This past Sunday I had the joy of watching the first ever class to compete for the title of Miss East King County in the Miss America system. It's the first pageant I've watched in person since Miss Washington USA back in October and I was so excited to see my sash sister, Tawny, compete again. This was her first pageant since Miss Washington USA and boy have we both learned so much since that weekend!
Other than the Miss America pageant I haven't researched or known much about the Miss America system despite it's popularity! With my friend competing I got to learn a lot and develop some feelings about the system; but first a quick snapshot of the pageant.
Other than the Miss America pageant I haven't researched or known much about the Miss America system despite it's popularity! With my friend competing I got to learn a lot and develop some feelings about the system; but first a quick snapshot of the pageant.
This pageant was incredibly small due to the nature of the pageant. This was the first class and it also was set up and performed with in two months of it's inception! Despite that, they had a cozy venue in a prime location and had 7 talented young women. One of the girls I actually had take a course with at the University of Washington back in 2013. Despite the short notice the emcees were a joy and kept the crowd entertained as best as possible. There were a few hiccups (as with all new productions) but the girls and the staff handled it like professionals.
At the end of the pageant there seemed to be a clear forerunner after they announced the smaller awards (Miss Congeniality, Directors Choice, etc.) and Ashley Cranston won! I learned after the pageant that after competing a few times, this was her last chance and that the competitors were so happy that she won! I heard of her kindness and hard work to help other contestants and for her platform. She had an interesting choice of dress, I would have never thought of a miss evening gown in that color but she is far more experienced than I am! Her look felt fresh, unique, and reflected a fun personality while still being physically flattering.
My favorite talent was Shannon Malnes contemporary Irish step dancing. It was so much fun to see her dance. The talent winner and second runner up was Robyn Olson who performed "Great Balls of Fire" on the piano. I thought that talent was was classic and could have been boring but I loved the modern take to entertain the crowd and show her personality. The only reason it wasn't my favorite was because of the accompanying music on CD that sometimes drowned out her talent. Their talents really made me think about what I would do if I were to compete in the America system.
Finally, my favorite section was the onstage interview. I loved that each contestant was asked about their platform. I find platforms to be the most important because they display their innermost beliefs and hard work. After their platform question each contestant was asked a random question from the bowl and they were the most intense onstage questions I've heard. The pageant directors were serious in wanting a a well spoken and knowledgable queen. Examples of questions were: "What do think of the pass/fail grading system in public schools?", "What do you think about teachers carrying concealed weapons in public schools", "Do you think our culture focuses too much on beauty?".
This pageant was a blast to watch because it was short, sweet, and a different experience than a USA system pageant. I truly enjoyed the experience and it made me even more excited to keep prepping for Miss Earth USA in July. I definitely need to work on my interview, and onstage presentations. I am so proud of Tawny and all of her hard work and can't wait to see her compete some more. It's so hard to find other girls interested in pageants and since we started competing at the exact same time it's even more bonding. It was nice to see how close the girls in the America system were, the current local title holders were so friendly with each other and communicated warmly with the crowd. It was easy to see why they won. I even was given a lesson in networking by Little Miss Sky Valley who made her way introducing herself to all the title holders in the crowd.
This pageant was a blast to watch because it was short, sweet, and a different experience than a USA system pageant. I truly enjoyed the experience and it made me even more excited to keep prepping for Miss Earth USA in July. I definitely need to work on my interview, and onstage presentations. I am so proud of Tawny and all of her hard work and can't wait to see her compete some more. It's so hard to find other girls interested in pageants and since we started competing at the exact same time it's even more bonding. It was nice to see how close the girls in the America system were, the current local title holders were so friendly with each other and communicated warmly with the crowd. It was easy to see why they won. I even was given a lesson in networking by Little Miss Sky Valley who made her way introducing herself to all the title holders in the crowd.
On a side note, the current Miss Washington looked absolutely stunning at the pageant. After hearing her speak during the break for score calculations I completely understood why she is Miss Washington; she communicates well and spreads such a loving message. It was inspiring to know the first time she sang in front of a crowd was at a local Miss America pageant and after three tries she won. I wish I had gotten a photo with her but her compliment on my skirt was sweet enough. All photos are from Brad Cole Photography since his are way better than any I took. If you want to see more pictures, stories, and videos check out the #MEKC and #beMEKC tags on Instagram and Twitter. |