Part 10 - Repairing the Damage

I went away from the Ontario Naturals armed with valuable experience and advice. I made every mistake imaginable at my first competition and I had just six weeks to transform myself for the next one. At times I feel discouraged and other times supercharged. Remember, the Ottawa Championships is where it all began 30 years earlier and I wanted to make this one count. This was going to be MY moment.

The most urgent item on the agenda was to get fitted for a new posing suit. I'd heard good things about Joan MacDonald of Daydreams Fitness Wear who makes outfits for men and women all over the world. She just happens to live in Ottawa and is able to squeeze me into her schedule. Ed happily offers to sponsor it again. I'm not the artistic type but both Ed and Joan are, so I leave it in their good hands to decide on the colour and design. What they came up with was black velour with red and white beading. Hmmm, Senator's hockey colours, sounds good to me.

While the suit is being make, I'm training like I've never trained before, hitting the gym 5-6 days a week, walking 5 km a day and, of course, ballroom dancing most nights. All the while, I'm visualizing myself standing on stage...in the centre! I can hear the audience, I can feel the heat of the stage lights, I can see the judges gazing up at me with a look of satisfaction. My job is done, I've given them what they're looking for! A little positive thinking can take you a long way.

With my entry application submitted, I access information on the official tanning professionals for the event and contact them to book a spray tan. Appointments were then made with local salons for hair, nails and make-up. It's so nice that the competition is in Ottawa, makes life much easier. What else do I need to doll myself up? Ah yes, jewellery! I drag Ed out shopping with me and we find the perfect shimmery bracelet to go with my posing suit.

Now that the cosmetic fix-ups are all in place, the next item on the agenda is my presentation. There are several important aspects to consider here...walking, posing, transitions and smiling. The winner has to command the stage.

Ed and Sue

I schedule a session with my then dance instructor, Matthew Salama, who rises to the challenge of incorporating flair into my presentation. Together we work on my stride, posture and arm movements in my walk and turns. During my daily jaunts, I find myself walking on the curbs in order to practice the model walk, placing one foot directly in front of the other. Meanwhile, I'm also practicing smiling. Now there's a picture. Me walking down the street, teetering on the curb, arms swaying, chin up, with a big grin on my face!

What else, what else? It's very important to get the compulsory poses down pat. For assistance with this, I call upon Mylene Arsenault, a friend from the gym with experience competing in Quebec. She's happy to oblige and comes to my place to supervise me going through the paces. It's best to practice posing without a mirror. After all, you won't have one on stage. The mirror will be replaced by hundreds of sets of critical eyes. Yikes!

My homework is now complete. 2011 Ottawa Figure Championships, here I come..........