Olympia Blog

It’s all about the ‘O’ - isn’t it though? The “O” (Olympia) is the be-all and end-all of this industry ~ if you’re in it, you’re cool. Well, maybe not cool, but considered one of the top athletes in the world - and you get to compete and stand on stage, side by side, with all of the same people you’ve admired and worshipped in the magazines. It’s truly an awesome experience.

From the time you qualify to the moment you check out of your hotel, you are taken care of and made sure to know what’s going on, where to be, what to wear and every important detail to make settle your nerves and make you feel comfortable, prepared and calm. The organizers and everyone involved go to great lengths to make the event an awesome show, not only for the audience ticket holders, but for the athletes as well. Plus lots of nice gifts and promotional freebies and opportunities to make some money, sell photos, and mingle with the fans. The excitement and positive energy is just incredible; from the press conference to the after party, through the entire weekend ~ there’s never a dull moment.

They make sure we are rested, fed, clothed, and where we need to be at any given moment, complete with reminder phone calls to the room and which dot to stand on once onstage. Wow, these guys and gals deserve much more than a pat on the back. They are worthy of much more thanks and appreciation than they probably get. Hope they got lots of nice thank you notes, emails and a big paycheck.  They sure deserve it!

Me (in front) & friends at 2007 Olympia qualifier, Palm Beach Pro

The show itself is spectacular from the backstage point of view. The stage makes you feel like a rock star, the crowd is so excited because the night shows are the culmination of the whole weekend and its amazing. The announcers introduce you, tell where you’re from so you can represent your home town and network with others who may have something in common with you or didn’t know you were there competing. I ran into many friends and acquaintances during and after the show and reconnected with them. It was so fun! Plus the live webcast made it possible to say hello to family, friends and loved ones who couldn’t be there. We even got to watch the show on monitors backstage from the crowd’s perspective, so we could watch the competitors, cheer on our friends and watch the greatest show on earth!!  

The dressing rooms were beautiful, the camera crews and photographers for the magazines and the reporters were all so nice and just really made the show and the backstage that much more fun and exciting. And the music and television guys were nice and friendly and very professional too. In fact, everyone involved ~ from the expediters to the maintenance crew ~ were polite, professional and made everything much easier than it could have been.

All in all. it was the best experience. I’ve competed in the Fitness Olympia now twice and just qualified for the 2007 Fitness Olympia last weekend at the first ever West Palm Beach IFBB Pro Fitness & Figure. Looking forward to 2007!!