Hot of the Press: Journalist turned Pageant Queen

What a fun story! As a journalist myself, this is definetly a fairytale come to life. https://t.co/1RVZoSJYNH

— ThePageantDiaries (@Pageant_Diary) April 19, 2017

Top 5 Miss America Talents

State pageant season is coming up and many local titleholders are making their talent selections. Since the talent portion of the competition is worth 35% of your final score, picking your talent performance is one of the most important decisions. You want to do soemthing that will showcase you, you are the STAR!! If you are a singer, stay within your range and sing something you beleive in. If you are a dancer, make sure your dancing is strong and showcases your best genre, and finally, if you are playing an instrument make sure your routine is differnt. It not a recital, it is a performance!

 1. Miss America herself- Savvy Shields! Her talent was killer on the Miss America Stage. She performed a Jazz number to "They Just Keep Moving the Line" from SMASH! Her smile was infectious, you could tell she loved the song and loved to perform it. Check it out above!

2. Miss Mississippi Laura Lee Lewis wowed the judge with her rendition of "A Piece of Sky" first performed by Barbara Streisand. her passion was evident and her voice was enchanting!   

3. I love a great twirling routine and Miss Texas Caroline Carothers wowed my socks off!! Her talent was performed to "Hot Honey Rag" from the Musical Chicago. Her routine was fast and exciting. The main problem with twirling routines is when the twirler is not strong in dance and can only do the twirling tricks. I love how Caroline combined her strong background in dancing with her amazing twirling capabilities to spin her way to the top 5!

 4. I was so pleasantly surprised by Miss Tennessee Grace Burgess's performance of Desperado. Yes, she performed an old Eagles song at Miss AMERICA! This is unheard of, but she killed it! She made the words into her own and really performed the song. Theres that word again. The beautiful sparkling dress brought the pageant feel to the song and ultimately won her the preliminary Talent Award!

5. While this video above is not Miss South Carolina's MAO performance, it is a great example of her dance prowess. She is an amazing dancer. Her moved flow and her whole look compliments the song and choreography. She is an amazingly emotional dancers and it shows. Her performance was break taking and ultimately won her 1st Runner Up to Miss America

How to Style Red Hair for a Pageant

Check out this article written by fellow Florida titleholder, Miss Hollandale Beach USA Angela Cameron! YGG!https://t.co/ZDxd7TbLSk

— ThePageantDiaries (@Pageant_Diary) April 20, 2017

Knowing the Difference: Miss USA versus Miss America

DeShauna Barber, Miss USA 2016 

Savvy Shields, Miss America 2017 

As both the Miss America and Miss USA pageants prepare for their state preliminaries, I thought it would be good idea to clear up one of the most common misconceptions. Miss USA versus Miss America. These two pageants have coexisted for decades, but many people often get them mixed up.                                                                                                     At their core, the two pageants share similar goals. To empower young women and help them earn scholarship dollars, volunteer in the community, and develop leadership skills that can help them in their future careers.                                                                                                                                Both pageants begin with with pageants at the local level and then progress to the state and then national level.                                                                                                                                       Where it All Began                                                                                                                              Miss America was the first continuous women pageant in the US. It began in the 1920s in Atlantic City, N.J.  The event was officially called the Miss America Organization in 1940.                                                  Miss USA began in 1952 as on offshoot of the Miss America Pageant. It was started as a marketing project for former Miss America sponsor Catalina Swimsuits after a Miss America refused to wear a Catalina bikini in a  photoshoot. Since the Miss USA started after Miss America, all titleholder will have the words USA after their title. Example: Miss Florida USA versus Miss Florida.                                                                                                        Phases of Competition                                                                                                                        While the two pageants are very similar, there are some key differences in the phases of competition. They both feature a swimsuit and evening gown and an onstage question. The difference: Miss America contestants also compete in talent, and a longer interview during preliminaries.                                             What Comes Next                                                                                                                                  The Miss America pageant finishes completion at the National level. this is because the Miss America system is devoted to community service in the United State. In the Miss USA competition, the winner goes on to compete in the Miss Universe Pageant.  

No matter which pageant system you choose to compete in, know that it will be an awesome experience! Good Luck!!    

How to Conquer the Fitness Competition: 360 view of the Gym

Fitness is a huge part of every pageant system. While at one time pageant were focused on stick-thin model- esque figures, now they are all (mostly) calling for a fit girl. No longer will stick thin cut it, the judges want to see muscle, strenth and a dedication to overall health. For some this is easy, for others, like myself, this is the most daunting task. Growing up as a dancer, I was always fairly thin and fit. I didnt run, or play conventional sports, I had never lifted a weight or ran on a treadmill, I lived and breathed dance. I was fit and happy, until my world came crashing down. 

A reoccuring dance injury led me to retire my shoes and leotards, no longer was I spending countless hours a week dancing. My body went into shock, within three monthes my muscles had atrofied and I gained 20 pounds. It happened so fast, I didnt know what hit me. At 20 years old, I had never even been inside a gym and I was terrified. All I could imagine were big muscle men in wife beater shirts pumping iron while grunting loudly. I wanted nothing to do with it. Luckily, I wasnt fat- but I wasnt fit either. I didnt gain anymore than the 20 pounds and for me, at 5'9, it wasnt that bad. 

 Yet, I would comb through instagram, enthralled with this new wave of ultra fit women. I am naturally very competative- and I wanted to be one. I was ready to get fit, but I didnt beleive I could do it on my own. I worked for a summer and then hired myself a personal trainer. I was determined to get fit, and fast, and I needed someone to hold my hand. 

Boy was I wrong! While I prepared for Miss Florida 2016, I was met with an obstacle. I was spending countless hours in the gym and eating super healthy- but I wasnt seeing any results. 

I was so frustrated! 

I actually gained weight and looked larger. Yes, I could lift much more than I ever could in the past, but I didnt look the way I wanted. So what does any self-respecting 21st century girl do, I took to the internet! I spent days, weeks even, scouring fitness cites, read article after article, and do you know what I found? I found that I had been training all wrong for my body type, I hadnt even known there were different body types (It seemed my trainer didnt either). I learned what I needed to do and found the confidence to do it on my own. 

 Pictured above is the gym at my apartment complex. What used to be the last place you would ever find me, is now my favorite place to go. While I will always miss dancing at the intensity I used to, I can still get the same addrenaline rush at the gym. I love the hard work and the immediate payoff in my energy and mood. I've learned that fitness is not just a look, it is a mindset. It a devotion to your physical and mental well being, and it takes constant work. 

 My advice to my pageant friends: 

 1. Dont be scared. In the words of Nike, Just Do It. 

 2. Please dont starve yourself, a girls gotta eat!! Put in the hard work, you will look healthy and be so much happier. 

 3. Be patient, but dont always trust "the experts." You know your own body better than anyone else 4. If you still dont think you can do it alone, find a partner! Share your gym time with a friend, I gaurantee you will both benfit and become closer in the process. Friends who sweat together stay together!! 

5. Have fun, dont make it a chore. Play good music, watch netflix, or do your workouts outside. Anything that keeps you motivated!!

Three words: On- Stage Question

Watch this video. Study this Video. Now FORGET IT. This is how not to answer a pageant onstage question. 

While the shortest phase of the competition, these twenty seconds ultimately decide a contestant’s fate. A source of many…interesting…answers in past years, it is important to always prepare and educate yourself on world events and issues because anything can be asked on the stage. In the Miss America system, on-stage question used to be worth 5%, now its worth a whopping 20% of your total score. The 20 seconds are worth more than evening gown and swimsuit!

While many girls take to studying the news incessantly: reading papers, browsing news websites, reading blog and keeping an eye on twitter. Yet despite all this dedication, there is only so much you can know. You can walk on stage, pull your question from the fishbowl and hand it to the emcee only to find out it is that one issue you didn't study, that one fact you knew nothing about.
There are no do-overs, no phone-a-friends. Just you, a mic, and a crowd of people anticipating your answer.
DO NOT PANIC!
That is the worst thing you can do in this phase of competition. You need to keep your mind clear and composed, you can do this!
Admitting you do not know the answer may sound like the worst option. You may be scared it could hurt your score if you acknowledge there is an issue you did not study. After all, you do not want to seem unprepared to the judges. However, this is actually not true. You are only human! You cannot expect yourself to know every single thing about every event and issue in the world. It takes a lot of courage to admit you do not know the answer to a question. Use the same tone, inflection and grace when you talk as if you do know the answer. Admitting you do not know with confidence, instead of rambling, will leave a positive impression on the judges and should not affect your overall score. Especially if you have done well in all other areas of the competition.

However, while this answer may work for a local pageant, it won't cut it on the Miss Florida stage.  If you are competing at that high of level, you really have to at least attempt to answer the question. Staying positive and possibly adding some humor shows that your personable. It also shows that you can think on your feet. Mostly importantly, being comfortable with who you are enough to poke fun at yourself will radiate confidence on stage.

1.  Avoid Rambling Never, never, never, I will say it again, never ramble. There are tons of examples in recent years of why this is a horrible idea. Rambling never ends well. Take a minute, well more like 5 seconds, and compose yourself and your answer. Its better to keep the answer short and concise, rather than drone on and on about a topic you know very little about.
2. Answer with what you know. I recently received an on-stage question about dredging in Port Everglades. I can tell you one thing, I am no dredging expert. I was asked to compare the economic advantages with the environmental harm. I used what I knew to answer the question with confidence. I talked how how vital the everglades are to the Florida and world ecosystem and spoke about how it is our job to protect this vital resource. While I did not offer incite into the economic and environmental impact of the process, I offered my own incite into the importance of protecting that resource. I went on to win that pageant and received many compliments for my answer, people had no idea I didn't know what it was! They thought I was a dredging expert.
3. The most important thing to remain composed and answer with confidence and grace! As long as you keep a smile on your face and choose your words wisely, you will do just fine!

Regardless of how you choose to handle the question, remember that the key to winning any pageant is confidence. As long as you are sure in what you say and how you say it, you will do well.

Looking Forward to Miss Earth Florida with Miss Miami Earth Amber Butler

Amber Dawn Butler is a 24-year-old Masters student pursuing a degree in Marine Science and Society with a focus on Aquaculture at the University of Miami and she happens to be the reigning Miss Miami Earth. 

 Amber is no stranger to pageants, she used to compete in the Miss America system in both Maryland and Florida before she aged out last year. 

She held the titles of Miss Homestead 2013, Miss University of Miami 2014, Miss Western Maryland 2015, and Miss Florida Everglades 2016. 

Amber enjoyed great succes in the system, raising more than $5,000 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and establishing her own Non-Profit R.E.D. (Responsible Educated Drivers). 

 It was her work with R.E.D. that made her want to continue her work in pageants. "Starting RED was the greatest thing to come out from my particpiation with the Miss America system and I cant imagine stopping just because I am no longer competing." Amber says that continuing her work with a platfrom is what made her decide to continue her journey in a pageant system that also strongly advoaces for a platform. The Miss Earth organization was established in 2001 as a international environmenal based pageant system. It has since becme one of the three alrgest international pageant systems. The reigning titleholder will dedidcate their year to promote specific projects and often address issues concerning environmental and global resource issues. Miss Earth will serve as a spokesperson for Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation. The Miss Earth competitions consists of 4 phases each weighed 25% of the final score, swimsuit, runway, interview, and evening wear. Unlike the Miss America systme there is no judged Talent portion, but participants are encoruaged to have some kind of talent ability. Amber did not have to compete in a local compeition to win her title but applied for it. She was awarded the title of Miss Miami Earth on MArch 10th after being interviewed based on her resume and grades for the honor. She will compete for the title of Miss Florida Earth on May 7th in South Beach in Miami, Florida. "The Miss Earth Pageant gives me a great opportunity to continue to persue my platfrom, but also my work with the environment. As a marine scientists, I cant think of a better way to combine my love for marine life with my love of pageants.