Last week I finally finished finals and this past weekend I got to travel to Las Vegas for Donald Trump’s Miss USA. I started doing pageants in 2007 after I “retired” from volleyball. I still felt a need to compete in something so I entered my first pageant Miss Malibu. I won and got the opportunity to compete for Miss California USA!
I have told many people this, but it is so amazing how just one weekend out of the year can allow you to gain so much confidence in yourself. It’s like nothing I have ever participated in and every year I grow and take from my Miss California experience values and lessons that I apply to all aspects of my life.
It is sad there are so many stereotypes of what it means to compete in a pageant, but the truth is it takes a lot to put yourself out there! When I started I had little to no self confidence in myself. I can proudly say competing has provided for me what I was missing and that is facing and challenging yourself to really understand who you are and what you believe in. I can tell you if you don’t know who you are and you haven’t mentally prepared, it becomes immediately apparent the second you set foot on stage. It takes a whole lot of self evaluation and I am thankful that my experiences have allowed for me to open up and be the confident, ambitious, intelligent, personable woman I am today!
I am blessed to have the opportunity to compete and this year I am excited to start the season off by competing in the Miss Regional California pageant in June. It is an official prelim to Miss California 2011 in November.
Preparing for Miss California (and any prelims along the way) is tough and takes great discipline. Even from many months before an event, I begin tailoring my diet and workouts. Having to be in a swimsuit in front of hundreds of thousands of people in the audience, on the internet and on tv definitely keeps you on track!
As I said before apart from the physical, there is the more important journey of mental preparation. The whole weekend at Miss California you are surrounded by media and have to go through interviews both behind the scenes and on stage. Preparation for this part of competition really involves getting to know yourself to the core. It is my favorite part of competing and is the most valuable reward I have ever and will ever take home with me!
(PS: whenever I tell people I compete for Miss California USA the first response is “what is your talent?” and I would like to straighten this out once and for all: Although I am very talented;), the Miss California USA competition is a state prelim for the Miss USA pageant put on by Donald Trump and only entails interviews, swimsuit and evening gown to compete. Every year all 51 state delegates travel to a city(Las Vegas for the past 3 years and I believe 3 years to come) for 2 weeks to compete and the winner gets to move to New York, live in Trump towers, travel the world, attend red carpets, represent a great cause etc. for 1 year. It is truly a dream!
In contrast, the Miss America pageant is the one which entails performing a talent as a part of competition. Miss USA and Miss America are thus 2 completely different systems!!)
That is all for now! Thanks for coming and see you at my next blog!!!
