When Melissa O'Neil first heard the Canadian Idol winner's single, "Alive," during a listening session with the Top 4, her competitive instincts kicked into overdrive. She knew she just had to win.

"I was floored by the single. It's like the lyrics totally fit me and I could just hear myself doing it," she tells Eye on Idol.

Competition is old hat to the newly-minted Canadian Idol. Her now-famous audition story involves O'Neil trying out on a whim, straight from playing a high school basketball game.

And if that's not a testament to her sporty nature, the scrapes and bruises on her legs might prove it. On a few occasions, makeup artists have had to cover up O'Neil's rugby shiners that were visible with some outfits.

However, the 17-year-old says competing on stage is different. There are no opposing teams to beat; rather, Canadian Idol is a "competition against yourself."

"You have to continually do better than you did before and bring something new to the table and show Canada that you're versatile," she explains.

Now that O'Neil has secured the top prize ? a recording contract with Sony BMG -- she's eager to take on new challenges. However, she admits she was unprepared for the frenzy that followed her victory. The sudden rush of attention from throngs of well-wishers, including the prime minister, and the press, seemed to leave O'Neil reeling.

"I'm the type of person that just takes everything one day at a time. I didn't, in this case, think far ahead enough. I don't know. I wasn't ready but I feel like I'm ready to take this on. I'm ready to really work hard for this," she says.

In just one whirlwind summer, O'Neil turned from a self-proclaimed nerd from Calgary to a budding young star. With these rapid changes, it's no wonder the teen feels unsure of what lies ahead.

"I know nothing of what I'm getting into," she says. "I'm a little bit scared but because I don't know anything, it's allowing me to be myself completely with no inhibitions. I have nothing holding me back. I have no worries."

Call it youthful optimism but O'Neil credits her family, especially her nine-year-old sibling, Colin, for her positive outlook.

"I've always been the type of person to just keep bringing it on. I'm always excited for a new day and for something to come up. I totally get that spirit from my family and a lot of it from my brother. He inspires me 24/7."

With a debut CD slated for release in November, O'Neil will head straight to the studio for weeks of intense writing and recording sessions. But despite an exhaustive summer, she is thrilled to hunker down in the fall.

"I'm excited. You know what, I especially like recording at nighttime. I'm a very nocturnal person. I know, hard to believe," she jokes.

"I'm a total night person. I love the nighttime. I'm excited for the long sessions. I know it's going to be frustrating at times. I'll learn something new all the time. I'm really excited to work with some Canadian writers."

She's also determined to graduate on time. Whether through correspondence or a private tutor, the Lester B. Pearson student is adamant about receiving her diploma. It's hardly a surprising commitment for O'Neil who once poked fun at herself for spending "more time in school than some teachers."

Her stay-in-school message also seems to fit her role model status. Before joining Idol, she filled her time volunteering and working with kids as a day-care worker and assistant coach to her dad, Tim.

But after making history as the show's first female champ, youth -- especially girls -- from all across Canada will be looking to O'Neil for inspiration.

She may be a novice artist, but she's already aware of the importance of sending the right message through her image.

"I just want to make sure that I'm showing young girls in Canada that it's okay to just be yourself and just to not be cookie-cutter," she says.

"If everyone's like that then we're all going to be the same and that's just not cool, not cool at all. It's the imperfections that make us all so wonderful."

Eye on Idol