Con-Crunch Is A Real Health Threat: Advice For Cosplayers

A few weeks prior to MCM Expo October 2019 me and Nomes Cosplay had been working very hard to get our costumes ready for the WCS/C4 qualifier. We placed first for C4 which felt incredible and I can’t wait for us to represent our country in a league neither of us have competed in at one of my favourite conventions! (Whenever that happens, damn Coronavirus)
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The attached photo is all smiles. But what it took to get there I’m almost ashamed of admitting to myself
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During the lead up to this contest we both neglected our sleep (0-6 hours). I stopped training outside of rehearsals which is a first since I started training and I let my health crumble as I kept forgetting to eat and drink which I’ve (regretfully) criticised people for in the past. My meditation practice faded away and I put so much pressure on myself to get to that stage that for the first time in my life I began to have consistent panic attacks.

Rushing around on contest day meant I once again forgot to eat or drink properly and we were building props right up until the last second with our wonderful competitors giving us a hand (I adore this community <3). I remember being so dehydrated on stage that certain positions cramped all my abdominal muscles and my reaction time was not up to my own personal standard. When we came off stage I drank 2 litres of water within seconds before starting to dismantle our props.


But…despite this we pulled it off. I felt proud that we had made it through and that the effort was worth it but I’m ashamed at how much we broke ourselves during the process.

I’m just now starting to feel recovered and I have some practical take-aways:

-It’s never too early to start, have your shit together a month before the contest. 

-Set timers to eat and drink and stick to them

-Make meals and drinks ahead of time to take to the contest with you (or buy protein bars)

-The prize isn’t worth the sacrifice to your health. Keep up your sleep, exercise, and meditation habits

-After you have everything scheduled in that you need to take care of like your job, your habits, your sleep, and all of your other commitments block out time for working on the contest. Don't exceed that time limit, make that promise to yourself

-If you’re not ready there will be more contests. You on the other hand only have one body. Health is the priority and without it you will have nothing

With Coronavirus forcing us all to take a step back from contests, I've had a lot of time to think about this. A lot more time than I've ever had since I first started competing. The fact I ever did this to myself is such an embarrassment to me that I will never do it again. Don't do all nighters for a cosplay contest guys, it's a habit that outright guarantees you WON'T enjoy the finals even if you make it.

Now that all that is out of the way, I can’t wait for the C4 finals and I hope you guys like what we have in store for you!

See you at the finals! Be More Shonen