Just how important is a small waist?

I'm 15 years old and I have a 38 inch waist, and there is almost no fat in that area so I can't make it much smaller and it's going to get even bigger with age. Does this pretty much mean I won't be able to win any competitions?

38in????? maybe ur one of those guys who thinks they're thin when they're not idk but 38in. on any1 is atleast like 18-20%bf

Well, when I look at my waist I can clearly see the bone portruding so there cant be that much fat there

really? do u have any pics so i can see wat ur talking about?

 How tall are you and what's your heritage?  Also what's your weight?

President of the Emancipation Detoxification. DBB's oldest forum group, punching baby seals since 2/12/08

My height is 6'1". My heritage is about 80% Scotch-Irish, the rest is German, French, and English.

ORIGINAL: minigunner

My height is 6'1". My heritage is about 80% Scotch-Irish, the rest is German, French, and English.

whats ur weight? and bf% if u know it

ORIGINAL: minigunner

I'm 15 years old and I have a 38 inch waist, and there is almost no fat in that area so I can't make it much smaller and it's going to get even bigger with age. Does this pretty much mean I won't be able to win any competitions?

 
No, it doesn't mean you can't win any competitions, because bodybuilding competitions are about illusion.  If you have a good v-taper and are symetrical and proportional, the absolute size of any bodypart is meaningless.
 
Yes, it is possible to have a thick midsection of muscle and bone, without being fat.  Not everyone can or should have a 32" waist.
 
There is a guy at bodybuilding.com (calls himself Mr. Someday) who is 38 or 39 years old, about 6'2", 240 lbs and has a 36" waist.  He competes, and I believe he's won some comps.
 

ORIGINAL: minigunner

My height is 6'1". My heritage is about 80% Scotch-Irish, the rest is German, French, and English.

No way you could have a 38inch waist and not be fat, if you were over 7ft I could believe it but at 6'1 there's no way you could have a 38inch waist without being fat unless your waist bones are hugely disproportionate to your body.

When I had a 38" waist, I didn't think I was "fat". I figured I could lose an inch or two, and I'd be looking good. I was in for a pretty big surprise, and I've now got a 31 1/2" waist, and I can lose more. Let me tell you, I look 100% better than I did before, even though my muscle gains aren't that big. Try cutting for a while - you'll be surprised at how much your waist will shrink.

You also want to make sure you're measuring the right thing. When you measure your waist, it's not at your pelvis/belt where you'd measure for pants. Your waist is right at or just above your navel, where your torso is narrowest (if that's not the narrowest part of your torso, then you're fat).

My Journal: Jheft's Heftorium

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." -- Mark Twain