Pageant Press: Record Number Vie For Pageant Crowns

A record number of contestants -- 175 -- vied for Benton County Fair pageant crowns...

CLICK HERE for The Morning News' complete article.

What? Are you kidding me? Yes, it's Arkansas, but 175?? Unfortunately the article doesn't include what the contestants had to do, what was won and most importantly, how in the world they got so many contestants. If I were an E.D. I'd be looking up the Benton County Fair for some tips!

“Emergency” Pageant Poll: Low Contestant Numbers

Despite decent numbers in early pageants, in the past few days I have heard and read that Miss Ohio locals are now barely getting enough contestants to operate (not that we didn't already know this was the case)! North East Ohio has only five women with CMN pages, Clayland has only 7 women; Portsmouth/Scioto Valley had to extend their deadline and Maumee Valley/ All*American City has few applications. I think we all know the answer “why,” but here are polls to see if we’re right… Special thanks to Laura for help with this poll! Email me if you have a poll idea.

SCROLL BELOW FOR A SECOND POLL AND VOTE ONLY IN THE ONE THAT APPLIES TO YOU! Either you are a current contestants, or "everyone else."

Direct link to contestant poll; second direct link.

CMN Fundraising Idea

This article was posted on the (unofficial) Miss America message board:

MIDDLEBORO —The Burt Wood School of Performing Arts has chosen to join the Miss Massachusetts campaign to raise money for both The Children's Miracle Network and the Miss America Scholarship Fund. Valerie Amaral, Miss Massachusetts 2007, is a teacher and former student at the local performing arts school and will be competing in the Miss America Scholarship Pageant in January of 2008.

For as little as $1, supporters are encouraged to "Buy a Crown" during the afternoon and evening business hours of The Burt Wood School located at 63 Anderson Avenue in Middleboro, Monday through Thursday from 3-7 p.m. Each crown — with words of encouragement to Miss Amaral and the name of the donor — will be displayed in the school lobby.

The crown purchases will help support both causes: The Miss America Scholarship Fund, which made available more than $45 million in scholarship assistance this year through its state and local organizations; and The Children's Miracle Network, an alliance of hospitals for children which provide medical care, life-saving research, and preventative education to help millions of children overcome diseases and injuries of every kind.

For more information about participating in this event, call The Burt Wood School of Performing Arts at 508-946-1071 or visit www.burtwoodschool.com For more information on The Miss America Scholarship Fund, go to www.missamerica.org, and for more information on The Children's Miracle Network, go to www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org.

Roberta's Miss America Talent- Setting the Record Straight!

Rumors surfaced recently that Miss Ohio, Roberta Camp, will be singing the song “Open Arms” for her Miss America Talent. I heard from Roberta yesterday and indeed, she will be singing “Open Arms.” However, she is singing the original version by the group Journey, and not Mariah Carey’s version, as the rumor-mill insisted.

She is very excited about it and grateful she got into the flight she had prayed for, so she can perform her Talent the first night of preliminaries.

[On the left, Roberta performs "Blessed" at Miss Ohio; photo from the Mansfield News Journal.] Since I know you're wondering... No, Roberta will not be wearing this white gown to sing "Open Arms;" she has something new and wonderul in the works! I can't wait to see and hear her new talent!

Pageant Press: Pageant Disproves Ahmadinejad's "No Gays" Statement

At least one group is disproving Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s assertion that there is no such thing as a gay Iranian... The 2007 International Mr. Gay competition included 26-year-old, who represented Iran.

* This entry has been edited and the link to the article has been removed for the safety of the participant in question. Though our government is stupid at times, at least it's open-minded and not a dictatorship.

Pageant Poll of the Week: Pageant Experience and Professional Resumes

* Check it out again- this post was edited 9.26 at 11 a.m.

I have been on the job hunt for the past couple weeks, as my position as the Face of FOX Toledo is pretty much over. For the past month I have helped acclimate the new Face, but today was my last time in the studio filming commercials and my last event is October 6th.

Ironically, there has been some recent discussion on pageant message boards about whether or not to include your pageant experience on a resume. This is a topic that comes up every now and again; this time someone was reporting that a former Miss State USA was not including her title on her medical school application due to the pageant’s bad press. I have included my Miss Ohio accomplishments on the resumes I’ve given out; it’s the very last line on the page under “Other Experience.”

Given the recent negativity around pageants, do you still or would you include you crown conquests on a professional resume? (Direct link)

I have discovered that only I can see what someone writes under "other" when I log into my PollDaddy account. I had hoped everyone could see it, or that it would even become a new voting option. Instead I will update this post to include the "other" comments. So far:

* "yes, but only a few things"

I totally agree; the last line of my resume simply reads "Miss America Scholarship Program: Five time Miss Ohio contestants, Rosalie McAtee Interview Award and Top 10 Semifinalist."

If anyone who voted "NO" would be willing to leave a comment (which can be anonymous) explaining your stance I think that would be helpful to contestants and formers struggling with this difficult decision.

Check out Amy's Blog for Miss Clayland info,
including the disappointingly short contestant list!

From Miss to Mrs.: Congratulations Amanda and Craig!

Last weekend Miss Ohio 2004 Amanda Beagle wed her long-time boyfriend Craig Raymaley! Both singers, Craig and Amanda are a wonderful pair both on and off the stage. Check out their website bel Duetto, from which the photo on the left was copied.

2008 Miss America Line-up

I didn’t get to watch the live online lottery tonight because I was teaching a youth theatre class at Starbound, but I read that Roberta was the 13th contestant to pick her number. She selected #14, which is fourth from last in the second flight. She is right behind Miss Virgin Islands who is a jazz dancer; that is awesome placement because she's after two non-vocalists and I hate to be mean, but Miss Virgin Islands is never a very strong contestant.

Roberta’s flight will have Monday afternoon Interviews, Talent Tuesday, Onstage Question Wednesday and Swimsuit and Evening Gown on Thursday. Note, Miss America has gone back to having all the private Interviews before the onstage competition.

Alaska had the 11th pick and selected #1 in Roberta’s flight, I call that crazy, but that’s just me… North Dakota, Georgia, South Carolina, Maine and Iowa had already put themselves in Roberta’s flight prior to her turn. Florida and Nevada were the last two ladies to choose.

CLICK HERE to see the complete lineup.

Best of Luck To Miss Ohio, Roberta Camp, Tonight As She Selects Her Miss America Contestant Number!

CLICK HERE to watch the live, online contestant lottery starting at 6 p.m.

How it works: The website randomly selects one state at a time, and once selected that state’s titleholder will have an allotted amount of time to decide which contestant number she would like to have at Miss America. State contestants will obviously be logged in somehow, whereas fans can simply watch.

At Miss Ohio this happens in person at the Spring Forum; someone pulls the contestants names from a bowl, and then the contestant has a minute to decide what contestant number she wants. It is extremely tense!

What do contestants consider when selecting their position in a pageant?

Flights: At Miss State and Miss America there are usually three preliminary nights, so contestants are divided into “flights” and each flight has a different preliminary competition schedule. So, contestants consider what order they want to perform the different areas of competition in, in order to know which flight they want. Some women like to make sure they do their best phase on the first preliminary night, or maybe they hide their worst phase until the last night. Other women select their flight depending on when the Private Interview will be.

Number Placement: It’s risky, but some women actually like to be first. Most often though, contestants prefer to be near the end of the contestant order.

Other Contestants: A competitive contestant needs to consider which other contestants she wants to avoid, and who she wouldn’t mind having in her flight, and near her in the order.

* Avoidance: In the interest of winning a preliminary award it’s best NOT to have your biggest competition in your flight. You also might want to try to avoid women who are similar to you, so the judges don’t confuse the two of you. (By similar I mean in looks and talent type.) Likewise, some women try to have a contestant with a different type talent before them, so the judges aren’t getting bored with the same thing, or directly comparing them.

* Seek out: If a “weak” or inexperienced contestant is right in front of you, then you’ll look even stronger when you grace the stage. On the other hand, I have seen extremely strong contestants put themselves beside one another to “one up” the other. It’s a gutsy move, but it makes for an entertaining pageant!

Contestants need to think about their strategy so they can easily adjust in accordance to what numbers other women pick and when their name is called. Obviously, you need to think in terms of both overall competition and specific phases.

In these lotteries, I always felt it was best to have your name pulled near the middle. If you’re pulled early you can get the flight and position you want, but you have no idea how your competition will stack up. Of course, if you’re pulled too late you don’t have many options.

Bad Pageant Press: The Tiara Was Nice, Now Where's the Scholarship?

The Tiara Was Nice, Now Where's the Scholarship?
A New York Times article by Jennifer Lee.

“You are talking about an organization that is promoting itself as the largest scholarship provider for women in the world,” Ms. Wood, 26, said of the Miss America Organization. “When contestants try to collect their funds, they encounter one obstacle after another.”

Ms. Wood said she was told that she would not get the $20,000 for winning the Miss South Carolina pageant in part because her two local pageants had not paid her $950 that she had won from them (Ms. Wood said that after she enrolled in classes, one group reneged on payment and the other dodged her when she tried to collect). In turn, because she did not receive the state money, the national pageant sent her a letter in June saying she was ineligible for the $5,000 from it, even though the deadline to use her national scholarship had not passed. “It’s like a game of gotcha,” she said. “What is very clear to me is that the goal is to not give out the scholarships if at all possible.”

Interviews with contestants across the country describe a Miss America system in which local pageant directors do not return telephone calls and e-mail messages for months, local competitions close down before scholarships are distributed, and the fine print in contracts creates hurdles.

In a statement, the Miss America Organization, based in Linwood, N.J., said: “While it is unimaginable that scholarships, which are the heart and soul of Miss America, could or would be wrongly withheld from pageant participants, we are looking into these allegations... The statement added, “The Miss America Organization is absolutely unaware of any young lady that has ever been denied payment of scholarships after properly following the application process.”

Click the link above for the complete article and CLICK HERE for a preemptive letter from Miss America about this article.

It’s certainly not news that “dead beat” local E.D.s exist. All this article is proving is that in some cases States and Miss America need to wave the procedural rules IF a contestant can prove she has done all she can to get her local money.

I’ll admit, my parents and I often sighed a complaint of “why can’t they just hand out a check with the crown!?!?” But, sending a school bill is really not that hard, and I understand the need for the procedures. In my experience, Miss Ohio’s Treasurer Tim O’Guinn has actually gone well out of his way to make sure women get their state scholarships.

The trouble the contestants in this article have had is unfortunate; but the article itself and the uninformed negativity it will foster is even worse!

FAQs of CMN

*** BREAKING PAGEANT NEWS: Miss Ohio has adopted a “cap” for the local CMN donations. In short, once a contestant raises $400 she may enter all subsequent local pageants for “free." ***

There has been confusion about the specifics of the CMN donation requirements, so I decided to go direct to the source and get some straight answers. I emailed the Miss Ohio office and am appreciative of the following answers Executive Director, Jeri Waite, provided…

Q: In Ohio, is there a deadline for when the $100 for a local pageant must be turned in? If a contestant does not have it by the day of the pageant, can she still compete and turn it in later?

A: The Local establishes the deadline and can grant a grace period because of cash or check contributions but the contestant cannot compete in additional locals until the $100 requirement is met at the first local. Common sense should dictate to the local that if a contestant is a "slow pay", contributions should be in in advance of competition.

Q: Similarly, if a contestant applies for a local, but can not come up with the CMN money and must pull out of the pageant, does that count as a strike against her in terms of the No Show policy?

A: Not meeting the required contribution level can be counted against contestants because a tough competition could be avoided by not raising the necessary contributions.

Q: Is Ohio implementing the $400 or 4 locals “cap” Miss America is now allowing?

A: The $400 threshold, although it could possibly hurt locals held later in the year, has been adopted in Ohio for the current year of competition ending June 21, 2008. I emphasize that this can change on a year-to-year basis.

Jeri further wrote: We are barely 8 months into this relationship between CMN and MAO and we will have "growing pains" going forward not unlike those we have already experienced to this point. With anything new, there are challenges, but with patience, understanding, and cooperation, we can make this a very successful joint venture.

The CMN donation requirement is certainly not popular, but if it has to exist, I think the $400 cap is at least a compromise. In my opinion, it will now be easier for contestants to set a goal of $400… If they win one of their first three pageants, then the additional money should then just roll over to their state requirement, right?

Direct Link

Miss Michigan USA, Anyone?

This Saturday is Miss Michigan USA, held in Port Huron. I’d really like to go, but it’s a pretty long drive to make by myself, and unlike a Miss Ohio local, I won’t know anyone when I get there. :( Port Huron is northeast of Detroit, and just over 2 hours from Toledo. The pageant begins at 8:30 and tickets are $25 to $35.

Let me know if anyone wants to go!

Listen to Toledo's 92.5 KISS FM tomorrow morning; I'll be on the Andrew Z in the Morning show for their duration. Coffee help me, that means 6 A.M.!

Pageant Poll of the Week: Recent Pageant Scandals

Last week’s poll dealt with contestant’s use of Internet networking sites. I was actually surprised by the results; most contestants said “I won’t edit my account, no matter what! It’s my right and no ones business!” while most others responded with “If a contestant wants to have one of those accounts, that’s fine, but it should be VERY edited.”

Given that reaction, I’m anxious to see how everyone votes in regards to Amy Polumbo’s Facebook debacle, as well as Tara Connor’s near crown repo. All are welcome to vote…

Direct link to first poll; direct link to second poll.

About Me...

** Edited July 4, 2010 **

Greetings! I am Abby, a blogger!

I'm also a former pageant contestant, graduate of Bowling Green State University, vocalist, actress, second Face of FOX Toledo and Universal Studios Tour Guide. No, I’m really not this big of a narcissist to dedicate a post to my bio; rather, this was created as a link for my sidebar.
[Photos above thanks to Timothy R. Russell.]

Recent News
My life is finally all in one place! We sold our house in Toledo; Loren, our pets and I are now settled in the fantastic city of Pasadena!

LA Story
In 2008 I packed up my car and drove cross country to Los Angeles to utilize my Theatre degree. For two years I traversed the mean city on my own while my beau, Loren, battled an abysmal market trying to sell our house in Toledo. Living with various roommates was like all the worst parts of college and none of the fun!

I was extremely lucky to land the best day job in Hollywood as soon as I got here, as opposed to being a waitress! I am a proud tour guide at Universal Studios Hollywood, "the biggest and busiest movie studio in the world." I went through a once-a-year, three round audition/interview process and extensive training for the coveted position! I guide tourist from across the globe through the actual sets where years of movie magic have been and continue to be made! I'm constantly driving down Wisteria Lane and past the Psycho House and Bates Motel; I see the DeLorean from Back to the Future and Bruce, the mechanical shark from Jaws all the time!

I hope to one day work on those sets as an actor the guides speak of...! Being an actor is like being a small business owner. I am constantly working to market myself and improve my craft by attending casting director seminars, acting classes, updating and sending my headshots and resume out and of course, submitting for roles and going on auditions. I also support myself with extra work, now called, "background artist." I have worked on many popular TV shows, from Big Love to the Big Bang Theory and a few films, including Iron Man 2, Inception and Valentines Day. It is not as glamorous as it sounds but has helped me learn where all the studios are and how things run on a set. My main reason for doing dreaded extra work is to join SAG, the actors union; one way to do this is by working background three times on "SAG vouchers." They're hard to come by but I have two! One was for being a last minute fill-in on 24 and the second for being a body double. I was the legs sticking out of an MRI machine on House.

Here are some fun pictures from background work. 60s style for Mad Men and all gothed-out for Flash Forward:

Although it was sneakily cast as extra work and dramaticaly underpaid, I was featured with seven others in campaign that stood in Hollywood's three ArcLight Cinemas!

As soon as I got to LA I landed roles in two musicals that were part of the inaugural Mini-Musical Festival (April in New York and Close Call: A Day in the Life of the County Cornier). I have also done an internal marketing video for ABC/ESPN/Disney channel, a commercial for the movie Meet Dave and received IMDB credit for an online promotional video, Izzy Legit. Over the past two years I have learned a great deal, about the business and myself; Los Angeles is an extremely difficult place to live on your own, but I am grateful for the support of my friends in the Buckeye state.

Now that I'm a California girl, my would-be-platform is the NOH8 Campaign!

Actor Headshots by Chris Carlisle






















My Pageant Experience

I held five local titles in the Miss America system, winning various Interview, Talent and Swimsuit awards and earning nearly $13,000 in scholarships. I was Miss Lake Festival 2001, Miss Lorain County 2002, Miss Miami Valley 2003, Miss Northwestern Ohio 2004 and Miss Maumee Valley 2005. At Miss Ohio I was awarded a Rosalie McAtee Interview Award and was a Top 10 Semifinalist.

Now that I have “aged out” of the MAO I enjoy giving back as a volunteer and continuing to blog about pageant happenings. I have also competed twice for the title Miss Ohio USA and was crowned the Great American Dream Queen in a competition on WLIO-Lima, hosted by former Miss Americas.

It seem like yesterday…

During my time at BGSU I acted in many stage productions and student films, and most influentially, I was a member of the Forensics (speech) team and PKD Forensics Honorary. I was a three-time National Forensics Champion, winning Rhetorical Criticism in 2005 at the Pi Kappa Delta Honorary National Tournament and Dramatic Duo Interpretation in 2004 and 2006 at the Collegiate Forensics Association National Tournament. I am a founding member and Co-chair of BGSUs Pi Kappa Delta Alumni Chapter and enjoy coaching and judging when I am back in Ohio.

As a BGSU student I worked tirelessly with my pageant platform, the Springboard! program. For seven semesters I served as a one-on-one mentor with first year students in a program designed to acclimate them to the college experience to ensure their future success.

Only a few months after graduating with my Theatre degree I was selected the second “Face of FOX Toledo,” a year-long promotional position. As an on-air personality and station representative I appeared in several TV commercials every day, hosted live telethons and parades, emceed charitable events and made various community appearances.



While in Toledo I also taught youth acting classes at Starbound and was a weekly guest personality on 92.5 KISS FM’s Andrew Z in the Morning show.

In my spare time

In Ohio I enjoyed bird watching and nature photography, interior decorating and playing poker. In LA, I love all the hiking trails in the Hollywood Hills and Angeles National forst, but no, I don't go to the beach much as I should...

I am an experienced public speaker, emcee and vocalist; CONTACT ME FOR AN APPEARANCE TODAY at abbybollenbacher@yahoo.com.

Welcome to the Blogosphere!

Just Jillian is a new blog from Jillian Dansko. She is competing this season for her fourth try at Miss Ohio, having been Miss Buckeye State, Miss North Coast and Miss Greater Dayton.







Local contestant Heather Wells has also jumped on the blog bandwagon with
My Pageant Journey.

Jessica Nelson has not yet competed in a local, but she’s preparing to make the leap from the audience to the stage. Her new blog is
Jess's Quest for Miss Ohio.

Also, I’ve rearranged my blog links on the sidebar, adding several new ones under “Miscellaneous Blogs.” If you would like to add or remove a link, email me or leave a comment.

Message Board Updates

Every now and again pageant message boards take a break from scandal and slander and instead overflow with fun and informative posts.
Scroll below to check some of them out...

Evening Gown Extravaganza: Miss Venezuela

If you love evening gowns (and what true pageant fan doesn't?) you simply must watch the competition at Miss Venezuela 2007. These Latin ladies wore some of the most gergous and unique gowns I've ever seen!
Click below for the YouTube videos.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Guidelines for “Non Traditional” MAO Locals

Click each thumbnail to enlarge.

Miss America Lauren Nelson on "SexySassySmart TV"

Pageant Press: Is Anything Private Anymore?

Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo is featured on the cover of today's Parade.

Amy Polumbo, 22, restricted her page on Facebook to 100 or so people who knew her password. “It was a way for me to keep in touch with friends all over the country,” she says. But after she was crowned Miss New Jersey in June, someone downloaded pictures of her and threatened blackmail. She thwarted the attempt by releasing the photos herself (they’re quite innocent) but suffered weeks of embarrassment.

“I know how easy it is for someone to take advantage of you on the Internet,” says Polumbo. “The Web is a place where people can destroy your reputation if you’re not
careful.”

CLICK HERE for the entire article, but Amy's only in the paragraphs above.

A Negative Miss America Article in the New York Times???

I have no idea if this letter is legitimate; I guess time will tell…

Dear State Executive Directors,

Recently, our office was approached by a writer from the New York Times inquiring about the scholarship program and how our contestants are paid each year. The writer had been researching this subject for several weeks and had spoken with some previous contestants who reached out to her directly. These former contestants, to the best of our knowledge had NOT followed MAO guidelines and proper procedures and therefore may have missed out on some of their scholarship awards. This will be the focus of the story.

Our office spoke at great lengths with this writer to present a more accurate account of the process that we have in place to present a fair and balanced story. Unfortunately, the writer seems to be focused on a very small number of girls that missed out on the scholarships and not on the thousands that benefit every year from our program.

We hope that you will understand when reading the story which should come out within the upcoming week, that it was handled aggressively, yet in an extremely measured and thoughtful way. Our Organization's behavior is beyond reproach and we hope that our position is interpreted in this way. Our statement is as follows:

The Miss America Organization is absolutely unaware of any young lady that has ever been denied payment of scholarships after properly following the application process. When questions arise and come to our attention, we are very proactive and call the individual state to discuss any contestant confused by the application process. The Miss America Organization is built on a tradition that spans over 86 years and continues to be a wonderful institution because it enables young women every year to participate in the Scholarship Program to further their education and to help them achieve their goals. The Miss America Organization will ALWAYS stand behind payments to its contestants by ensuring that its state organizations follow their own official scholarship agreements filed with our office.

We thank you for your continued support,

Sharon Pearce
Director of Communications

Miss America's Outstanding Teen, Caitlin Brunell

New "official" photo by Zak G.

Miss Universe, Riyo Mori

This was taken during a Fadil Berisha photo shoot;
I can't wait to see the actual photo!

P.S. Ouch! Very cool... but ouch!

From Miss to Mrs.: Congrats Erin and Tim!

The beautiful Erin Jeffery competed at Miss Ohio as Miss North Coast, Miss Ohio Valley and Miss Maple City; at Miss Ohio USA she placed in the Top 5 in 2005 and Top 15 in 2006. Last weekend she traded her pageant crown for a bridal tiara, marrying long time boyfriend, Tim Rathman! Congrats to Erin and Tim! I wish I could have attended the Cincinnati-area wedding, but unfortunately my beau, Loren, gets limited Saturdays off work. Thankfully Erin’s mom, Jenny, shared the pictures below with me (click most to enlarge):

They always say you'll meet your bridesmaids by competing in pageants... can you name these ladies?

Above on the left is Kyrsten Chambers, Miss West Central Ohio 2006;
on the right Laura Estrada, Miss Greater Cleveland 2006.

Triple Crown?

I spoke with my former directors yesterday, the wonderful Eric and Linda Wagener of Miss Maumee Valley and Miss All*American City.

They have an impressive new sponsor and could financially offer a Triple Crown pageant! Yes, you read correctly, one pageant could culminate with three new Miss titleholders!

I say could because something is missing… The money is there, but the contestants are not. I believe the minimum number of contestants required to give three crowns is fifteen. Understandably, Wagener’s can not wait until the last minute to know how many crowns they are offering, so APPLY TODAY!

Obviously the new CMN donation requirement is reducing the number of local contestants and it’s been suggested it’s also why women are only applying for one pageant at a time. Even though Miss Maumee Valley/Miss All*American City/ Miss ??? is not until November 4, I urge contestants to enter early; you could have a one in five chance at a crown!

Pageant Poll of the Week: Contestants and Networking Sites

The Internet has dramatically affected every part of our society, especially pageantry. As we’ve seen recently, when the current generation of contestants act like their peers, posting information and photos on the Internet without a second thought, it can cause a major crown crisis!
Due to Internet exposure "appropriateness" is questioned at every turn.

How do you think contestants and titleholders should balance their Internet life with their pageant life, regarding sites like MySpace and Facebook? Read carefully, answers for both contestants and everyone else are all in the same poll... (Direct link to poll.)

Related Articles:

Revealing photos are becoming passe in America

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two decades after a nude photo scandal helped cost a Miss America her title, Americans may be adopting a more ho-hum attitude toward people who bare it all for the cameras...

Amy Polumbo

Listen For Me On Andrew Z!

THIS MORNING on Toledo’s 92.5 KISS FM I’ll be on the “In the ladies room” segment of Andrew Z in the Morning with Trish between 8 and 9 a.m.! If all goes well that will become a weekly gig for me. Wish me luck and tune in!

MTV's Video Music Awards

Brittany's big come back was a train wreck and Miss USA/Universe titleholders walked the red carpet promoting their new reality show!
Miss South "Such As" Carolina Teen USA was even in the VMAs!

Check out Amy's blog for more...

Delphos Canal Days Pageant Pictures

Special thanks to Victoria's mom, Chris Miller for these photos! Click each picture to enlarge it. They feature Victoria after being crowned and in "Fun Wear," as well as the court and all the contestants in the Hairspray opening number. Oh, and of course that's me in the white dress with Victoria after the pageant... Yes, I know Labor Day has passed, but didn't you hear, that fashion rule is out of vogue, especially considering it's still 80 degrees!


CLICK HERE for a brief article about the pageant.

Fall Application Deadlines

Deadline - Pageant name (Pageant date)

September 15- Miss North East Ohio (October 7)
September 15- Miss Clayland (October 13)
October 1- Miss Portsmouth/Miss Scioto Valley (October 27)
October 22- Miss Maumee Valley/ Miss All American City (November 4)
NO DATE- Miss Northwestern Ohio (November 10)
December 31- Miss Maple City (February 2)

Contestants, I completely understand how much of a huge pain pageant paperwork is! Trust me, I do. On the other hand, it's important for you to understand how difficult it is for E.D.s to plan their program, create judges books, program books and scripts when contestants apply at the last minute. I'm sure Terri Tinsman (Miss Ohio's business manager) and a few local E.D.s are chuckling right now because I was always late. Always! I knew that made me look bad and it lowered my self-confidence.

Save yourself the embarrassment and multiple days of paperwork woes and make a day of filling it out and sending it in to multiple programs. I always hated the annoying cost of postage and having to let go of several copies of headshots and talent c.d.s, but honestly, with the accessibility of computers, the photos and c.d.s aren’t that big of a deal. This may sound weird, but I think it would actually be easier to spend $20 or $25 at the post office once instead of making several head-ache causing, time consuming trips that cost $3 or $4 each.

Also, you may think applying to multiple programs makes you seem less confident in your ability to capture the crown; but I guarantee the attributes of organization and preparedness win out in this circumstance. You will be a well-liked contestant by E.D.s and committee members; you’re not more or less likely to win based on when you send your paperwork in, but a warm reception by the people running the pageant sure is nice, as opposed to being the girl that made their job harder!

Dine to Donate Tonight in Mansfield!

Click to enlarge and print the flyer on the left.

Present it TONIGHT from 4 to 9 p.m. at Mansfield's Applebee's and 15% of your bill will go to the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program.

Congratulations to the New Miss SEO Teen, Renae Wright!

Miss SEO Teen ($1,000): Renae Wright
First Runner-up: Miranda Walker
Second Runner-up: Sierra Moore

Spirit Award: Emileigh Brocklehurst
Evening Gown: Emileigh Brocklehurst
Health and Fitness: Emileigh Brocklehurst

Other contestants: Jennifer Guerin, Amanda Lanning and Tori Green.

"She's very articulate, very polished," said judge Meghan Olmstead, who is a former Miss Greater Akron and Miss Summit County. "She has great leadership skills. You could tell in the interview that she really has an idea of the tactics she would take to tackle a problem."

Areas of competition included interview (30 percent), talent (20 percent), commitment to community service (20 percent), health and fitness (15 percent) and evening wear (15 percent).

"The best part is watching the girls engage the audience and really connecting with them," [pageant director] LeVeck said ... "And seeing their growth from year to year. An event like this really prepares them for things like the Y-City Star or other pageants. I'm proud of them all."

CLICK HERE for the entire Zanesville Times Recorder article.
Photo above by Matthew Leasure.

Congrats to Victoria Miller, the Delphos Canal Days Queen!

Tonight Victoria Miller was selected to reign over the Old Fashion Canal Days next weekend in Delphos and awarded $500. Victoria was recently the First Runner-up and Swimsuit winner at the Miss West Central Ohio pageant.

First Runner-up ($250): Jenna Dancer

Second Runner-up ($100): Rachel Osting
Third Runner-up ($50): Alexis Mohler

Congeniality: Alyssa Pohlman
People's Choice: Alexis Mohler

All of the contestants are above, L-R: Victoria Recker, Lindsay Blankenship, Jenna Dancer, Alexis Mohler, Alicia Odenweller, Rachel Osting, Jennifer Morris, Alyssa Pohlman and Victoria Miller.

It's obviously a horrible photo because I didn't have my infamous good camera with me, but I must point out that six of these nine ladies had gowns that pleasantly surprised me! These were juniors and seniors in high school, yet most of the gowns didn't scream “prom dress;” I found most of them to be age appropriate, beautiful onstage and expressive of the girls personality.

CLICK HERE for an article with very detailed bios of all the ladies.

I'll have more on my judging experience and better photos from Victoria Miller's mom soon.

Great Growing Dane!

Last night Loren and the dogs and I stayed with my parents since I judged a pageant near my hometown today. Taking pictures of Hanz (our Great Dane puppy) at my parent’s house has become a measuring stick for his growth. Even if you're not an animal person, these are just funny!

In the photos he's about 7 weeks, then 4 months
and now just over 10 months.