Teen Christine Beauchamp Talks About Her First Figure Competition

Editor's Note: Soon after competing in her first figure competition, superpowered teen Christine Beauchamp shared her experiences. She has allowed me to reprint them for the Muscle & Strength community. Thanks Christine!

OHHHHH my god you guys! Most fun I've had in a really long time. Terrific experience, met phenomenal people, and I learned so, so much! I'm going to fill you all in right now.

Things I Learned On Competition Day

1) I NEED candy, sugary foods, and FATTY STUFF to look good on stage.

I was FLAT as a pancake during pre-judging, because I was sticking to clean carbs. After pre-judging I felt a bit discouraged, so I kinda just let my "clean carbs" go and started snacking on random junk backstage. Me and this girl were talking:

Me: *Talking, eating Reese's pieces from the bag*

Her: "Holy crap, Christine! Your abs!"

Me: *Looks in the mirror, veins popping and abs are ripped* "Woah, what the ... haha."

Her: "Dude, where were those during pre-judging?!?!"

My friend in the audience said I looked like a completely different person at the finals, because my definition actually came through, my shoulders popped, etc. So now I know CRAP-LOADING MAKES ME LOOK GOOD!

2) Why I didn't place!

Yes, you heard me. I got DEAD last at my competition. It wasn't so much because of my physique, or my posing...it was my FACE! I was shaking like a leaf during pre-judging...I couldn't see the points on stage for my T-walk, because I didn't have my glasses on. Also the following:

• They didn't tell us ahead of time when we were going on stage. So I had absolutely NO time to pump up during pre-judging. Flat, flat, FLAT!
• I WASN'T SMILING ENOUGH! I was so concerned with hitting my poses right and my turns, etc., that I totally forgot about my face. That took MAJOR points off for me.

I spoke to the head judge before the finals about my performance, and she told me, "You know, your smile totally killed you.Which is a shame, because you've got a great form and symmetry. I know what it's like, trust me. I compete as well, and it's very difficult. But you've got to work on your presentation, the most of anything... You've worked WAY too hard for this."

So it wasn't so much my physique, but the way I presented it, that made the biggest impact on the way the judges perceived me. I knew once she told me that, that I wouldn't get called out.

3) It's not about winning.

I had so much fun. My friends were with me and so supportive, everyone made me feel so comfortable, and I just had a blast. When I went on stage during the finals I had a competitor's HIGH! I felt like I was born for the stage. After talking with people and loosening up, and after seeing about how important it is to just relax, smile BIG and have fun, everything changed so much. And I got so much positive feedback for being so young. One of the photographers was like:

(After talking to me about relaxing on stage) "Wait, you're only 16?! Well ****, you're totally forgiven then, haha!"

I just felt so at home. No one made me feel inferior, and everyone was like family. The girls were so sweet backstage. I had my friends there, and we went out to eat, took pictures, and had a blast.

4) I can put down a TON of food after a comp!

I had the following (this was after all my PB+jelly and Reese's backstage):

• (Appetizer) 1/2 pan of cheesy garlic bread (think of half a plate).
• An ENTIRE pizza. It had an olive oil and basil crust, triple cheese (feta, mozzarella, and something else), kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, and roasted red onions. Amazing.
• About 2 lbs (if not more) of New York vanilla cheesecake with blackberry sauce and whipped cream. This piece was HUGE.
• French fries (lots)

My friend was like "Holy crap, you have the tiniest belly in the world, where are you putting all of this?!?!"

Most of them finished only half their plate. And when I was done, I dipped the french fries in ranch sauce. I think I probably ate more in one sitting than I have for the last 16 weeks. I don't even want to know how many calories I've eaten. Today things are going to be looser with my diet as well, but on Monday I'm totally back on schedule with my diet and everything.

Worth every bite.

5) The best part about getting an airbrush spray is all the ripped guys.

Bronze, ripped, half-dressed men. How very fulfilling, haha.

Overall, this experience was worth every last penny. At least I can say I worked my butt off, and did a damn fine job at reaching my goal. And that's regardless of whether I went to the top and beyond, or only got my toes past the finish line. The victory is still there, and the prize is the satisfaction I get from knowing what it feels like to give things 110%, never backing down. And next time I compete, UFE won't know what hit them.