This past weekend of may 29th and 30th, 2009 Jim and I got the privelage of  promoting the Max Muscle Heartland Classic Bodybuilding and Figure show in Omaha.

What a fun and exhausting weekend we had!!!! It was a TON of work with very little sleep or sitdown time but I loved every single minute of it!!! I told Jim that I enjoy being on the other side , whether promoting, expediting or helping friends/clients of ours with their preps…just as much as the “being a competitor” side of it…I truly cannot pick my fave of the 2. One of my hugest joys out of my entire life is getting to do for others and give back what we have been given, there is just nothing like that!! This weekend was another way for me to do just that!

We had such a great group of competitors at this show. They not only had terrific physiques and such but were just great people, there wasn’t any cattiness, just lots of camraderie and everyone helping each other out…The way it should ALWAYS be!!! I honestly feel if anyone is in this with a need to boost your ego, then you are in for a humbling experience for shure…it’s a subjective sport and anything can and does happen. We had an excellent panel of judges in this show that looked at the ENTIRE package not just who has the most muscle and they did a great job in judging, which is also the way I think it should be! If any of our judges are reading this…thank-you for your willingnes to come and volunteer to judge, it’s a thankless job, but you do this freely because you love the sport and you are so appreciated!!

To any competitors reading, I enjoyed meeting and talking with each and every one of you! It was a great couple of days and you all helped make this show the success it was…we appreciate you and are so impressed with all of you!

Some of the extra jobs I got to do in the show was help expidite back stage with Promotor Ryan Irwin who teamed up with Jim and i to promote this years show(Ryan, i had a blast working with you backstage!) and present trophey’s. I had SO much fun with both, especially giving out trophey’s and getting to congratulate eveyone as i did so!! That was a BLAST!!!

I had several friends in this show who did SO well and many of whom i also got to hand trophey’s too, it was hard to not get TOO excited…i just get so geeked out with this sport!

The next thing on mine and Jim’s list is heading out to Norfolk July 7th to help out there in The Max Classic promoted by Rene and jennifer Martinez, whom i adore!!…. and also helping my friend Jenni prep for that comp and helping her backstage as well. She has worked her butt off and is making remarkable progress and i’m soooooo proud of her!! It will be exciting to see how she comes into this show!!

Prior News…..

In recent news…Jim and i did the comp prep and posing instruction for our friend Natasha Murtha, who WAS planning on doing the Heartland Classic for her first show…buuuuut……Once we got a look at her the weekend prior to the Des Moines Show, we knew she was already ready and needed to be in a Pro-Q…so, we sprung it on her that she needed to go and she was cool with it and rolled with the sudden peak week preps like a champ!! Turned out she was absolutely meant to be there as she took the Over-All figure title, winning her IFPA Figure pro-card in her very first figure competition!! Jim and i were blessed to spend the weekend with her and her husband and new NFL Detriot Lion Lydon. It was so much fun hanging out and helping her prep for the comp!!…even if we were up until 2 am getting tanner on! LOL!!! I was so excited for her win that i hugged her and just bawle my eyes out!! I only met Natasha 2 1/2 monthsor so prior to her comp and we became close friends fast….soon after the comp she had to move away and i’ve been missing her ever since! We are still in contact via facebook and phone, and she is planning on staying with us for a couple weeks prior to the KC show where she will make her pro debut and i’ll compete in the ametuer division.

Here are some pics from Natasha’s BIG night!!!…..Click on each pic to see them larger!