Competition Secret Weapon #10

So this is a very delicate conversation specifically for the ladies. I have been competing for well over 5 years. Since the beginning I have gotten terrible yeast infections every single show. I first thought it was from the diet, but that has changed throughout the year. Then I thought it was from the water loading, but I don't always do that. Then I thought it was from the sodium loading, but I don't always do that. I finally figured it out 2 years ago it is from the overspray from the tanning products. So I started wearing an itty bitty tiny g string when I tanned and they went away but I don't want any lines or anything. Then I started the research process and tried/researched 10 different tanning products. Same thing happens with all of them. Then I got this bright idea...Panty Liners. Hallelujah. I take a panty liner that is intended for thong panties. I face it sticky side toward me and stick it on to me. PROBLEM SOLVED!!! Now I use pantzies....

Competition Secret Weapon #9

Competing in itself is challenging you have to be organized and prepared and live in discomfort and isolation; but for most of us that compete it is an amazing experience. I love it!!!

So, in order for me to compete and limit the negative impact competing has on my life, so I can enjoy it that much more, I have learned some really cool things. I call these my competition secret weapons.

My #9 weapon is the 6 Pack Cooler
6 Pack is a company that developed a Meal Management System for competitors. They make it so easy for competitors to travel wit food. It is set up with dividers, drawers, pockets, places to put shakers, bottles, supplements, etc. You will love this system.

The small one is plenty big, fits under the seat in front of you on a plane, is light weight, and retails for $69.99 which is well worth the investment.

www.6packbags.com, get one today you will love it!!!

Central US Championships - Post Show Wrap Up

I am home from Kansas City and my head is spinning. I want to start off by saying I think the WBFF is one of the greatest organizations that I have ever had the pleasure of associating myself with and I want to thank Allison and Paul Dillett for taking a risk on all of us. The WBFF Central US Championships were held at the AMC Midland Theater in Kansas City with 200-300 amazing competitors. Every single competitor brought their A Game and then some. I have never seen so many sexy, fit and amazing people in a show in my life. OK, so I guess you're wondering how it went. I competed in Diva Fitness Model Tall and Masters. I placed 5th in Tall and 3rd in Masters; but there is a major surprise. The girls that placed 1st and 2nd in front of me won short and tall; and with one more pro card up for grabs for the night they awarded it to me. Let me tell you how it went. They called out the top 5 and I was called out. Then they called forward the top 3 and it was Micki, Gretchen and Me and they awarded me 3rd place. I knew at that moment I was headed to Boston in June in order to compete for my pro card one last time before World Championships. Then they awarded Micky with 2nd and Gretchen with 1st, and I was about to walk off stage when the announcer told me to stop. He announced, Gretchen you won your pro card for short and Micky you won your pro card for tall, and these 3 final scores are almost too close to count; so we have one more pro card up for grabs. My heart stopped. I looked at Gretchen and Micky; and then he said so how about we give this pro card to Sharon Polsky, our newest Diva Fitness Model Pro. My eyes instantly welled up with tears as Lindsay Messina and Chaddy Dunmore walked up to me with my pro card. Not only was I winning my pro card but 2 of my idols were handing it to me. I was joining the ranks of the WBFF Elite and I can't imagine getting it any other way. I am so honored and blessed to join the ranks of the WBFF elite as their newest Pro. Thank you WBFF for embracing me and taking me into your family. My world is spinning right now and I am just holding onto my chair and enjoying the ride.

Central US Championships - Final Week

This Friday I will step off of a plane in Kansas City and the whirlwind will start. Every time I compete it feel like a non stop train headed for the train station and I love every minute of it. My weekend starts with a car ride from my amazing brother to the airport, a plane trip to Kansas City, a shuttle ride to the host hotel, registration and the competitor meeting at the host hotel, early bedtime and early to rise, tanning face, hair, makeup, a trip to the venue and then let the games begin. I truly love every minute of this sport and this competition will be one of the most special I have ever competed in. Because of facebook I have had the honor to meet so many of the amazing women that I am going to compete with long before I ever arrive. These ladies are strong, passionate, beautiful, ambitious, and motivated; and I can't wait to share the stage with all of these amazing women. Watch out Kansas City a tornado is headed your way and they are the women of the WBFF.

Competition Secret Weapon #8

Hello Ladies...we all know that having our suits crawl up our bumms on stage is not only really irritating, but it is also really distracting and can be pretty embarrassing. Most competitors use Bikini Bite or Spray Adhesive which both work great, but they don't travel very well and get really messy. Well what most of you don't know is that I have worked as a costume tech. and designer for the musical theater stage since I was 16; and I have learned some amazing tricks. Toupee Tape is a double sided sticky tape that is used to hold toupee's on sweaty heads and I use these to hold down anything. When you use Bikini Bite you have to turn to the competitor next to you and say "excuse me do you mind"...then the competitor peals back your suit exposing your ass and maybe a little more and with her face in all of your business has to apply, stick and push. With toupee tape I place it into the suit and then I just step in. No adjustments needed once it's on. 2 words of caution you have to stick it correctly the first time cause it is really really sticky. Also, hollywood fashion tape is not the same and in fact I don't like it. I tend to "glow" on stage (AKA sweat a little) and hollywood fashion tape would slip. The best toupee tape to get is the short strips either straight or curved, I prefer curved, but do not get the kind on a roll. It is super cheap. A 2 year supply is about $14. Here is a link to a site that carries it or any beauty supply that sells hair, wigs or extensions should have it, but they typically keep it behind the front desk. Good luck ladies and keep up the great work.

http://www.superhairpieces.com/super-tape-medical-hair-toupee-tape-36-pcs-per-pkg-p-27.html?cPath=14

Central US Championships - 2 weeks out

 I want to start off my blog today by saying I really really love competing. It has less to do with standing on stage and more to do with my fellow competitors. These last 3 weeks have really shown me how special the women in this sport really are. They have reached out to me (a virtual stranger to them) to show their support and appreciation. Thank you ladies.

Tomorrow is 2 weeks until  the WBFF Central US Championships in Kansas City. It is so close I can taste it.

The subject of today's blog is Day of Show. I started a competitor corner on my website SharonPolsky.com and here is an excerpt. These are the pointers I figured out along the way and I want to share these with all of you.

Remember the way we look on stage has everything to do with our success. Show Prep and Day of Show work synergistically. Think of it this way. When you are competing you are like an amazing sundae. The Show Prep is the icecream and the chocolate syrup; and the Day of show is the whipped cream and the cherry. Without both the sundae is good but not amazing. The sundae needs the finishing touches. I am going to provide you with some tips here. I am not only going to give you the whipped cream and cherry; this cherry is going to even have the stem.

Hair For Stage
I feel like this is where it all begins. I received the worse advice about hair for many years. I was told that I needed to grow it long and where it curly and it never worked for me. I just don't have that kind of hair. Sexy comes in all shapes and textures. You need to find your sexy YOU!!! Then you need to embrace that. Do not try to be something that you are not. What is most important here is that your look is clean, sexy and put together. I can not emphasize this more.

Makeup For Stage
The next step for stage is your makeup. This is where so many girls go wrong. Stage lights are very unforgiving. Many girls try to go for dark and sultry but unfortunately it makes your eyes look like black holes if you go there. Go for bright, fresh and young with some sexy eyelashes and for goodness sake please do not match your eye shadow and your suit color. The next really difficult thing is to blend your face to your body. Be careful using face powder. I do not use it at all. I also mix a little touch of tanner into my foundation to lift my face to a shade comparable to my body.  If you have a lean face do not wear blush it will make you look gaunt. Make sure you don't forget to fill in your eyebrows, they frame the face and you will look like an alien without them. Last but certainly not least lips need to be bright and fresh but I am not a fan of red lipstick. It is just too harsh.

Tanning For Stage
One word of advice....airbrush tanning. If you are going to a reputable show put on by a reputable promoter just use whoever the spray tanning person is that they provide. If you are worried about the quality remember that the majority of the competitors will be using this person so you will all look the same and it really does make it easy. Once you get tanned stay away from water, sinks and toilets are not your friend. Here is my secret I pee into a cup. I know kind of gross but I have learned my lesson with tanning.

Bikini/Suits
Every federation has a different look that wins. I strongly suggest you look at the girls winning in those federations and get suits similar to those suits. Local shows are not what you need to be looking at. National caliber shows and pro shows is what to look for. Remember a local show is providing you with the experience to take you to the big leagues. If you wanna compete big league then you have to look big league. There is no right or wrong answer here and it doesn't have to be terribly expensive. Word of advice is match style to past winners but not colors. Don't be afraid to wear a color that stands out but still looks good on your skin when it is very very tan. Find a suit that you love on another competitor, find out who made it and go to their site. Maybe it seams like common sense but It's not for everybody.

Costumes/Outfits
This is where you get to have fun and the part of competing I love the most. I find that the 3 mistakes that girls make here are 1. Not a Clear Theme 2. Way Too Sexy/Trashy 3. Way Too Over the Top.

1. Pick a Theme...Make it a very very clear theme. For instance if I think of Tennis I think of Wimbledon which is known for all white uniforms. So, if I'm going to do Tennis I am going to do all white. Also, you want to bling it up. Bust out the bedazzler.

2. Sexy or is it Trashy...There is a fine line between sexy and trashy. Remember there are women on the judging panel and you do not want to alienate them. They can appreciate sexy but trashy just doesn't fly.

3. Keep it Simple...I find that girls are trying to stand out on stage and they are picking outfits that are way too over the top. The theme needs to be recognizable by both Men and Women. Remember there are men on the judging panel and if they can't relate to your theme you start at a disadvantage.

Shoes
Yes you want to wear clear plastic stripper shoes but these are not all created equal. Whatever you get you will learn to walk in but I find that most girls go too conservative or way to sexy with these. What I mean by too conservative is that the shoe is either too small or to bulky. They do this because they think it will be easier to walk in. That is not the case bulky shoes are heavy and drag you down while you are walking and shoes that are too small make your legs look squaty. On the flipside wearing 8 inch platforms are not going to give you the long legs that you think they are. Keep it simple. You want a plane clear shoe with a pretty shape. If you need a strap with a buckle that is fine too not to worry. If you are very comfortable in your shoes then you do not have to change them for your theme rounds or your evening gown rounds.

Jewelry
This again is federation specific and you want to look at what the winners are wearing. You can never go wrong with rhinestones for any federation but feel free to bling it up more if that is what the federation is looking for. Wear earrings, bracelets and 1 ring. Never wear a necklace it will change your lines. 

Manicure/Pedicure
No red, I feel the same way about red nail polish that I do about red lipstick; it is just too harsh. You wanna go french here. There is a great product called Shillac that is a no chip cured polish product. Once you go Shillac you will never go back. I literally can have a french pedicure that will last 6 weeks.

For more information from my competitor corner visit sharonpolsky.com

 

Central US Championships - 3 Weeks Out

This is it, This is it, This is it...crunch time. Lots of functional training, focused and clean eating, and enough cardio but not too much. These 3 things work synergistically to get the body I want on stage. Too much of one and I lose too much muscle, too much of another and I lose too much bodyfat...Get It!!! I'm ok with it though. In fact this is the part of show prep that I thrive on. Some say show prep is a science and some say it is an art, regardless what it is I love seeing how my body changes and responds. The best part about this is that it isn't the same from show to show. There are so many variables I can't control that I have to be dynamic with my approach. Constantly tweaking my synergistic combination in order to get what I'm looking for. (please note I didn't say what the judges are looking for it is all about my goals) This is the point where I track everything and keep the focus. Focus! Focus! Focus! With my new lavender wristband on I am working it.

With that said I finished my costume yesterday, am packing this week, and am walking/posing every day.