Just because.......the girl from Kansas

Whewwwwwwwwwwwww, what a tizzy the last few weeks have been.  Pageant, after pageant, after pageant - I didn't mean to neglect you dear readers :-(   But, now that the pageant frenzy has slowed to a crawl I am back! 

Surfing the web this morning, I came across this awesome picture that I wanted to share, just because!

 

According to the Miss Kansas Organization, Theresa Vail - Miss Kansas 2013 was recently promoted to the rank of Sergeant and is officially a non-commissioned officer in the Kansas National Guard.  She's been a member of the Guard since she was 17.

Not only is she a soldier, this beauty, who has eight siblings, LOVES archery!!!

Reading up on her, I found out that her platform is to "empower women through male-dominated activities ... and that’s not just hunting and archery."    I will be excited to see this Kansas State University beauty in Atlantic City next month!

Mrs. International Pageant ....... in living color !!!

Whew, a vacation does a WORLD of good!  I am back, feeling nice and refreshed.  The mountain air, cool crisp breezes and lots of rest has totally rejuvenated me!   A lot happened while I was away.

Three new School America system queens were crowned in Orlando (more on that later this week) and the Mrs. International pageant kicked off in Chicago.   Known as one of the BIG THREE, this pageant always provides LOTS of great looks and surprises.

I've decided (as I can do, because it's my blog) to highlight some of the women of color in this year's Mrs. International pageant. Ironically, the very first Mrs. International was an African-American - Joanne Brown in 2000.  

There has been one other Mrs. International titleholder of color - Armaiti Shahidi-Fitzgerald in 2009.

Now let's look at some of the 2013 contestants:

Ceylone Boothe Grooms, Mrs. New Jersey International 

Nedjy Jean-Charles, Mrs. Haiti International

Afoma Eguh-Okafor, Mrs. Africa International

Quynci Joyner, Mrs. Arkansas International

Karli Bose, Mrs. Asia International

Leila Fraga, Mrs. Brazil International

Tenisha Dotstry, Mrs. District of Columbia International

LaSheila Yates, Mrs. Iowa International

Joyce Lee Mei Hui, Mrs. Malaysia International

Lailani Gatdula Llanto, Mrs. Manilla International

LaSonja Coleman, Mrs. Maryland International

Gisel Merrifield, Mrs. Mexico International

Andrea Bennet Xiong, Mrs. Minnesota International

Bola Harpprecht, Mrs. New Zealand International

 

 Sanam Azeem, Mrs. Pakistan International

Alicia Almendral, Mrs. Phillippines International

Octavia Ephraim, Mrs. South Africa International

Mireya Rangel, Mrs. Latin America International 

Charlotte Shores, Mrs. Washington International

I don't know about you, but I am pretty impressed!!!!  This is a significant number and a great amount of diversity.  Learn more about the contestants (I've linked where I could)....I am sure you'll like what you read.

I've had a couple of great friends compete in this system and believe me when I tell you - doing well is NO easy task.  These women put tons of work into developing their platform, working hard for Go Red, fund raising and making appearances!  I should know, I've seen my fair share of Mrs. International titleholder "work" ;-).

 with Mrs. All-American Classic and Mrs. North Carolina International 2009 at a MLK Day Parade in Baltimore, MD

with Mrs. Maryland International 2011 at a press event

with Mrs. All-American Classic and Mrs. Maryland International 2009 after speaking at a Health & Fitness Fair in DC.

 with Mrs. Maryland All-American and Mrs. Maryland International 2006 at a roller skating fundraiser

This could be the year that the Mrs. International pageant runs off with the lead!  Of the "BIG THREE" - Mrs. International is the only pageant to have crowned more than one woman of color with it's ultimate title.  Mrs. United States has only crowned one - Stephanie Hunt of Michigan in 2007.  The Mrs. America system has crowned, two Hawai'ians in the last 12 years, but not a woman of "brown skin".  Interesting!

Good luck to all the contestants!!! Don't forget to make lots of memories and have a blast!

 

Miss Elementary Mid-Atlantic Pageant

Well lookey here!  There is a new division in the Multi State School Pageant system.

The Jr. High, High School and Collegiate America state preliminaries for Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York & Pennsylvania are held together annually in Lancaster, PA - usually during the first weekend in August.  

This year state director, Tracey Jamison, has elected to add an elementary division - to offer younger girls (perhaps siblings or older contestants) a chance to see the pageant first hand and compete in their own right.   The pageant is comprised of three area of competition, which are equally scored, are:

1) On-­stage presentation/Fun Fashion - Fun fashion is where each girl should have fun showing her personality and personal style.  Fun fashion will be worn DURING on-­stage introduction.

 
2) Introduction/poise - Each girl will give a brief introduction to show her level of comfort speaking in public.  The script will be the same for all contestants - Name, Grade, School, City & State.

3) Evening gown - The evening gown segment may be a “flower girl” type dress or pageant dress.

If you're in the market for a pageant for younger girls, check this one out!

System Spotlight

A crown, is a crown, is a crown right???   Okay, maybe not.  But with so many systems out there and so many types of pageants to choose from, how does one decide where to compete?

As we've mentioned before, some systems "choose" for you.  Come on, I know I can't color you shocked with this statement - every system has parameters - no matter how you slice it.  Whether is an age-out, talent vs. no talent , swimsuit vs. fitness vs. none of the above, must be in school vs. education doesn't matter - every system has certain criteria that you dissect to determine if you want to give that state/local or national director your money. 

With all that said, I figured this was a good as time as any to start our "System Spotlight" section!   Every now and again, we'll choose a system - at random - to spotlight and give you, our dear readers, a chance to learn a little more about it.................. and compete, if you so choose!

It's been so hot lately, I decided to look to HOT-lanta to profile the U.S. United System and their 10 year anniversary!!! The system, under the direction of Marcia Mickens, is dedicated to recognizing outstanding women for outstanding achievements

This July 25 - 28, girls and women ages 3 and up will travel to the southern city to compete in the following divisions:

Tiny Miss (3-5 years old)
Little Miss (6-9)
Junior Miss (10-12 years old)
Teen Miss (13-16 years old)
Elegant Teen Miss (13-16  size 12 plus and above)
Miss - (17-27 years old)
Ms. - (28-39 years old)
Mrs. - (21 and older) "must be living with husband"
Ms. Woman (40-54 years old)
Elite Ms. (55 and older)

Competition in this pageant falls into four categories: 

1) Personal Interview - (35%) Each contestant will be interviewed by a panel of judges for 5 minutes. Judges will ask questions from your personal questionnaire.

2) Outfit of Choice (25%) - This is an outfit that expresses your personality. 

3) Personal Introduction (15%) In this portion, you will introduce yourself to the judges in approximately 20 seconds.

4) Evening Wear - (25%) - This outfit must be a floor-length formal gown

This is an extremely diverse and engaging pageant. So much so that there are also optional categories of competition.  These optional categories have no bearing on the overall pageant scores and do require an additional fee, above and beyond your pageant entry fee.  If you are so inclined you may also compete in: Photogenic, Performance Talent, Community Service, U.S. United Scholar, Peoples' Choice, Cover Girl & even Portfolio for all you photographers out there!

Now for the important part - PRIZES !!  All U.S. United Pageant division winners receive numerous prizes and awards including: Official Rhinestone Crown, Official Embroidered Banner, Banner Pin
Floral Presentation, Rhinestone Jewelry, Fashion Watch, Business Cards, an Engraved Commemorative Award and more!   Some prizes are given upon crowning while others are awarded at the end of your reign.  An important fact to note is that division winners MUST make at least 9 appearances !!! 

 

 Introducing the 2012 U.S. United Royalty - click on their names to visit their Facebook pages!

U.S. United Queen of Queens - Melissa Brown (Georgia)​​

Teen Miss U.S. United - ​Whitney Serauskas (North Carolina​)

Miss U.S. United - Amber Miller (Ohio)​​

Mrs. U.S. United - Ashley Horsely (Ohio)​​  

Ms. U.S. United - Janet Bierer (Montana)​​

 

Elegant Ms. U.S. United - Kia Smith (California)

Elegant Elite Ms. U.S. United - Karen Hauck (Pennsylvania​​​)

Not traditional, but certainly something for everyone.  So, keep this system in mind when you're thinking about competing in a pageant!  

Until next time..................

Today, the pageant world mourns .......... I never had the opportunity to be one of Wayne's Angels but  I have several pageant friends who had the opportunity to do so.  From all accounts, he was a wonderful man with a HUGE heart!   The Miss Maryland America & Miss Howard County organizations & family, Danley family and tons of friends need our prayers and support during this time!

Rest in peace Wayne Danley........your passing leaves a void!

Get to Know.......... Mrs. Pennsylvania United States

If it's one thing I love about writing this blog, it's the opportunity to connect with and get to know queens and princesses from around the country!   This week's get to know feature is the beautiful Mary Brennan, Mrs. Pennsylvania United States 2013. 

The West Newton native, was crowned at the state pageant on April 7 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Moon, Pennsylvania.  She and her husband Jay have four children, ages 9, 8, 5 & 1. (I can't even imagine!!!)  Second time was a charm as she first competed for the Mrs. PA title more than a decade ago!!!

She's such a wonderful person and after reading more about her, I am sure you'll agree.

Q) What has been the most exciting thing that you've done as Mrs. Pennsylvania so far?

"The most exciting thing this far would have to be the incredible people I have met. So many different, interesting, and inspiring people from so many different walks of life." 

  

Q) If you could accomplish one thing during your reign, what would it be and why?

"If I could accomplish one thing during my reign it would have to be bringing awareness to inequality in education & drug awareness.  These are two extremely important issues that I don't believe get the attention they should!"

Q) What is typical day like in the life of Mrs. Pennsylvania?

"A typical day in my life:

  - Get up early with baby Benjamin and the girls:). 

- Trying to keep a clean house while juggling playing with my 4 babies, answering phone calls and emails, lunch, outing with children (zoo, pool, museum) 

- Dinner

- Gym 

- The occasional event or appearance

- Answer emails

- Finally bed:)"

 

 

Q) Is there an organization that you would like to work with (that you haven't already)?  Why?

"I would really like to work with the batch foundation. It supports equality in education and giving children opportunity! Charlie batch and his wife take such a hands on role with children of their organization."

 

Q) What are you most looking forward to at the Mrs. United States pageant?  Have you had a chance to connect with any of the other women yet?

"I am most looking forward to meeting the other state representatives!  I have gotten to Facebook with a large number of them. They seem like an incredible, inspirational group!!"

Q) What was the best piece of advice that your husband gave you before competing for your state title?

"The only person you need to compete with is yourself!"

Q) Tell us about you and your husband's first date!

"Our first date was to PNC Park for the MLB homerun derby." 

Speed round: Favorites - 

•  Color - green
•  Food - crab cakes
•  Dessert - tiramisu
•  Wedding Memory - Wedding memory dancing with my family 
•  Celebrity - Jennifer Aniston 
• Thing to do with your children - cuddle while reading together
•  Item you MUST take to Mrs. United States - camera
•  Season - summer
•  Clothing item or accessory you can't live without - flip flops and favorite jeans:)

Free for all Friday!!!!!

It's my blog and I'll do what I wanna.......... (okay, this is just a nice way of saying I couldn't come up with a snazzy title for today's blog).  In any event, this blog is dedicated to ALL things pageantry, not just report and recapping pageant winners.  So today is a little free for all - a hodge podge of pageant thoughts if you will.

So first up - I received an note from a mom in the Mid West asking for advice on her 14 year-old outgoing daughter, who wants to enter pageants - she has a strong personality, but doesn't have a performing arts "talent".  I figured, since she was kind enough to ask my opinion, I should be as thorough as possible.  I am sure there are others who probably have the same question, so I will share some of the contents of my response here.....hopefully, it's helpful to you or someone you know!  Keep in mind, this is just my semi-PROFESSIONAL/UNBIASED opinion and not an endorsement of ANY pageant.

For your daughter 14 year old, I would start with your state's High School America pageant.  It's less structured than National American Miss (N.A.M.).  They don't have a non-compete clause nor will you need a local title to compete in the state system. There is no swimsuit or talent competition. The national competition is in Orlando, Florida.   Also, if she is interested in doing community service, you could try the Miss Teen International pageant. This system is heavily based in having a platform that you promote throughout the year.  It's pretty intense, having a significant interview portion. The other categories are fun fashion, evening gown and fitness. 

Other pageants you could try are International Junior Miss or National American Miss.  It looks like NAM, in which your younger daughter could also participate, will be having competitions in your state in August.  Like I mentioned earlier, I would first take her to see one in person to get a feel for the atmosphere.

I am not sure what other systems have state competitions in your area, but doing a Google search is a good place to start.  Sites like this are useful.  Just to give you an idea of beginning expenses and preparation - you'll need to invest in a quality formal gown, perhaps fun fashion (which could range), and interview suit or dress, a few good pair of shoes, great hair maintenance and overall age-appropriate glam.  Don't worry about having the best of anything. I tell my clients all the time, judges aren't looking for the best - everyone is going to look great.  We are looking for who we can mark OFF.  It gives us less to judge and a smaller pool to pick winners from.  With that said, cut, proper fit, good coloring and age appropriateness are more important that what anything cost or from where you brought it.

 She seemed pleased with these little tidbits, and I think I got her pointed in the right direction....perhaps she will follow up with me with GREAT NEWS in the coming months!!

In other news, did ANYONE see how fabulous Jennifer Lopez looked as she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!  Talk about orientation/prelim viewing or contestant dinner GLAM!!! 

Finally!   Good luck to all the 2013 Miss Maryland America contestants who will have their finals tomorrow night to decide who will go to Atlantic City.  Unashamedly, I have a favorite (who's already won a prelim competition) but....you know my theory - it can go anyway with the judges. So ladies of the Mu and Delta groups, I hope you brought it this week!  I know I will be eagerly waiting to learn who will represent the Free State in September.

2013 Miss Maryland America Contestants

Have a PEARLFECT weekend dear friends!!!!!