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.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

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

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 .

Filed Under: Pageant Mindset, Pageant Preparation, Pageant Systems Tagged With:

Choosing The Right Pageant For You

July 21, 2011 By

So you want to do a pageant? Believe me when I say, if you want to win a crown, there is a pageant for you somewhere out there. With hundreds to choose from, how do you decide which pageant is right for you?

Pageants are much like a job.

Each pageant system has prerequisites so you need to make sure you have the qualifications they are looking for to ensure your best possible chance at winning the title. I’m going to tell you upfront, pageantry is an expensive hobby sport. If you want the greatest return on your investment, do your research and plan wisely. You’ll want to enter pageants that score highest in the areas where you are strong and avoid those pageants whose focus is on the areas where you are weak.
For example, if my goal was to be Miss USA, depending on which state I live in and how many contestants there were competing, I might win the state title only being 5’3”; but my odds of winning the Miss USA title are a long shot. In my 40 years of watching the pageant, the shortest Miss USA I’ve ever seen crowned was 5’5” and she had other assets to make up for being on the shorter side. There are always exceptions to the rules but image how frustrated I would have become competing year after year in a system where the odds were against me. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow your heart if that’s truly your dream. Just be realistic in understanding that whenever you’re going against the odds, the journey may be harder.

 

Oh yes, I know some of you reading this may be thinking “but the paperwork says nothing about a height requirement and the director told me it doesn’t matter how tall I am”. Remember, there are always exceptions to the rules and a director doesn’t want to discourage contestants from participating in their pageant; but, this is where your power of keen observation will serve you well. Read the guidelines and watch what is actually happening at the pageant.

 

Another statement that you will see on applications is that “pageant coaching is not necessary”. But I am telling you, 99% of all titleholders have received some degree of coaching, advice, or help (whatever you want to call it) from an inside pageant person. This may occasionally happen in small local pageants or small preliminaries, but not in big pageants.

Before you enter any pageant, check out its credibility. Here are a few things to look for.

  • How many years has it been operating?
  • How many contestants enter the pageant each year? How many contestants return?
  • Does the website provide complete information with names of the directors, email addresses and a phone number to contact them?
  • Does the website have current photos of titleholder and up to date information on it?
  • What are the qualifications of the people running the pageant?

 

When I go to a website, if there isn’t a name and complete contact information easily identifiable on the home page, red flags go up in my mind. This is just me personal, but I want first and last names of the people running the pageant, not just some “production company”.If a person has integrity, they’re going to attach their name to whatever product they are selling to make it easy for me to reach them.

 

If the pageant has been around for more than 5 years and the number of contestants remains the same or grows each year, it has a track record for you to check. Do your research. Most importantly, talk with current and former titleholders and contestants. Ask them about their experience. If possible, go watch the pageant first or ask if there is a DVD you can purchase so you can see the quality of the production. Believe me, the money you spend going to watch a pageant pales in comparison to how much money you’ll spend competing.

 

Make a personal assessment list.

Do you make good grades? Are you heavily involved with a service project? Are you a strong public speaker? Are you extremely photogenic? Do you know how to work the catwalk? Do you want to do pageants t hat have bathing suit competition? Do you have a strong talent? What do you want to do with your title? How old are you and what is your marital status? Once you have your list, start looking for pageants that showcase your strengths.

 

Know how much money you want to invest in a pageant and how far you are willing to travel.

If you have a grand total of $1000 to spend on a pageant, then you need to look local and small because you will easily spend at least $500 of that $1000 on your interview attire and formal gown alone. Realistically, you’ll spend $1000 just on your shoes, accessories, interview suit and gown. But there are pageants at all price points. The key is you must have clear boundaries upfront about your budget or you will quickly get in over your head financially. Instead of experiencing the fun and positive benefits you can develop through pageantry, you’ll be left feeling stressed out and have a bitter taste in your mouth about how much money it cost you.

Start small and work your way up.

If you insist on doing one of the big pageants your first time out, do yourself a huge favor and get a qualified coach to help guide you through the process. I’ve seen too many contestants spend their entire budget on a gown they thought was wonderful and it was not appropriate for the pageant system they were competing in. Not only did they not have a competition gown, but there was no more money for additional clothing, training, hair, makeup, professional headshot, travel expenses, and other required pageant fees.

 

There are new pageants springing up every year. If you’re a young girl or woman who wants to experience a pageant, there is one that is a fit for you. To find them, contact your state festival board, search online and ask people around in your community.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

Peak 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.

Occasional my Facebook posts seem to hit a chord with people. I received so many direct inbox messages on this one that I thought it would be good to share with all of you in case you’re not on Facebook. I feel it is especially timely coming off a pageant weekend when there were so many deserving girls and women who were competing for one opportunity.

“You always pass failure on the way to success-Mickey Rooney.” When we’re in the moment, disappointments may feel like failures. However, it’s been my experience that they are merely rest stops on the way to our final destination. It’s our choice as to whether we keep driving forward to get there, or stop in our tracks. The choice is ours, and I say put the pedal to the metal and press on :). Of course, this has resulted in a few speeding tickets in my life (LOL) but nothing ventured, nothing gain.
www.facebook.com/RhondaShappert.WinningThroughPageantry

Rhonda

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 .

 

Filed Under: Pageant Benefits, Pageant Coach, Pageant Mindset, Pageant Systems

Packng Tips To Survive Pageant Week

July 14, 2011 By

 

I lived out of two suitcases for two years when I traveled with the international, nonprofit organization Up With People. I learned very quickly from my European friends the joys of traveling light, how to pack a suitcase so your clothes don’t get wrinkled, and how to keep everything organized with zero to minimal damage to the contents.

 

Let’s face it. Pageants are high maintenance. There is a lot of stuff we need to take with us when we compete. Your packing strategy will vary depending on how long the pageant is, the type of pageant you’re competing in, and whether you are driving or flying to your location.
Now that airlines are charging for each checked bag, and there are weight limits placed on each bag, you may want to consider shipping certain things ahead of time via Fed Ex or UPS to the hotel. Whether you ship, or bring it with you, certain packing principles can be applied.

 

Today, I’m going to share tips on packing everything BUT your formal gowns and dressy clothing.

Here are the key secrets:

  • Roll your clothes. This will take some practice but it’s not hard. If you don’t truly roll them (so they look like a roll of toilet paper) you will be folding in wrinkles. By rolling your clothes, you’ll be able to fit more clothes into your suitcase, they won’t be wrinkled and you can see what you’re looking for at a glance without disturbing everything else in your suitcase.
  • Have a large variety of different bags in many colors and sizes. I love the Eagle Creek Pack-it bags because I can color code my things and everything is organized. You can use zipper lock bags just as well. When our girls were very young and we traveled out of state, I would put each day’s clothes in a separate zipper lock bag and label them. All they would have to do was grab a bag that had their name on it. It contained their underwear, socks and clothes for the day without disturbing the contents of the entire suitcase. You can either group like items together, or pack complete outfits per bag. It’s your choice.
  • Pack items to create layers, or shelves, within your suitcase.
  • Pack like items together. I group all my hair care things in one bag, my makeup in another, and toiletries in a third. I put all liquid toiletries first into a zip lock bag before I place it in my luggage. This will eliminate any unpleasant surprises caused by a leaking shampoo bottle.
  • Fill ALL the spaces within your bags and suitcases. Holes allow things to move around and get broken. Put smaller bags inside bigger bags if you need to. The goal is to secure things so they can’t freely move around in your luggage. If you’re packing up boxes to ship, use bubble wrap to fill the air pockets so there isn’t any movement inside the box.

The suitcase I’m using in the photos below is a smaller roller suitcase that you could carry on the plane with you or check it plane side.

Bottom Layer: I line the bottom of my suitcase with an empty backpack (great for packing snacks, rehearsal clothes and carrying things around during the day) , a suit-sized garment bag (to carry a quick change of clothes between events if necessary), a rolled up full length dry cleaner bag and an empty sack to hold dirty clothes. This will provide a soft cushion to put your layer of shoes on.

Layer #2: Next, put your shoes together with toe to heel and line them around the edges of the suitcase. Sometimes I put the shoes in tube socks to prevent them from getting scratched. You can make this whole layer just shoes or put in your hot rollers. In the holes around your shoes, fill in with your clips and Velcro rollers, which are in zipper lock bags to prevent the rollers and clips from getting lost and snagging your clothes. The key is to fill in the holes with little items (which I put in smaller bags) so your shoes can’t move.

Layer #3: Next, put your clothing bags on top of the shoe layer. This layer will cushion your shoes. Socks and pantyhose are in the green rectangle bag, underwear and bras in blue. T-shirts, pants and shorts are rolled to fit in larger bags like the green and red ones. All of the chargers for my cell phone, cameras and batteries are in the teal bag along with any other small miscellaneous items that I don’t want to have lost in the shuffle

Layer #4: On top of your clothes shelf, put your rolled up jewelry bag and another sack. In my picture, it is my hair care bag.

Layer #5: To pad my jewelry sack, I put a jacket on top of it (because I am always freezing in those ballrooms) and one more empty bag that I can use to collect and organize the pageant materials I’ll receive at check in time. Zip the bag shut and move on to the next suitcase.
Organizing Your Beauty Items

 

I bought this makeup bag at Walgreens and love it. It has a number of sturdy clear zippered bags that can quickly and easily be removed providing flexibility for different situations. I have a separate bag for each of the following to save time, keep everything organized, and to keep things from “walking away” in the dressing room:

  • Face- foundation, cover up, bronzer, powder and blush.
  • Eyes- shadows, liners, mascara, eyelashes and glue
  • Lips- liners, lipstick, sealer, gloss
  • Sharp stuff- tweezers, small pair of scissors, small sewing kit, safety pins, nail file
  • Applicators- sponges, brushes, Q-tips

Final tips:

  • Write out your list so nothing falls through the cracks
  • Take only what you need.
  • Start packing a week before you leave.

 

 

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive  my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

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

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 .

Filed Under: Pageant Wardrobe