Yes, pageants are very exciting and fun; however, there are important logistics and details that need to be taken care of so you can fully enjoy the experience. Realistically, you can be the best planner and you will still encounter unforeseen things that are beyond your control. If you accept this fact upfront, you will save yourself a lot of stress,anxiety and remain cool when things get hot.
Here are the big 5 stressors I have found over the years and how you can prepare for them.
Waiting until the last minute to do things is not the best plan of attack.
Start writing out your packing list at least two weeks before and start the actual packing 7 days before you leave for your pageant. If you wait until the last minute to shop for a nude pair of closed-toe shoes or shop for earrings to go with your gown, you’re just setting yourself up for major stress. Have all of your purchases made and in your possession 30 days before you leave. Schedule your coaching, tanning, hair, nail and waxing appointments far in advance because your stylists get sick and take vacations too. Learning to manage your time is a key element in relieving your anxiety and stress.
Poorly fitted opening number outfits, bathing suits, and shoes.
I’ve learned from my own personal experience, to plan for the worst when the pageant is “providing” part of your wardrobe. Out of necessity, I’ve taught myself how to sew and this skill has saved me and my daughters tons of stress and money over the years. Your outfit will be the wrong size, zippers will break, seams will pop, garments will be too low in the front or too short in length, fabrics will be too sheer and shoes will create blisters. Plan accordingly. Always bring a variety of nude colored bras (convertible straps, strapless, adhesive breast petals, and silicone pads), camis, dance trunks, and spanx. A pair of spanx can take you down a size if your outfit is too small and cover your bottom if the dress is too short.
Needle, thread, safety pins, double-stick hem tape, clear band-aids, a variety of Dr. Scholl’s shoe pads, non slide pads for the bottom of your shoes, clear blister pads, clear packing tape, body glue, Hollywood tape and scissors should be in every pageant contestant’s emergency kit. Learn how to stitch things together.
Know how to do your own hair and makeup.
Hair and makeup people can run behind or ‘no show’ at a pageant. If you are solely dependent upon them, you’re in big trouble. All girls and women must learn how to do their own hair and makeup someday, so start practicing now while you’re at home. I mean let’s face it, very few people have the luxury of a personal stylist to tend to them. At most pageants, the stylists are not allowed backstage once the pageant begins. You will be responsible for yourself. Plus, you know your face and hair best. Sometimes the stylists do a great job, other times they miss the mark.
Your best plan is to learn how to do it yourself, and if you are using stylists at the pageant, have them do your hair and makeup for the optional competitions and parties. That will be their practice on you and you can give them feedback as to what to change when the judging counts.
Print out and bring copies of all your pageant paperwork and receipts of payment.
Print out your hotel confirmation number, bank statement showing cleared checks, credit card statement showing that the expenses posted to your account, and all the paperwork you sent to the pageant. Also, all the phone numbers, passwords, and email addresses to the directors, hotel, pageant friends, coaches and people at home that you would possibly need to contact for any reason. Cell phones don’t get reception, paperwork gets lost, and computer errors can create more stress than you can imagine. Be prepared and have all of your records with you in a three-ring binder as a backup plan, and don’t lose the binder. Also, have a couple hundred dollars in cash, a couple different credit cards and your checkbook with you. Again, stuff can happen and you don’t want to be left in an awkward financial pinch.
Avoid getting overly tired, hungry or thirsty.
If you or your daughter get overly tired, hungry, or thirsty, emotional mood swings are more likely to happen. Avoid this by bringing your own supply of snacks and drinks. If you are driving to the pageant, stock your car with cases of bottled water, food, and a small microwave oven or crock pot if you have one. The more self-sufficient you are at the pageant, the better experience you will have. If you are flying to the pageant, pack one big suitcase of just food. It will still be cheaper paying the baggage fee than the money you will spend for room service or having no food at all when you get to your room. Make friends with someone at the pageant who has a car and offer to pay them to drive you to the nearest Wal-Mart. If that doesn’t pan out, take a taxi or the hotel limo service. Remember, rehearsals run late, the lines in the host hotel restaurants get long, and the meals provided sometimes are not a healthy, energy generating source.
The pageant schedule is very tight and exhausting. You must rest during the down time. If you’ve stocked your room with food, go to the room and eat by yourself during the lunch breaks to rejuvenate. Set your boundaries for bedtime and stick to them. Just because someone knocks at the door or calls you on your cell phone, doesn’t mean you have to answer it. You need time away from the group to rest and keep things in perspective.
There will always be some logical problem at a pageant-always, so just plan on it. That way, you’re not caught off-guard when it happens and you can stop yourself before you start down the negative attitude spiral.
Being aware of the conversation taking place within your head and controlling the words you speak are THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS you can do to avoid the negative drama at an event. If overwhelmed with negative emotion, take a deep breath, think about what’s really important, and focus on what is enjoyable about the experience. If you need to physically remove yourself from the environment for a moment, then do so.
