baby boy was not there with us to watch me win, but when I gave him the news he could not contain himself and started screaming with joy. He said, “So the judges finally liked your routine and your physique? “
After enjoying a few delicious dinners in Jersey and a special one at our friends’ house the night we got back, 5 days after the win, I got back on my diet and training. I feel great and
In all honesty, I feel like competing again real soon, or at least performing my routine again. I miss it! We are still working on deciding what my first step as a professional will be, but we know it will not be until next spring at the earliest.
It is certain that I will be on stage again at the 2011 NPC Vancouver USA Natural / Tanji Johnson Fitness, Figure & Bikini Classic! My Coach and Mentor, Tanji Johnson has invited me to guest perform there and I am thrilled at the idea! This is where it all started for me in a sense, where I first began to believe I could become a Fitness Pro. After winning the overall there, I remember discussing with Tanji whether or not I was ready for the Emerald Cup and then Tanji just began talking about Fitness Nationals as if I were a given I would compete there. I asked Tanji, “Do you think I could become a pro?” Tanji replied, “Of course you can!”
So off I went, embarked upon a quest to become an IFBB Fitness Pro, the pinnacle of an amateur physique athletes career but, just as if I had climbed a tall mountain, now that I have reached the top I can see there is a bigger mountain behind this one. At the top of that mountain is the Fitness Olympia. I can see a lot of check points along the way, a pro debut, the IFBB Europa, oerhaps the IFBB New York Pro Fitness, and very high up near the top is the IFBB Fitness International / Arnold Classic.
Will I reach each of these checkpoints? I don’t know, but I do know I will begin the climb. It is clear to me that it is the climb that matters. The checkpoints are wonderful, and it feels great when you reach them, just like if feels when you reach a beautiful vista during a climb up a mountain. Why do we climb when we could get dropped off by a helicopter and enjoy the vista without the work? Because the climb is what it is all about. When we stop climbing we are either stuck on the side of a mountain or we start heading back down. Life is a mountain – enjoy the climb!