I made the 4 hour drive with my good friend Amy who was Mrs. NY US 2001 and the owner of Les Belles pageants. http://www.lesbellespageants.com/ Also joining in on the fun was Maureen and one of Amy's beautiful winners Heather Knowles. We had a blast in the car ride and took the map quest route there. It was quite an interesting ride as map quest sent us down a road we affectionately named the "Road of Death" I am not sure I have ever traveled a road with so many drastic hills and twists and turns. We were lucky the weather was good and it was not dark out.
We arrived in time for the Miss New York USA finals show and were met in the Lobby by our girl Theresa Hallatt. I coached Miss Theresa for the interview competition and Amy took care of the runway and wardrobe. Theresa was really excited as she had won the pageant's "Style Award" the night before. She looked beautiful in her evening gown and was ready for the show to start. I learned a valuable lesson at this appearance. That you need to re-apply your make up when you get to an event if you have driven in a car for over 5 hours. LOL
We were able to grab a quick bite to eat before the show with Lori, Mrs. New York United States 2007 and her handsome Mr. New York hubby, Don. It was a real treat for me to get to see Lori again so soon after the pageant. Normally I only get a chance to talk to her via email because of the distance between us.
Lori is now the director of the Miss Long Island and Miss Long Island Teen pageants. http://www.lipageants.com/ Her winners will then compete at Miss and Teen NY USA. I think it is going to be wonderful for them as I am sure that Lori will make sure they are totally prepared for the tough competition that is seen each year at the state USA pageant.
I was blessed to be able to have VIP seating during the show and was able to watch Theresa up close. She was competing against 130 other women who's ages ranged from 18-26. We were all excited and proud when her name was included in the top 20 who then went on to compete in the swimsuit competition. I wish my photo's were clearer but she looked amazing in her swimsuit!
I was also honored to be announced to the audience for the very first time as Mrs. New York United States 2008. Lori was announced as Mrs. New York US 2007 as well. After the top 20 it was time to narrow the field to 15 women. We were excited once again as we heard Theresa's name called in the first group of women. She now was able to compete for the top 5 spots in the evening gown competition.
When the top 5 were called we were all disappointed (only a little bit) that Theresa was not among them. She did an amazing job and we all are very proud of her. It is a real accomplishment in my opinion to make the top 15 out of 130 women your first time competing in that system and only being 18 years old. I am confident in a few more years we all are going to see that crown placed on her head!
After the show we took a few more pictures and quickly headed out as we had a long trip back. (longer for me since it is another hour to my house after I picked up my car at Ames. LOL) We avoided the road of death this time and took the express way all the way back. I can't wait to go back again next year!
No comments:
Post a Comment