Friday, March 30, 2012

Let me take you back 7 years...


Funny Story…

When I was 17 years old I competed for the title of Miss Finger Lakes.  When I arrived that day, I sized up the competition and figured I was out of my league.  My goal was to place top 5.  As they started reading off the runners up I just thought-Ah well, I tried… however, it was my name they called as the winner!  I was asked the question, “Are you excited to go to state (referring to Miss New York)?” to which I replied, “What’s state?”.  I had LOTS to learn.   That said, I loved every second of being Miss Finger Lakes and making the most of my year as a titleholder representing my home region.

Fast Forward to Miss NY 2006…

I arrived at the Miss New York 2006 competition the day after my high school graduation.  Again, completely out of my league, but this time there wasn’t a shocking happy ending.  I met amazing, gorgeous, talented, and accomplished women ranging from ages 18-24.  They weren’t “trying” to be Miss New York material, they WERE Miss New York material.  I spent the week soaking in the entire experience, making predictions, and trying to emulate what the other women were doing.  Looking back that was my BIGGEST mistake.

Prepare for Crash-and-Burn…

Competition time: Interview.  I wore a hot pink suit with black buttons and pink snakeskin shoes- enjoy that ridiculous mental picture.  I heard the judges laughing along with the contestant in the room before me (she went on to finish in the top 5).  I walked in expecting a gingerly conversation… wham… current event, hot topic, no judges even cracking a smile.  Awesome.  My two favorite memories from this interview are as follows and I dare you not to at least crack as a smile at my misfortune:

1)      My platform at the time was “Eliminating Hunger”.  Question: “What are your thoughts on hybrid fruits?” Answer: “Well, the advancement of food is incredibly important.  If they are proven to be safe to eat and can help more people obtain food I support them”
Example of hybrid fruits: Grapefruit, tangerine, etc… Who knew I was so serious about produce.

2)      If you recall, 2006 was smack dab in the middle of an election cycle, so there wasn’t much talk about the 2008 campaigns yet.  Question: “Who do you think should be the next president of the United States?” Answer: “The senator from Illinois that spoke at the Democratic Convention, Asafa Powell, presented himself so well and generated such interested.  I’d put my money on him for the next election”
Within 10 minutes of leaving the room I realized that I meant “Barack Obama”.  I couldn’t figure out how I came up with the name “Asafa Powell” until I was watching the Olympics two years later… he is a sprinter from Jamaica.  Wow.

Moral of the Story…

I hope that gave you a hearty laugh.  I was mortified at the time and still cringe at the thought, but if I would’ve had a cake interview, I never would have learned anything from it.  I probably competed for 4 locals since that, not for lack of interest, but life simply took over and pageants were not feasible.  However, here I was faced with my very last year of eligibility.  I’ve had the dream of representing New York at Miss America since I was six years old.  If I just had let it pass me by I would have ALWAYS wondering if I could have achieved it if I really gave it one last “real” shot.  So I got my tail in gear and put myself in the mindset that if I make it to Miss New York I will make every second of my last year as a titleholder count.  But, if I didn’t, at least I would never have to wonder what could have been.

Looking forward…

So here we are and I am the new Miss Western NY 2012.  I approached my first shot at the Miss NY crown as a girl pretending to fit into the Miss State mold.  This time around I am determined to give the judges the best and truest possible version of myself.  The Miss America Organization has given me so many lasting relationships, memories, and lessons.  It promotes constant progress and improvement of both society and self.  The values that became rooted in me in 2006 have truly flourished over the past 7 years and I am a better person because of my involvement in this organization.  

We’re going out with a bang, baby!