Mr. & Miss Penn 2011

Mr. and Miss Penn?  A beauty contest?  No, it's actually a bodybuilding contest at Penn dedicated to "the pursuit of physical excellence", held past Tuesday.  Organized and coached by the Penn Track & Field coach, this contest is open to al Penn students -- undergraduate and graduate students alike.  Of the 20 - 30 contestants, there were about three or four graduate students; unsurprisingly there was a disproportionate representation of Penn Track athletes.

So why was I there?  To oggle at hot guys and girls?  Admittedly, it was great to see a room (or stage, for that matter) full of eye candy, but it was chiefly to cheer for my friend Sean, who was one of the contestants in the Tall Class Men category.

As the contestants came on stage and did their various poses, I was struck by how defined each and every muscle was, how good their form was, and how little fat they had.  More importantly, as I thought about the hard work they had to undertake to get to where they were, I was even more in awe of their self-discipline and dedication.  Almost a month ago, Sean and I went on a backpacking trip that I had led with Penn Outdoors.  During the entire time, he had prepared his own food and ate only very nutritious and healthy meals; he also abstained from alcohol and oh-so-tempting s'mores.  Would I have been able to do that -- put in so much effort, and dedicate so much to the competition?  I doubt so.  So when my friend Eva, who was watching the competition with me, told me, "You should be up there competing with them!"  I laughed and said, "No, I really don't think so,"  And that was why -- I don't think I would have the same amount of self-discipline and dedication.

Or do I?  I thought about the other things I do.  Running for a marathon is no easy feat either.  Keeping a training log, and trying to stick to that running log requires much discipline and dedication too, though I definitely can eat anything I want.

Regardless, I still think it's amazing, that not only did the contestants have that amount of self-discipline and dedication to train for the competition, they also had that confidence in them, to have the spotlight aimed at them, at their beautiful bodies, for those 5 - 10 minutes, in just their speedos or bikinis.

And finally, congrats to Sean, for winning Mr. Penn 2011!

(I know everyone wants to see the pictures; I'll post them up once I get back to Philly this Sunday night... I'm currently in North Carolina with Penn Running Club for our Cross-Country Nationals)