Miss West Coast International 2014: August 2013

I have received quite a few emails lately asking how to start preparing for next years Miss Texas Intl pageant. I cant promise my advice will help you win, but I do hope that it helps give you a sense of direction. While this post will focus on the International system many of things I will address can be carried over into other systems. I will also be focusing on the Miss division (ages 19-29), but again many of these things can carry over to other age divisions (Teen 13-18 and Mrs. 21-56).

One of the first things I did last year was RESEARCH!! I looked at the state pageant website, looked through the past contestant head shots, and photos from all of the previous years competitions. I also contacted the director of the pageant to purchase the previous years DVD of the pageant. I then looked at the national website and looked at all of the contestant photos and photos from the actual competition. I also purchased the DVD's from the previous two years. This helped me for MANY reasons:

1- I was able to see what type of wardrobe would be appropriate for this system
2. It helped me see what kind of head shot would be appropriate for this system.
3. It allowed me to watch the girls that won and analyze what they did that set them apart from the rest of the girls.
4. I was able to listen to the questions that were asked during onstage question, so that I could prepare myself to answer all of those questions.
5. I was able to see the different poses and walks of all of the girls and see which ones looked best onstage.
6.I was able to see what the girls wore at rehearsals.
7. I was able to see what the current queens were doing so I knew what would be expected of me if I won.

So, as you can tell, doing your research on a pageant is a MUST in my book. Ive had many judges ask me questions that I knew solely based on my research. My first state pageant was back in 2006 at the Miss Teen California Intl pageant. I was asked in my interview if I knew who the current Miss Teen International was, which of course I did, then I was asked if I knew who was last years Miss Teen International, which of course I knew from my research. The judge then told me that I was the only contestant she had talked to so far that was able to answer both questions. That astounded me! I ended up winning Interview and placing 1st runner up to Miss Teen California INTL. Ladies, if you are going to enter a pageant you should most certainly know the name of the national queen at the least! I recommend reading her bio and learning what her platform is. At This years Miss Texas I was also asked who my favorite Miss Texas Intl was. While I am not going to reveal my answer, just know that not only did I know the name of a former queen, but I was able to explain to the judge WHY she was my favorite. Again, I won Interview. In a point pageant it is the little things that set you apart!

At this years Miss International I was asked by a judge who my favorite former Miss International was and how I could partner our two platforms together on a project. Again, I am not going to reveal my answer (not because I don't want to tell you, but because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by not choosing them.) but I knew the former queens name and the state she was from, what year she had won and what her platform was. I had not prepared for the judge to ask me what kind of project could connect our two platforms, so I had to think on the spot, without giving away who she was, her platform involved work in other countries, and part of my platform is teaching CPR, So I said that we could combine the two by delivering CPR training kits to her specific group. Later on that day, Many of the other girls were talking about the "hardest" questions they were asked during interview and this question came up several times. Many of the girls told me they answered the current queens name because they didn't know anyone else, while many other simply said they told the judges " I'm new to the system so the only queen I know is the current one." I made top 10 at Miss International and I think my research and preparation was what had made all of the difference.

It is also very important to know the mission statement of the pageant, as well as the state pageant platform, and the national platform (Although, they are usually the same). I cant tell you how many times that question has been asked.

I really hope this helps those of you who asked for a starting point. I will be making more posts soon with more information to help you, but as of right now I highly recommend getting to know the system! I have attached links below that I believe will be extremely useful in your journey to the crown!

This is the website for the Texas Intl pageants, take a look at the photo albums, contestant photos, and former queens:
http://www.texasinternationalpageants.com/

This is the email for the videographer from last years pageant, you can email him to purchase the DVD. I highly reccomend this! I believe the cost is $50.
Scott@durhamvp.com

This is the link to the national website, here you may click through photos, read bios and get a general feel for the system as well as purchasing the DVD's.
http://www.miss-international.us/

This is the link to the Blog for the national queens. You can stay up to date on what they are doing!
http://theinternationalpageants.blogspot.com/

Feel free to send me any questions you may have via email at
MissTXINTL2013@gmail.com

God Bless,
Samantha Riddle

As many of you know I serve on the passion committee for American Heart Associations Go Red for Women Campaign! We hosted a party to raise money and awareness for this great cause at the tower club in Dallas Texas. For those of you who don't know, Dallas is the home to American Heart Associations National Headquarters! We listened to speeches from Kai Stansberry, Mary Ball, and Erica Annise! We were also blessed to welcome celebrity guests; Glenn Williams of the Hoffen Foundation, Mark Hayes cohost of NBC 5 Today, Crystal Ayala an anchor for Univision, Susy Solis journalist for CBS 11, Leanna Locken one of Dallas's most prominent TV personalities, Desmond Purnell an Emmy award winning host for the NFL network, and Melissa Poe from Big Rich Texas! If you are local to the Dallas Area, please join us for the Heart Wall in Victory Park on Sept 7th at 8:30 am!