Hi Everyone! Today's post is going to be all about my preparation that I did for Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen back in February-March.
I was crowned Miss Coon Rapids' Outstanding Teen in early February so I had a little over a month to prepare for state. I was so so lucky to have such an amazing team of local directors, everything went amazing.
The first thing that I did to prepare for state was...HEADSHOTS. I had such a fun day when we took our headshots. Leah and I got to pick out gowns together which was so much fun. We also got to take our headshots with the amazing Paula Preston and we got to get our hair and makeup done by Gianna Capuzzi. She knows exactly how to style and make your hair/makeup absolutely flawless!! (Photo on the left: taken by Paula Preston, makeup and hair by Gianna Capuzzi.)
Also during the time to prepare for state I did a lot of preparation for interviews. Interviews are probably the most nerve racking for me so doing lots of mock interviews with my family and my directors was so helpful. Going into state pageant week, those scary interview nerves were gone and I felt so ready to go rock my interview.
Not only did I prep for my interview but also my talent. If you didn't know, I have been dancing for over 10 years so I knew for sure that my talent was going to be to dance. My favorite style of dance is lyrical so that is what I went with for the pageant. Lucky enough, my talent I had already been rehearsing all year long before the pageant because it was my solo at my local studio. Back in the summer of 2019, I got to pick what song I would do for my solo that upcoming dance season. The song I chose was Via Dolorsa by Sandi Patty. This song is so important to me because it reminds me so much of my faith and I am proud of that. When I chose that song I knew I had to do it for that state pageant. I spent many hours at the dance studio perfecting my dance so by the time I was ready to perfom I would feel so confident, and I definitely did! Another thing that I love about having a talent is having a costume to go with it. With the help from so many, my costume made my dance come alive. Talent will always be my favorite portion of competiton!
Prepping for evening gown was definitely a lot different then for talent. Your evening gown is supposed to make you feel beautiful, elegant, and fierce; My inspiration for my evening gown was Audrey Hepburn. Her elegance is what I aspired for in my evening gown and when I found the gown I knew it just spoke Audrey Hepburn. With the help of The Pageant Shop and Sarah Moses, I found my perfect custom gown and I was so ready to wear it on the Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen Stage.
There is so much more to the preparation for state like lots and lots of paperwork, lifestyle and fitness, and much more. Without the help from so many amazing people such as my amazing directors, Sarah Moses, Gianna Capuzzi, Paula Preston, my mom, my sister, and many others, none of this would be possible and I am so grateful. THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Come back tomorrow and Monday for another labor day weekend blog post! Have a great weekend everyone!
Love,
Miss Coon Rapids' Outstanding Teen, Julia Schumacher