Scott Haden went into his first bodybuilding competition with only one goal in mind.

Don't finish last.

Yet, when he arrived at the 2008 Mid-Illinois Bodybuilding Competition in Ottawa, he wasn't so certain it wouldn't happen.

"You look around and size up the competition," said Haden, a 24-year-old Quincy firefighter. "You're looking at guys 20 or 30 pounds heavier than you, and you think you're going up against them. You think you might not have a chance."

That changes when the classes are delineated.

"You see who you are competing against and it kind of relaxes you," Haden said. "You realize you can compete with them."

Haden did just that.

Competing as a middle weight -- the 166-pound Haden was in a weight class ranging from 154 1/4 to 176 1/4 pounds -- the former high school football player finished sixth in a field of 18 bodybuilders.

"I'm very pleased," said Haden, who worked extensively with Ryan and Shane Reis to prepare for the competition. "My only goal going into the contest was I did not want to get last. To get sixth in my first competition, I was pretty thrilled with that."

But he hasn't decided if there will be a chance to improve.

"I sort of have an inclination to do it again next year," Haden said.

If he does, Haden expects to be better prepared for the most grueling part of the event -- the mind games.

"It was a mental challenge," Haden said. "I'm not the kind of guy to show off or showboat, but you have to be comfortable in the spotlight. All eyes are on you."

It wasn't anything Haden was used to.

"At home or at the gym, you don't have that pressure," Haden said. "You have to adjust to that. For me, it's taking baby steps to get to where I want to. You have to be patient and do everything right."

That goes beyond the gym.

It leads directly to the kitchen.

"The dieting is a huge part of it," said Haden, who dieted for 10 weeks before the competition with a limit of approximately 50 carbohydrates per day and a high intake of protein including chicken and shakes. "Dieting was the hardest part of the whole process."

The judging isn't easy.

The competition has two parts -- mandatory poses and a freelance routine. For the mandatory poses, all the competitors line up across the stage and go through a series of eight poses. The freelance routine last 60 seconds and allows each bodybuilder to highlight their best attributes.

Judges are looking for symmetry, muscularity and definition.

And to score big, you better put on a good show in the mandatory poses.

"That's where it's at," Haden said. "The judges compare you to everyone else on stage. There's no hiding."

There can't be.

"Obviously, it was a different experience," Haden said. "It was a real eye-opener to the sport and how it takes place. I got to meet a lot of new people and a lot of nice people. From a competition standpoint, it's a world all its own."

You better be prepared physically and mentally for that.

-- mschuckman@whig.com/221-3366