Pageant week: Miss New York 2009

Well, this post is only a few weeks overdue, but simply for the reason that I have been crazy-busy trying to settle back into real life... what with Independence Day and my best friend's 21st birthday going on, it's been tough to get myself in front of a computer long enough to update! Well, here I am.

I have to say, the Miss New York experience is quite an intense one. It is cheerleading competition, IMTA, the school musical and prom all rolled into one. Twelve hours a day in heels results in losing 3 pounds and a permenantly deformed spine... BUT, on the bright side, I can now spend an entire night in heels without flinching :) Beauty is pain, people. The choreography was amazing, thanks to Kent Parham, without whom I would have never known to put my hands on my waist instead of my hips ("Emphasize your small parts, not your wide parts!"), nor would I be able to french turn (although I still haven't got it down just right... but Miss Metropolitan helped tremendously with that!) I have to admit, all of the choreography made it a little intimidating during swimsuit and evening gown; I found myself more concerned with doing the steps right, lest I incur the wrath of Kent (juuust kidding! He's a big softy :)) I was very nervous, much more nervous than I had been at Finger Lakes... if only my director had told me BEFORE the friday night swimsuit prelims that at Miss Finger Lakes I had received the highest swimsuit score... that might have boosted me a little bit, but it's ok, there is no one to blame here for anything, because I still had a TON of fun.

Thursday night was also a very sad night, as we all know it was the night Michael Jackson passed away. We were all getting ready for prelims when we received the news; it put us all in a very somber mood. Rest In Peace, MJ.

On Thursday I was to do my on-stage question, which I believe went very well, and my talent. Now, there were only two monologues this year, myself and Lynn Tryon (Miss Mohawk Valley). Lynn was contestant four, and I was contestant seven. So, just imagine my face when, four seconds into Lynn's monologue, the body mic buzzed and went dead. Kent took one look at me and said, "What do you wanna do, you want a hand mic or a stand mic?" I said neither, for two reasons: Lynn did not have a mic, so I wanted to keep it fair and level the playing field, and also because I had not rehearsed it with any other mic and felt it might come off as far less natural than I wanted. Beside, we've all heard my talk; I'm the loudest person in the world, blame 11 years of cheerleading for that, and I knew I'd be able to project ok. They left the floor mics on for me, to give me a little supplemental feedback, and it turned out even better than during rehearsals! So all in all, it was not such a bad thing.

I did not win any preliminary awards this year, nor did I win the Miss America Academic Award... I was actually pretty bummed about that, considering that I had a 4.0 and could have really used the scholarship. However, even a 4.0 can't beat a Columbia grad! So, Melanie (Miss Southeast NY) certainly deserved it. I did win a contestant basket, though!! It was the Miss Outstanding Teen Buffalo basket, and I wanted it because there was a t-shirt with my favorite football player, Terrell Owens, on it along with his signature quote: "Getcha popcorn ready!" Can't wait for football season to start!!

The other events of the week were a lot of fun; touring the city with Henry Hudson before going to Angelo's Prime 677 (absolutely incredibly dining experience right in Albany), the tour of the Capitol building (including the room where absolutely nothing is getting done), a fashion show at Colonie Center Mall compliments of Eli Wedel and his genius designs for NVM9 clothing (http://www.nvmber9.com/), and lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We were welcomed so warmly into Albany, it made for a very fun week.

The Miss New York Outstanding Teen show was on Saturday night, and my teen Katrina did an AMAZING job! Her monologue was hilarious and she looked beautiful in evening gown. We were also treated to a stunning performance by Alexandra Mazzuchelli, Miss NY OT 2008. One problem I did have with the production, though, was the song choice for evening gown... a Chris Brown song?? Really?! This man has beaten and assaulted his girlfriend, and his music should absolutely not be associated with an organization that is meant to instill confidence in young women and empower them, and choosing to incorporate music by him is, to me, turning a blind eye to what he has done. Other than that, the show was wonderful, and congrats to Kara Kowalski, our new Miss NY OT! I know you will make us all very proud in Florida next month!

Finally, as all good things must come to an end, the finals were upon us. I did not make top ten, which I was honestly a bit surprised about. Having had the highest scores in swimuit, evening gown, and interview at Miss Finger Lakes, I felt like a very strong contender for the title and job of Miss New York. However, as I have been told and as I now realize, the judging process is very subjective and it is all about what each particular sees in you and every other girl. I know that I did a good job, but that I probably could have done better. Should I have the chance to go back next year, I know exactly what to fix. The top ten then became top five, and I couldn't have selected a better top five (well, besides myself being there of course ;)!) My girl Inga won 1st runner-up and I am SOOO happy for her!! Alyse was crowned Miss New York 2009, and the weird thing is, the second I laid eyes on her back in March at the Miss Manhattan/Greater Gotham/Metropolitan sweeper pageant, I just knew she would be the biggest competition and the one to worry about! Sure enough, my psychic abilities were confirmed, and she was crowned. I think she is incredibly deserving of the title, and the job, and I look forward to working with her and rooting for her in the Miss America 2010 pageant!! Hopefully I will be able to do that right from Las Vegas :)

The Miss New York experience was not what I expected, but it was incredibly worthwhile. I do think that I would like to continue competing next year. I know that, if I do, I am going to switch up my talent. (On that note: can any willing victim--I mean, person teach me how to sing?? Let me know!) This organization is so full of opportunity, promise and integrity, and I don't think I will be quite ready to say goodbye for good after I pass on my title in February. There are few things greater than surrounding yourself with amazing, beautiful, intelligent and dedicated people, and the honor of being one of them is unmeasurable. Thank you, pageant ladies, for welcoming me into the Miss NY family and giving me an incredible first-time experience. I hope I get to see you all again next year! And, to those of you who have aged out of the system, I hope you take away from your years in the Miss NY family some unforgettable experiences and life lessons, and keep doing what you love to do and let nothing stop you. It has been such a pleasure getting to know everyone.

For now, I am still Miss Finger Lakes, so I still have a LOT of work to do! The Golisano Children's Hospital is opening this fall in Syracuse, and will become the official CMN hospital here. I am working with the CMN rep to make an appearance at the grand opening, hopefully with Alyse if she is not too super busy! Until then, I'm outta here! <3