As soon as last year’s Maitland Showgirl competition ended Macia Borowiec – who won the third place sash – made herself a pact.
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She would use the self-confidence she developed through the quest in every aspect of her life, and she would continue to step out of her comfort zone.
The 20-year-old from Abermain achieved her goal and has entered the 2018 competition to reflect on how far she has come, and to meet more like-minded young women.
“I fell in love with how everyone in the community gets behind the show,” she said. “It was the first ever show I went to when I started riding 13 years ago, so I love getting involved in it and I love seeing the kids come on schoolies day.
“The showgirl movement has helped me a lot with my confidence, it has allowed me to build on it so much more.
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“After meeting the group of girls last year – and we all had that sense of community and team work, the aesthetics we all look for in brilliant people – it made me reach out my branches even further.
“I started conversations with people I hadn’t spoken to in a long time, and people I had never spoken to.”
Macia has finished a Certificate III in Animal Studies and will soon begin a Certificate IV in Equine Vet Nursing.
She is an avid horse rider and is competing in eventing with a thoroughbred she has owned for 10 years.
“Her first event out at Wyndham was absolutely incredible, she had never seen a cross country course before and she absolutely blitzed it … I am so proud of her,” she said of her beloved horse.
Macia gained even more confidence when she attended Country Girl Management’s catwalk and confidence class late last year.
“We went through things about deportment and we learnt how to pose for photos,” she said.
“It was another good confidence booster and I met girls that did fairly similar things that I did.”
The experience followed a personal photo shoot she did a few months earlier to celebrate overcoming bullying and weight loss.
She hopes her experience from last year can help calm the other showgirl entrants who will be experiencing the movement for the first time.
“I know how scary it was last year, it doesn’t get easier standing up in front of people you hardly know. It plays on your nerves,” she said.
“I want to see if I can improve upon what I gained last year; I want to put myself forward just that little bit more.
“And if I happen to gain a placing than yes it’s a great thing, but overall, I want to improve on what I did last year and enjoy being part of the movement.”