Top 3...
Congrats!!!

M Sally...
Congrats to you too!!

Shazzy Deal...
First comp jitters, eh?
Instead of stressing about that, just realize that all you need do is firstly think about what impresses YOU when watching OTHER performers, THEN, take those elements that impressed you and that made you think, 'I LOVE how they did that!' and if you think you can do the same or similar, DO IT! Obviously, if they do / carry off something you know you can't, scrub it from the list.
Of course, if there have been killer performances of your own socially, incorporate those 'moves' into your mental image of what to pull off when eventually you hit the stage.
As well as this, it's also good to note what annoys you about certain performers and do your best to avoid doing any of that yourself.
Visualize how you'll look on stage - even how you'll approach the stage and leave it when done. Think: What image do you want to project? Confident? Hell yeah! Stuck up and conceited? Hell NO!! Someone the audience should pay attention to? Definitely! (Hint: If you notice people aren't paying you any mind as you stand there waiting for the song to start, DELIBERATELY try to catch their eye or someone else's. Then relish the satisfaction of knowing you can make them look even BEFORE you start performing! It's a great buzz which fuels your performance even more!) Think: What's the venue like? How will the audience look (from stage)? Y'know? The whole shebang. All this mentally prepares you which also helps calm any nerves in advance.
If you arrive and the place/audience looks totally different from what you pictured, don't panic. Just take your initial mental image and modify it to suit the new conditions. Will you still get the nerve-wracking adrenaline rush on your way into the spotlight? Probably - but at least it will be under control and won't cause you to make mistakes as it would if you were UNprepared mentally.
Result? You hit that stage feeling pretty good and you proceed to do what you want - but in a methodical (rather than haphazard) manner - and because you're doing what YOU like, your OWN personality shines through without even having to try or even worry about trying! You'll come across as genuine and audiences/judges love that - and it's just a good way to be in general.
Thus, even if you don't get picked as a winning place, you don't have to beat up on yourself about it - because you were true to yourself and did your best and screw what anyone else thinks. Believe in that and you can go far (in Life as well as in comps)!
Best of all, if you DO win, you'll know it was for being yourself and not having to try to be something you're not! That makes for great satisfaction also.
Still not convinced? That's usually ALL I used to do for comps besides singing in the shower. Because I had visualized certain things so clearly in advance, when I then did those things on stage, people would think - and continue to think - that I must spend hours choreographing moves or whatever. Nope. Just mentally prepare and you can accomplish virtually anything. Watch Karate Kid II and listen to Mr Miyagi's first advice on focus and then pay attention to the scene later (in Okinawa), when Daniel actually uses it to break huge slabs of ice with a single chop. Believe it or not, this concept WORKS (and not just in martial arts)!
I hope this advice proves useful. Good luck!!

Submitted by Johnny B on 26-10-2005

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