First, these are my teammates. I depended heavily on them for support when I was ready to give it all up. They were my accountability partners when it came to staying true to my diet, guidance on better recipes and workouts, and even spotting me while I pushed myself to my limits. I couldn’t have been successful without them. A win for me, is also a win for them.

Second, you just never know where others started from or how much one had to overcome to get to where they are. One teammate is 45-years-old. After taking shrapnel while deployed in a combat zone, she medically retired from the Army. It took extensive physical therapy and medical care to get her walking back to normal again. You know, after being an active, senior enlisted leader then transitioning to being physically incapable to do simple tasks really takes a toll on a person mentally. Just her being able to work out again was a success. She pulled herself out of depression and put in work. She turned the entry points of all her shrapnel into lady bug tattoos all over her body. To those who didn’t know her before,  she may look bigger than most contestants. However, she dropped so much of the weight she gained while immobile. Putting on a tiny bikini and clear stilettos and walking confidently on stage was a turning point for her confidence and she didn’t deserve to have all her hard work deflated by insensitive comments.

Everyone deserves to feel as amazing and powerful as I felt that day! You can say, “You look great” without saying, “You look way better than those other girls” because those other girls worked just as hard and are equally as beautiful. You can say that you would have judged me to be the first place winner rather than saying the first place winner didn’t deserve her title or saying the judges were clueless. You can compliment without comparison.