3 weeks later I’m still in awe of the experience I had at Nationals, located at the Hyatt in Miami, Florida. The event came and went. It’s so funny that all the time prepping(which technically wasn’t long due to my active lifestyle), you only have a few moments to shine on stage in front of hundreds of people and having hot beaming lights flashed on you. I still can’t believe that I shared the stage with the best in the nation. I had a feeling of nostalgia, I reminisced on  the time of my first regional show and the excitement I had but also the ignorance of what it took to win a highly competitive men’s physique show. As far as Nationals went, I placed at the bottom. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why I didn’t place, I was significantly smaller than the other competitors. Conditioning wasn’t enough, the judges wanted the best balance of conditioning, muscle fullness and symmetry. Basically the same criteria as a regional show, but for some reason the size of the competitors were very significant. I was warned by my peers of the caliber of talent in the show, I even was told there would be a chance I would be overlooked. Ideally Team Universe would be the National show that’s closer to my home, it’s in my neck of the woods(NJ), I wouldn’t have to spend money on travel, hotel, car rental, food…since it’s so close I would be able to concentrate more on my contest preparation. Team Universe being held on 4th of July weekend was a deal breaker for me, I chose to enjoy the holiday with my family. Money was a little tight for Pittsburgh, so I decided that I would do the big show, Miami. Why is Miami such a huge show? It’s the last show of the year, so competitors: bikini, bodybuilding, figure, all over the globe are scrambling to win the qualification to become IFBBpro. My objective was to gain the experience just as my first regional show. Now I have an understanding of what it takes to make it further in a National competition. Being small or skinny was always something that I struggled with, I came along way to achieve the physique I have today. Even though I’m proud of my accomplishments, I’m even more aware of the time I need to put in to make a name for myself in this sport. I’m happy I have a new goal entering the new year of 2016.