Pageant Week Thus Far

It is now Thursday, the fourth day at pageant week here at Miss New York. So far, it has been a really good experience!

Monday was more of a fun day. We went on a tour on the AquaDucks. I really enjoyed this tour. We were able to learn a lot about Albany and it's history. The "splash-down" was also really fun. It is a really good tour and I learned a lot about Albany, which I was surprised about since I live so close to the area. Later, a trolly picked us up and took us on another quick tour before we went to the 677 Prime Steakhouse. It was AMAZING! I, of course, got the steak. I believe it was the best steak I have ever eaten! Then we had a Q&A with the Board of Directors and we learned what is truly expected of the next Miss New York. I believe the changes that they have made to the job description, such as attending at least 50% of the local pageants, and having to make a blog entry at least once a month, will make Miss New York more accessible to the people of New York.

Tuesday we madea lot of appearances. We went to Habitat for Humanity in the morning; 10 of us went to a build site while the other 10 went to what is known as Reform. I was in the Reform group. We painted a wall in their warehouse, baked cookies, and helped with organization of the store. It was great to see what a difference we could make in just a few short hours. Then we went to the Capitol building where we met many Assemblymen, and were even introduced to the Assembly. I met George Amedore of the 105th district, and Marc Butler of the 117th district. Both were very nice and I told them to let me know if there was anything I could do to help them out during my year of reign as Miss Fulton County. After the Capitol, we went to visit Girls Inc., which provides a positive outlet for underprivileged girls and gives them positive role models. We talked to them about what we do as title holders, how to become a title holder, and how the Miss America Organization supports young women and their goals. We even let them try out our crowns and sashes. They absolutely loved it! I also talked to the director of that chapter, and told her that I would definitely like to return, since I do not live far from the Albany area. To end the day, we had rehersal for the opening number.

Wednesday was a day full of rehersals. We had rehersal from 9-12, and learned a lot of walking patterns for the show. We then went bowling for a couple hours before we returned to the theater to practice from 4-10 on the rest of the show. We got through all of the walking patterns and production numbers. I really like the production numbers! I'm still trying to get comfortable with the walking patterns, but I just have to relax and have fun with it, rather than worry if I'm going in the right direction.

Today started kind of early for me, since I am contestant number 2. I had to be ready for interview by 7:45am. I studied a lot of material on politics, current events, and my platform all night. I was not nervous going into the interview since I did study a lot of content. Luckily, they asked me all personal and platform-related questions--those are my favorite! So I was able to talk about how I want to be a plastic surgeon, how I want to be a member of a cleft team, how volunteering is very important to me, about my scoliosis, and about my own surgery that lead me to want to be a surgeon in the first place. I think they were able to learn a lot about me and my passions, and hopefully they liked me in the interview. I came out feeling as though I had done a good job, and I was confident with the answers I had given them. Now we have a break until 2, which is when we begin rehersal again, which will last until 10. So another long day, but at least I have a long break right now to just relax, stretch, and maybe work out. We will be practicing talent tonight at rehersal, so I want to be sure that my body is stretched out so I can hit my starting pose!

Overall, it has been a very positive experience thus far, and I have enjoyed myself. I believe I have grown and have learned a lot about pageants in general just from these few days. Tomorrow is prelims, then Saturday is finals! I can't wait!