My Southern States Experience
Wow….I did it! I finally competed, followed through with something important to me, and I had a blast doing it!
There were 10 girls in my heighth class and I did not place in the Top 5, but I am happy with that! I feel like I did a great job for my first show, with no professional help, and with a disease that is relatively new to me.
The Southern States is a very well run show, though it was LONG! There were so many competitors that it just took FOREVER! The only thing that I would change is by making it a 3 day show if they are going to leave the Men’s Fitness Event in there. The guys have to come out on stage 3 separate times and it really took a lot of time.
I was nervous going out on stage the first time, but after getting out there I was fine! I actually had fun. I can honestly say that not winning left me HUNGRY to get out there and do it again! I will be competing in exactly 4 weeks in Daytona, FL at the Debbie Kruck Classic and then again the followin week at the Florida State Championships in Orlando, Florida.
I KNOW that I can turn Pro at this sport. It is just a matter of time, fine tuning a few details, and getting a bit leaner in the legs. But, for someone who did this on their own, I cannot complain about the way I looked, especially for being 100% natural.
I got to meet some great PRO’s, too, and I spotted a few Pro’s that I did not get the chance to say hi to! Stay tuned for the video series with my Pro Interviews. 
But, here are the people that I got to meet. Victor Martinez, Shannon Dey (who I already knew), Maria Bellando (who I already knew), Ahmad Haidar and Dayanna Cadeau (she was a judge), Deke Warner, and Pete Fancher. The Pro’s that I SAW, but did not get the chance to speak with were Marcus Haley, Cathy LeFrancois, and Mark Dugdale.
All in all, I had a GREAT time and I cannot wait to compete again! I will keep you all posted….thanks for reading, thanks for your support! Love you……Tamar
July 17, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Good going! And you got to hang out with a bunch of my buddies including that girl standing next to you!
July 17, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Hey Girl!!!
OMG, I was at the show and I kept waiting for you to come onstage and like, 10:30pm rolled around and I just left cause I wasn’t sure if I missed you or what was going on, lol….I kept taking pictures and the batteries ran out in my camera and my video camera wasn’t working right, lol Needless to say, I’m so glad to know you were there and had a great time…..I can’t believe the show ran so late!! That’s so crazy…they should have like you said just make it a 3 day event or something….or they could have started earlier then 7pm…but overall I had a blast and seeing all those beautiful women onstage in great shape was a definite motivator for me. I’m amazed at how great those women look, especially the ones in their 40’s!! I was just so disappointed that I didn’t get to see you onstage..Boo Hoo!! BTW, you look AWESOME GIRL!!! Way 2 go….you did great and I know you will go very far in your career and turn pro. Keep at it and your persistence will pay off………..I will talk to you soon, Take Care, Jessica XOXO
"Your Cooky Fort Lauderdale Fan"
July 18, 2007 at 10:53 am
Hi Tamar! Congrats on your showing! I saw the pics on iaje and I thought you looked outstanding! Good luck in your future contests, and looks like I will see you in Orlando for the Florida State! It will be nice to finally meet you!
Dixie
July 18, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Congrats on competing in your first show. The experience will serve you well I’m sure in all of your following events. No critiquing from me, you look great. But you’re more in tune now with what judges will be looking for so training should be extra exciting for you. Unless you’ve set your sights on the Miss Olympia title staying juice-free is definately smart. Who needs pair of vein-covered quads anyway???