2018 NPAA Magazine 2018 NPAA Magazine - This is Our Sport | Page 49

Age is just a number
By Carrie Johnson
In no sport is that statement more ac-
curate then in physique competitions.
This is not only a young person’s sport
as so many competitive sporting events
are. In gymnastics you are washed up
by the time you are in your early 20’s, in
swimming by your early 30’s but more
likely in your 20’s, football same thing,
and I could go on. That is the beauty of
competing, there is no age limit and age
does not place limitations on you.
When I first decided to enter my first all
natural figure competition at the age of
50, I did it just for fun and the experi-
ence; something to cross off my bucket
list. I believed that I could not compete
or perform well in a novice category that
consisted of mainly women in their 20’s.
After all many of them had not had chil-
dren, stretch marks or years of experi-
ence showing on their bodies or faces.
I felt that the judges would automatically
dismiss me as a contender. When I first
entered that waiting area for novice fig-
ure I was extremely nervous. I looked
around the room and I probably was the
oldest person there, but not by much in
a couple of cases. Yes there were some
young 20 year olds and some women in
their 30’s and 40’s. I thought this was
amazing. How could such a diverse
group of ladies compete all together?
However we did. It was fun and inclu-
sive for all of us in that room, regardless
of age. Age was irrelevant, we all had
one thing in common; we had trained
hard, ate clean, gotten into our compe-
tition suits with hair and makeup done
and shoes on. We all deserved to be
there regardless of our age. However
the really eye opening experience was
yet to come.
That same day I also competed in the
Master’s Figure division. Yes, there
were some well trained bodies in Novice
Figure but it was nothing compared to
Master’s Figure. These were the fiercest
ladies in the whole competition. As we
age and continue to train with weights,
our muscles become denser and better
conditioned. This was evident in the
Master’s division. I was in awe of these
hard working, beautiful ladies. They
were inspiring and I wanted to be like
them. In that competition I did not place
but that was alright. Looking at the la-
dies in the Master’s group I realized that
age was meaningless and I could strive
to be better and better as time went on.
After that competition, I worked harder
than ever. I entered my next two com-
petitions and placed. It was rewarding to
be acknowledged regardless of my age.
So, thank you to the judges for ignor-
ing age and rewarding placings based
on the bodies of work you see in front
of you. Thank you to the 20 somethings
competing. You are beautiful and amaz-
ing now but will only get better with age.
But thank you especially to those ladies
in Master’s divisions in all events. You
have inspired me to be better than I was
and to continue working in a sport where
age really is just a number. An irrelevant
number!
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