This is the routine that I performed in the evening. Watch closely . . . you will see what was about to become a full-blown Janet Jackson moment!
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2007 Great Lakes Bodybuilding Championships
- Erhan Gueler, managing partner of Fitness 19 in Rochester Hills took ALL of these photographs backstage before, during and after the evening performances.
2007 Great Lakes Misc. Photographs
- Various photographs taken while on stage during the comparison round for the overall winner, free posing round, presentation of awards in both the Open and Master's Division, along with pictures taken after the event.
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A Great Big THANK YOU!
Now that the contest is done and over with and I managed to catch up (for the most part) with everything that I back-burnered in the weeks preceding as well as figured out how to assemble and display the online photo albums that you see there to your left, I wanted to take a moment and express my personal "thanks" and sheer gratitude to all of you who took the time out of your busy lives to be apart of this entire process not only on June 23rd, but in the days, weeks and months leading up to it.
First, I want to thank my training partner Mitch Gordon. I can't say enough about Mitch except that he was rock solid right from the beginning. Not only did he supply me with endless cups of Dunkin Donuts coffee, Caribou coffee, Starbucks coffee or any variation/combination thereof, he trained hard, matched my intensity, and made the whole process SO much more fun! It mattered not that he just flew in from China or that he was up half of the night working, he was always there, he never complained, he stood ready to train hard and ALWAYS managed to make me laugh hysterically at SOME point during the workout! He was a FANTASTIC training partner.
I also have Mitch to thank for the music that I used during my evening posing routine. He was the one that sat with the musician in the week prior to the contest trying to decipher my notes while I was tending to some unexpected yet pressing family matters of which demanded a lot of time, attention and personal energy. Finally, Mitch was the one that drove with me to the contest, made sure that I did not jump out of the car somewhere along I-75 north and was indispensable backstage during the entire event. He did a lot with me and for me during this entire process which made the whole of the journey THAT much more enjoyable. So, to express my sheer appreciation and gratitude, I shall now change my website to www.mitchrocks.com! KIDDING! I am KIDDING people!
Next, I want to sincerely thank Erhan Gueler and Craig Van Hoosen respectively the operator and general manager of Fitness 19 in Rochester Hills. From the very instant that I became apart of the gym, both of these guys marshaled their collective knowledge, experience and resources to make sure that I looked and felt my absolute best. Craig not only helped me with the mandatory poses but as you can see from the photographs, he came to both the prejudging and the evening show to tend to my tan. Because of his persistence and utterly painstaking attention to detail, I had an evenly-applied, beautiful bronze color that verily sparkled under the bright lights of the stage.
And I certainly cannot forget Erhan's contribution; if it were not for his extraordinarily artistic eye, I would not have all of the timeless photographs and mini-videos forever memorializing the event. I thank both of these guys and all of the incredibly supportive staff at Fitness 19. Though all of these people came into this thing late in the game, they nevertheless took a genuine interest in my endeavor and gave freely of themselves and of their time to help make the 2007 NPC Great Lakes Natural a truly spectacular, memorable event.
Finally, I want to take a moment and thank all of my INCREDIBLE clients, past and present, who continuously offered their support, words of encouragement and numerous unsolicited cups of Starbucks coffee! I've said it before and I will say it again, I have the most wonderful clients on the planet; great people who listen intently, train hard and absolutely give it up no matter how ridiculously insane the set! Not only am I so proud of the progress that all of you make with me in the gym, I really enjoy each and every one of you as the fine human beings that you are.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who took a break from life, traveled to Flint and truly wanted to be apart of what really became a once-in-a-lifetime event. Like I said, I don't know that I will ever compete again but I do know that I will always remember the joyous applause rising up from every single corner of the auditorium when I stepped out onto that stage . . . though it was just me standing up there, I assure you, that I was a mere reflection, a personification if you will, of the support and encouragement offered so freely by all of you. As far as I am concerned, the ultimate victory was not mine alone . . . it was ours . . .
SO Not Amusing!
Okay, so on Wednesday I had the opportunity to partake in a post-contest photo shoot. How WONDERFUL I thought to have professional photographs taken! What a lovely treat indeed! I figured that I could use the promotional photographs to compile a personal portfolio for myself and thus record this time for all of posterity. Terrific!
Now, like I said before, my little sister is the queen of all that is feminine and girlie; not so much me. So, she decided that she would style my hair and apply the make-up considering that she really trusted no one else with such crucial matters. What "HAIR-DO?" What "MAKEUP?" HUH?
Anyway, I simply did, in this particular situation, as I always do where my little sister is concerned . . . EXACTLY what she says! I figured that one out growing up. If she wanted to spend my allowance on Cookie Crisp cereal . . . that is exactly what we did. It always worked out so well for us; she dictated and I followed. Very simple, very easy; no arguing, no conflict and no useless bickering. Perfect. I like simple, easy and harmonious. In my mind, this was no different.
So, she styled my hair, applied make-up (ugh), and off we went. Outside, the air was thick with water; very heavy, humid and threatening rain. All ready for my photo shoot, I climbed into her BMW SUV ready to go! As she got into the driver's side she muttered something about my hair going "flat" of which I promptly ignored in favor of sipping my coffee and finding something on the radio to enjoy while we drove. She got in and immediately turned around to get something out of the back seat while announcing, "I HAVE to do this so DON'T COMPLAIN." With that firm directive, I decided to see exactly what she was doing. She had her back COMPLETELY turned and was rummaging around furiously in her little bag of sundry hair products, make-up, accessories and other props that she wanted to bring along for the shoot. When I saw what she pulled out of that thing, I went into HEAVY protest mode . . .
"OH NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" She let me throw my tantrum for a minute. Then, her eyes narrowed into little slits, she wrinkled her nose, curled her lip (I SO HATE when she does that!) and spoke very calmly, "Christine Hardy, this is NOT an option. You HAVE to. PERIOD." No sense arguing. Like I said before, with my little sister, it serves NO useful purpose . . . just a total, complete and utter waste of words. So, I exercised the ONLY two viable options that I EVER had in my arsenal where my little sister was involved . . . first concede and then completely surrender:
And THEN, I had some FUN with it . . . MY WAY!
Not one peep people . . . not a single, itsy-bitsy, little peep.
The Nature of Competition
I have a very different definition of "competition." Given my activities of late, I find that people in general have a hard time understanding that my very nature is not at all competitive. I do not feed on pitting myself, my talents and my abilities against other people; that whole competitive environment does not excite me in the least which is why contests and competition don't necessarily appeal to me as a general rule. I know that seems rather contradictory considering that I just competed in a bodybuilding contest so please, do afford me the opportunity to further clarify and I think that you will better understand.
By it's very nature, competition for most people is ultimately about "winning." If the ultimate goal is to "win" then your entire focus is necessarily on everyone else. To "win" you must size them up and determine how to beat them. With this focus and mindset, all of your energy flows to THEM, THEM, THEM making the THEM larger than life. I, on the other hand, much prefer to keep all of my energy flowing toward me and making myself the best version of me possible regardless of all of THEM even within the context of a "competition."
When I decided to enter this contest back in January, among other things, one of my primary objectives was to set a goal that required me to step firmly outside of my own comfort zone (WAY outside I might add), give that goal my ALL for twenty-five solid weeks, hold absolutely nothing back and see what I could accomplish . . . see what I was made of so to speak. I wanted to put myself to the ultimate test. I wanted to see if I could remain dedicated and follow through when the going got really, really tough . . . and I did. At the end of this entire process, I can honestly report that I remained 100% dedicated, 100% committed and followed through to the best of my ability 100% of the time. For me, "impossible" created neither an option nor an excuse; I was going to achieve my end.
For most, when the date of a competition draws nearer, that's when focus, intensity and drive increase because that's when it's time to "crush the competition." Not so much for me. My validation does not come from "beating" someone else; my sense of self depends not on externalities. In my mind and heart, I already "won." At the close of this entire learning/growth process, I ultimately emerged a better version of myself than when I began way back in January in many, many ways; I learned and found the clarity that I so greatly needed to gain perspective in my own life going forward.
My journey ended on June 22nd. The event on June 23rd was simply to share the whole of the experience with all of you; those of you who traveled along the path with me; those of you who were part and parcel of this wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime process; those of you who unselfishly offered your continued support and encouragement to fortify my own resolve. So, when I took that final step, finished that final rep so to speak, and concluded my own journey, when I took a quiet moment to take account of things, when I reflected upon the entire experience and really studied the vast terrain over which I'd trod, when I recalled all of the fun, when I took stock of the many would be obstacles overcome, in that quiet moment, all alone, without any outside influences, I can honestly say that I "won." So for me, June 23rd was not at all about me; rather it was to share and celebrate my journey's end with all of you . . . those of you who supported me, encouraged me and took the time to celebrate mine, another human being's accomplishments and joy regardless of whoever else was out there "competing."
In fact, I would be hard pressed to identify the other competitors in either the Open or the Masters Division . . . I never really took a good look at them; this process was never about them. When I started hitting those poses up on that stage to "compete" for the 2007 Great Lakes Title . . . it was always just about me . . .
