Jai Ho

I have no idea what Jai Ho means, however I think it might be joy and happiness. This past weekend, I headed down to Corning, NY for the Miss Finger Lakes Pageant. This is my forth year competing at this pageant. Coming into the pageant I was very nervous; in truth I haven’t been going to the gym as much as I felt I should be. But competing in Finger Lakes this year was very important to me for another reason.

Five years ago when I got the crazy idea to enter my first Miss America local, I had no idea what I was getting into. At that first pageant, I meant a girl named Amy Valenti, who I have had the pleasure of competing with ever since. At Miss Finger Lakes this year, Amy Valenti would have the chance to celebrate the amazing year she had as the reigning Miss Finger Lakes 2010.

The fact that Amy would be giving up her crown was reason enough for me to compete. I also knew that no matter what, I wanted to do my best at this point. I knew a week ago I wasn’t going to be able to drop the extra holiday weight,but there were areas I could work hard on to make better.

The short deadline meant no time to dwell on the things I couldn’t change, only on the things I could change. I made AJ be my interview partner every night and spent time reading inspirational books and stories, and journaling to get centered. My business coach Chris talks about the need to be present in the moment and that is when great things and true clarity happen. Going into Saturday, that is what I focused on: to enjoy the experience. Once I got there I was so happy I chose to participate.

Even AJ, after driving him nuts with crying fits and being down about how I wasn’t prepared two weeks prior, saw my whole face light up when I finally got out of my car in Corning. I was truly present at the moment and knew that no matter what, all my years of competing and my friends who were surrounding me at this pageant would get me through the day.

One of my favorite quotes is a Christopher Robin quote to Pooh by A.A. Milne. It goes like this: Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. This quote was definitely true for the day of Miss Finger Lakes. I remembered that I could do this.

So know you are probably wondering…what happened? I was very excited to receive the Community Service Award and be called as Fourth Runner Up. I must give a huge shout-out to Amanda Boyer, Third Runner Up; Margaret Feldman, Second Runner Up; Chelsea Prophet, First Runner Up and drum roll please…..Charlotte Booth, Miss Finger Lakes 2011!!! She will truly do a great job at representing the Finger Lakes region with pride this year.

The pageant was such an amazing experience! Amy and Stacy Minchin, our excellent emcee, did an outstanding job on the opening number. In addition, Stacy did a great job at filling up time when needed and keeping the audience engaged throughout the pageant. Finally I have to thank the whole Miss Finger Lakes family: Chris Keifferr, Pilar Miller and Jane Eikov for welcoming me to your pageant every year. They show that the heart of this organization is truly in the passion and hearts of the volunteers that give so much of themselves to help use reach our goals.