| This is my first time doing the Fitness Europe Pageant since I moved to Germany. Here is my experience, the results and some pics! |
A new country and a new competition for me! The European show is only open to European residents, so don't invest in an expensive airline ticket.
Preparation
Training for the Fitness Pageant involved some Volksmarches amongst rolling hills and lush, green pastures. Germany's southern countryside and trails where splendid, despite the frequent rainy weather. Each Sunday or Saturday I would either walk a 20 kilometer or run a 5 or 10k. The pleasant aspect is most Volksmarches have medallions (or rather prizes) that can be purchased for a few Euro. The downfall was all the tasty pastries, bratwurst and beer at the end. Of course after long workouts like these, one would think I'd deserve that type of scrumptious energy intake. However, if I did splurge, I would feel a little guilty afterwards.
Yes, dieting was a bit sketchy for me. Living here for several months gave me the inclination that I was still on vacation. I absorbed myself into the culture and relished the German food. I tried a variety of food at restaurants, festivals and volksmarches, instead of sticking to my strict high protein, low carbohydrate and low fat diet. As a result, I went into competition not as lean as I could have. My advice: keep to you're diet!
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| Pictures of me before the show. Click to enlarge. |
On the other hand, preparation for my routine went well. I have a vampire theme and I love playing into the crowd. Thankfully, I found employment coaching gymnastics and thus could practice my routine using their facility.
Kennen Sie Deutsch? Additional preparation included knowing the language! I did somewhat make myself familiar with German. This was indeed necessary since the entire competition was in Deutsch. There were however contestants who spoke English, but we didn't; we spoke German.
Competition
Since this was my first European competition, I wasn't sure how everything would go. The evening show held September 28th in Stuttgart, Germany at the Philharmonie Theatre included Hit the Rock, Miss Bikini Europe and the Fitness Europe Pageant. I wss happy to be invited, because I wanted an opportunity to get on stage again before the Fitness America Pageant in Redondo Beach, California. The stage looked like any other, but my routine felt fabulous! All the contestants in both Miss Bikini Europe and the Fitness Europe Pageant were very friendly and fun. This is always beneficial because it helps you unwind before going out on stage for the swimsuit round.
I shared a room backstage with Dorota Szcieswa from Poland and Karin Marty from Switzerland. Both girls are beautiful, intelligent and positive. Suzy, captured on camera pulling a face, was the fiery, red-headed director. Her encouragement, her Hund (who entertained and protected us) and her wonderful attitude were all superbly appreciated! Uli Sandfort, the man in charge, ran a smooth, organized competition. The fitness and bikini contestants rehearsed the same day for the opening show and did our photo shooting before the evening production. While we were directed through our regiment, Musclemania was taking place.
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| With some of the other girls. I am the one in the light pink bikini. Click to enlarge! |
This type of organization kept us with our "own kind" so to speak. In other words, I didn't get to know or speak with any of the body builders. The men competing for Hit the Rock were backstage during the evening performance, but that would also mean I would have to practice more German, which I didn't quite feel prepared to do. Best wishes and to all those who competed!
Top five results are as follows:
Musclemania Europe 2002
Newcomers
1st Johannes Tait 2nd Sven Maiko Essich 3rd Darko Barisic
4th Gunter Schneider 5th Albert Pichler
Over 40
1st Wolfgang Sperling 2nd Luigi La Pica 3rd Peter Butze
4th Herbert Paduch 5th Bernd Hauke
Men up to 75 kg
1st Mariano Villena 2nd Michael Gallo 3rd Dave Muller 4th Dietmar Haubold
5th Sicco Heersink
Men up to 85 kg
1st Beat Schlegel 2nd Murat Tombul 3rd Holger Kunath 4th Filip De Brauwer
5th Rainer Burkhardt
Men up to 95 kg
1st Wendy Wyss 2nd Daniel Ivkovic 3rd Marco Wedekind 4th Michael Cronie
5th Dexter Robeson
Men over 95 kg
1st Guido Backsmann 2nd Markus Rohde 3rd Fadi Issa 4th Dieter Hutridi
Miss Bikini Europe 2002
1st Andrea Santangelo (Andrea was first in Fitness 2001)
2nd Susi Schirm 3rd Alexandra Gutierez
4th Ines Dieckman 5th Yvonne Deicke.
Hit the Rock
1st Florian Maier 2nd Andreas Bosse 3rd Jose Chappotin 4th Guido Backsmann
5th Ivan Pavan
Fitness Europe Pageant
1st Karin Marty 2nd Dorota Szcieswa 3rd Susanne Hasenberg
4th Tiffany (Ripple) Pristelski 5th Andrea Knohr
More Pics - Click To Enlarge
I will be doing the Fitness America pageant as well, which is coming up quick. Check back soon!
 tiffany@tiffanyrae.net
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