She took 2nd behind an experienced BB w/ muscle who was interested in qualifying for nationals -- she was about 12 weeks out diet-wise, but this was a pretty small show as far as FBB goes. Aside from the diet, her muscle & presentation showed her experience. And of course some politics.
But the point of a first show is to achieve something for yourself & know that you did the best you could and factors outside of your control were the only ones left to affect the outcome (ie. politics, another extremely more experienced competitor, etc.) As long as you have come prepared and presented well, that is what you do. Then you learn from the experience - determine if you want to pursue more competitions, what you need to do now that you have probably overcome most of your body's things that need to change and maybe just that one perpetual tough spot is left to continue workign on because it often takes more than 16 weeks of dieting to change the way your body tends to "be".
We were all very proud - there was definitely some controversy over the trophy, however I think most of the audience knew who "brought it" and that's what really matters. That's why your first show is not the show you set yourself up to live or die by.
Here's how you know that you've completed your first show -- if you decide to do your next show, your biggest concern is tightening up your hamstrings with training and then change the diet the last week by increasing your protein instead of dropping it vs. OMG! What do I do about my makeup???
That's the difference. You've gotten past a show. You know what it takes to get there. You know how to present. You know how the judges & the audience responded to your presentation. You know what sort of goofy stuff can happen with judging, w/ your interaction with other competitors back stage and on stage, etc. The knowledge you've gained from that one experience is something that you can't get without doing it. And that's a win by itself.
And trust me, Sister Steel WON this one! (And we've got the video to prove it !)