You have no control over the final outcome of the pageant. However, it is totally within your power to make your daughter, or yourself, feel like a queen and a winner throughout the entire pageant process. Here are some of my personal tips on what I do for myself and my daughters when we compete to make it a winning experience regardless of the judges’ decision. [Read more…]
Should I compete in another pageant?
September 7, 2012 By
We are coming to the end of the summer pageant season, and one of the most frequently asked questions I am receiving in my email is should I compete again?
The answer [Read more…]
Attitude about competition is key to whether your pageant experience is positive or negative
May 30, 2012 By
As most of you know, my abilities in the kitchen are quite limited so I decided to take my daughters out to eat. Five minutes after we had been seated, a large man and his four children were seated at the table beside us. Within minutes, the father started chastising his son about the “C” he had received in band on his report card. In a very loud and aggressive voice, the man [Read more…]
An Interview With Miss Ohio 2011 – Ellen Bryan
February 21, 2012 By
At the suggestion of one of her college professors, Ellen Bryan competed in her first pageant when she was a sophomore in college. He thought the Miss America system would be good experience for the telecommunications major. With her eyes set on the goal of becoming a news anchor, this future TV broadcaster began her three year journey to the Miss America stage.
In preparation for the 2008 Miss Lake Festival preliminary, she [Read more…]
Setting SMART Goals for your Pageant Year
January 4, 2012 By
There are goals and then there are S.M.A.R.T. goals. If you want real results, then make the S.M.A.R.T. decision right now and get started. Today is a new beginning for you. Let go of the excuses, fear, complaints, anger, envy, and frustration of the past.
What is it that you want to accomplish this year? If entering a pageant or two is one of your goals, then you need to [Read more…]
5 Helpful Tips for A National Pageant
December 2, 2011 By
Your expectations lay the groundwork for how positive your national pageant experience will be. Today I share 5 tips that will help you at your national pageant. [Read more…]
When Things Go Wrong At A Pageant
September 21, 2011 By
Don’t misunderstand me. I love pageantry. But with all of the logistics that go into running a pageant, there is a lot of room for things to go wrong. Being self reliant will eliminate certain stressors and you’ll have a more positive pageant experience. Less stress means you will feel more relaxed and confident in your abilities. The more relaxed and confident you are, the greater your chances are of sharing who you are and winning the hearts of the judges.
At first glance what I am about to say may seem negative, but it’s not. This thought process has saved my sanity and skin countless times. Here it is: [Read more…]
At first glance what I am about to say may seem negative, but it’s not. This thought process has saved my sanity and skin countless times. Here it is: [Read more…]
A Balanced Life Equals Pageant Success
August 16, 2011 By
“Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.”-Betsy Jacobson
It’s a new school year. With it comes a long list of possible activities that you and your family can get involved in. Are the activities you’re participating in helping you to reach your goals, or are they creating more stress in your life? How balanced is your lifestyle? When you look at your calendar, is it filled with one type of activity (such as sports) or is there a healthy balance between personal time, family activities, community involvement, church activities and school events? If it’s unbalanced, now is the time to make changes.
What does this have to do with pageantry? Everything. [Read more…]
What if your best isn’t enough?
August 5, 2011 By
After months of preparation, what do you do when your best isn’t good enough to win the crown? (Sigh) I have been there more times than I care to remember. As much as I tried to mentally prepare myself when I was a competitor, the sting of not hearing my name called out as the winner was always painful. Sometimes the pain was deeper than others; but it was there none the less. So, what do you do when your best wasn’t enough? The answer [Read more…]
Pageant Preliminaries: How Important Are They?
July 28, 2011 By
Your appearance and performance during pageant preliminaries are very important to your chances of winning the overall title. Preliminaries serve as the “weeding out” process. Usually, preliminary competitions take place a day or two before finals. All of the contestants receive scores during preliminaries; however only the Top 5 are watched, ranked or scored during finals.
What is so important to remember is that you can’t hold anything back during the preliminary competitions. Your hair, makeup, gown, suit, interview and overall energy level must be at its best during preliminaries. The first impression judges get of you is very difficult to change and you might not be given a second chance.
Most of the time, the judges have already chosen their favorite contestant before finals begins. If you haven’t got ten their attention before then, having your hair and makeup styled to perfection on the night of finals only, or saving your show stopping gown to wear during finals, isn’t going to make a difference. If you didn’t make the list of semi-finalists, you’re not going to be scored on finals night, no matter how flawlessly you perform or look.
Here’s how it typically works. There are basically three ways to score a pageant:
- Numeric Scoring. Each pageant system has their own numeric scale but each contestant receives a number somewhere on the scale.
- Ranking. In ranking, no numeric score is given. The judges are asked to put the contestant number of their favorite contestant on line #1, their second favorite on #2, and so one.
- Mentions. On the ballot are the state names or contestant numbers. The judges are asked to simply circle a set number of their favorite contestants in the pageant. During preliminary judging, they may be asked to circle their top 15 names; but on finals night told to only circle their favorite 3 contestants and finally the top one.
There is a fourth way of scoring that isn’t used much and it is by consensus.Consensus is where the judges talk among themselves after they’ve seen all the contestants and they must all agree on the winner. Oh yes, you can see how difficult consensus scoring would be.
The scores from the preliminary competitions are used to get the semi-finalists.The only names or numbers on the judge’s ballot on the night of finals is typically the top five. Usually the final ballot cast is a ranking ballot. Now, once you’re a semi-finalist, you need to continuing being spot on. At that point, the judges are looking for the girl who is a “stand out”.
So the moral of the story is this, you must be at your very best each and every time you are in front of the judges. Preliminaries are not to be treated as “warm up”. They are the deal breaker. The very first time the judges see you, is THE MOST IMPORTANT, because first impressions are hard to change.
Pageant Season Is Here!
Now’s The Time to Brush Up On Your Interview Skills
INTERVIEW CARD
The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill that everyone can benefit from. The more you practice, the better you will get. These handy interview cards are a great way to practice with a partner or use by yourself to get you thinking about the topic.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview situation. Then each month you will receive a new card in the mail with fresh questions.
Now preparing for your interview is easy and for a limited time FREE.
Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation.
She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®.
She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 22 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. For more information on Rhonda, visit www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .
