I am the new Miss Syracuse Outstanding Teen for 2009!

Now that I taking off my dress, heels, and make-up, I am ready to document everything that happened at the Miss Syracuse Outstanding Teen Pageant this year. I am so excited to be Miss Syracuse Outstanding Teen for 2009 and it is going to be a great year for me! I am going to start by thanking my amazing hostess Heidi Brophy. She was the one who helped me through the whole thing. She did my hair, my make-up, helped me with my wardrobe changes, and supported me the whole time! I couldn't have done it without her and I'm grateful that she was willing to do all of this for me!

First Stage of Competition - Interview
The interview was really scary. That is the first time I met the judges, who turned out to be extremely nice, but I didn't know that. The interview was 8 minutes long and they asked me questions like, "How would you defend your platform of recycling to someone who doesn't believe in global warming?" "Your grades are phenomenal - How do you keep them that way?" "You are involved in so many things, what types of physical activities do you do to help you stay fit?" Those are just a few. My favorite question was "How did you like getting your braces off?" Ha ha! That was just a fun and easy question! So I had to stand in my business outfit behind a podium (without touching it of course) with good posture and answer all of their questions with confident answers. That was one of the worst parts, but I was told I did great.

Second Stage of Competition - Production Number
The production number was a lot of fun. All of the contestants came out on stage in black shirts and jeans and we did a dance to Jordin Spark's "One Step at a Time." We introduced ourselves at the microphone. Super fun.

Third Stage of Competition - Lifestyle and Fitness/Swimming Suit
So after the production number I rushed offstage to change into my next outfit as quickly as possible. We don't have that much time backstage you know! So the teen contestants had to do sportswear while the miss contestants had to do swim suit. I am glad I didn't have to do swim suit, I think that is totally sad. But anyways, I dressed up in a Syracuse Junior High cheerleading uniform with my hair all up high with ribbons and I prepared to go on! When it was finally my turn (I always went fourth out of ten because I was Contestant Number 4) I picked up my pom-poms and started to rally onstage. I set my pom-poms down and did a front limber (That is a handstand backbend incase you didn't know.) Then I did a kick, picked my pom-poms back up and did my rallying offstage again. Throughout the whole thing I shouted things like, "Go Syracuse!" "We're number one!" "To the top!" "Come on!" and "SJH!" The sportswear part was just lots of fun for me!

Fourth Stage of Competition - Talent
I got dressed in my sparkly talent dress and walked onstage as the emcee read my introduction. I sat down and played my piano solo titled, "On the Wings of a Song." I didn't mess up and it sounded great in my opinion! I acknowledged the judges and walked off the stage again.

Fifth Stage of Competition - Eveningwear
After putting on my little princess dress, I was escorted onstage by Officer Penrod of the Syracuse Police Department. We walked to the front, did a little high five and then he left me alone on the stage. I proceeded to do a figure-eight around the stage all the while smiling at the judges of course. Then, I walked offstage again!

Sixth Stage of Competition - Onstage Question
The onstage question was the part for me that really really worried me. It was only worth 5% of the score, but still... We just wore our formal dresses again to compete in this stage. I walked up to the emcee and picked my question. (We all picked out a slip of paper from a fishbowl with a question on it.) The emcee read my question outloud, "What qualities do you look for in your friends?" I didn't sound amazing but my reply was, "The qualities I look for in my friends are loyalty, honesty, and just being a fun person." I know, I know, kinda weird...

And that was the end. We waited for the judges to calculate the scores while we watched a slideshow, and had the Princess Prep Academy girls go on stage and answer some questions. Then we all went onstage while they announced the winner of the ticket contest. (We had a competition to see who could sell the most pre-sale tickets, and I'm pretty sure the girl that won was Payton Moore.) We all exited the stage again. Then the Miss Syracuse Outstanding Teen from 2008, Hayley, performed her talent and did her goodbye walk. Before I knew it, it was time to announce the winners. All of the contestants went back on stage and nervously waited. We were all given a rose. Then they announced the first award, the Spirt of Syracuse. All the contestants voted for one another to receive this award and Jordyn Nielson won. Next, they announced the first attendant. (This was my goal.) It was announced that Payton Moore won the first attendant place. Now I was feeling really nervous. Then they announced the Miss Syracuse Outstanding Teen, me! I felt like I was on top of the world! It was an amazing experience! After it was over I was congratulated by so many amazing people! I loved having so many little girls come up to me asking me to sign their programs! They were all so cute! There was so many pictures, awards, presents, and flowers! I really loved this whole thing and now I get to go on to the Miss Utah Outstanding Teen Pageant! Woo! I am really excited to be able to serve my community in this way! Especially to get to be involved in Heritage Days! I hope I serve my title well!