SWIMSUIT COMPETITION - Timeless or Outdated?

The best part about speaking to groups is answering questions at the end. Today I had some fun questions from the Pella Rotary group about the Affordable Care Act and the preparation that goes into a pageant. Additionally, I got a couple of not-so-fun questions about the swimsuit phase of the competition.

I wanted to blog about this because I think these are questions that will be raised throughout my travels as I educate groups on the Miss America Organization. The Rotarians wanted to know how the organization promotes positive body image when contestants have such high physical expectations.

The MAO purposefully encourages participants to live healthy lifestyles. Wellness is imperative for titleholders as they have demanding schedules. Ultimately, the question posed is this: Is a swimsuit necessary and appropriate to demonstrate contestants’ fitness levels? When I answered “no, probably not,” the whole room couldn’t agree with me more.

In 1921 the MAO was started by Atlantic City businessmen looking to lengthen the tourist season. It pretty much was a bathing suit/beauty contest. The pageant has evolved greatly over the past 90 years, giving participants an avenue to promote a platform, gain professional skills and serve their communities.

The swimsuit phase, some would say, is timeless and keeps the “tradition” of the program. Over the past week, I’ve noted people’s reactions when I tell them about the areas of competition. One person told me that the first thing that comes to mind when they think about Miss America is the ladies strutting around on stage in bikinis. Another apologized to me. A nice lady from Rotary told me that you can tell a person’s fitness level in an exercise-type outfit. In my opinion, the first thing that should be coming to mind when the Miss America Organization is mentioned is scholarship and service.

While I agree that an exercise outfit would demonstrate fitness levels just fine, I understand that that swimsuits come with the territory. Personally, the pros of the MAO significantly outweigh this con. I compete to earn scholarship money and gain a stature to promote my platform and serve the community, definitely not to model a swimsuit. My goal is to be recognized for having a healthy, strong and realistic body. Miss Iowa needs to be real and relatable.

Back in the Hawkeye State!

Greetings!

I feel like it’s time to do a little update on what’s going on now that school’s out and I’m free.

Last week my cool boyfriend and I road-tripped back to Iowa. I had WAY too much stuff to fit in a less than 50 pound suitcase, so a 16 hour drive was the only option! We drove through lots of rain but fortunately no tornadoes.

It was Seth’s first trip to Iowa, so we did it up big… Ate a yummy steak dinner, saw an I-Cubs game and went shopping. What else could you need? After I took him to the airport on Friday, my parents and I went to the grand opening of Warrior Run golf course in Norwalk. It was really neat! We had barbecue and listened to an awesome band. Mark Burke, the owner, has this really cool program called the G.I.V.E Foundation, an opportunity for veterans to learn and play golf.

On Saturday, we spent several hours at Temple in Des Moines preparing food for the Jewish Food Fair. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and cooking! We served the food on Sunday afternoon then went out to a late birthday dinner for my mom.

Today I did a little shopping for Miss Iowa week things. I’m exhausted. . . Shopping will wear you out, I tell ya!

Tomorrow I’m going to Pella, Iowa, to speak about my platform to Rotary. I’m really excited for this; I’m especially fortunate that I had such a wonderful Communicating in Business professor this past semester to help with my business writing and presentation skills. Many surely assume that the empowerment of women is a “women’s issue”. But it’s really not. That’s why it’s so wonderful to be speaking to male as well as female community leaders. Gender equality requires the responsibility of all individuals and society as a whole. At the end of my presentation, I will challenge the Rotary members to encourage and support women in their pursuit of leadership and in their career aspirations.

When I’m done, I get to go visit my favorite seamstress to begin alterations of my evening gown! It should be a fantastic day!

I’m looking forward to a shopping trip with my executive director, Ashley, and Miss Muscatine’s Outstanding Teen, Nina, this weekend!

This is such a wonderful season in my life, and I’m beyond blessed to be pursuing my goals in the Miss America Organization.

Have a great week,

Leah

 

Here's a photo of my dad and I chopping apples!

 

On to the Next!

Well, I’m a senior in college now! That’s weird. It feels like just yesterday I was a wee little freshman with no clue what was going on… It’s nice being an upperclassman! That feeling, you know, like you can just do anything in the world? I like it.

Now that my finals are over, I can refocus my energy to Miss Iowa preparation and graduate school investigating. And cleaning out my apartment, packing and moving. Yay!

This season has been a blessing in disguise. Running from one thing to the next, keeping up with nutrition and workouts all the while learning about marketing and communicating effectively (and maintaining sanity). I’m beyond prepared to take on the job of Miss Iowa. It’s fascinating how my studies directly correlate with the role of a titleholder.
 
Another thing that I really enjoy about the end of a school year is the get-togethers which usually take place over yummy food! On Saturday, the newspaper advisor, Ms. Kendig, had the staff over for supper, gifts and a little improv to celebrate the end of a successful semester. I can’t even think of the last time I laughed so hard! On Sunday evening, the Sader Belles had an end-of-the-year dinner. Being a part of the team with those girls was a huge blessing. Yesterday, the ladies from my work took me out to a yummy lunch at one of my favorite restaurants! Okay, I'm spoiled.

I’m excited for the 16 hour drive back home! That was a lie. Actually it won’t be too bad because my boyfriend/road trip partner is making it with me! I'm going to make an awesome road trip CD.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

 

-Leah

 

Here's a photo of the lovely 2014 Sader Belles after eating Mexican food!!

 

 

Miss Iowa Orientation day!

Happy Monday,

This past Saturday was orientation for Miss Iowa! It was the first time that all of the contestants were together in the same place at the same time. We learned about what our week is going to look like and went to break-out sessions to finalize paperwork, time talent, approve swimsuit and have a mock interview. I had a really great time meeting some of the girls that I didn’t know already! It’s going to be a busy, fun, crazy week!

Miss Iowa is just around the corner. The next several weeks will be super hectic, but I wouldn’t want it any other way! I’m going to attach some photos from orientation!

Have a great week,

Leah

 

Miss Iowa class of 2014

 

With Serica, Miss Muscatine and Nina, Miss Muscatine's Outstanding Teen at orientation!

Some awards, random things and pictures (cause everyone likes pictures)

Greetings!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I got to go stay at a timeshare in Oklahoma with my family! It was the relaxing weekend that I needed. We went golfing, fishing and horseback riding. Now I’m back at school for a few more weeks to finish up the semester! This is the college student’s favorite time of the year. Finals, projects, papers! Haha, just kidding. ;) This spring semester has literally flown right by before my eyes. I feel like I’ve been all over the place! I don’t think I would trade this on-the-go lifestyle though. . . The constant change of pace keeps everything fresh and exciting.

The weekend before last the newspaper and yearbook staff went to San Antonio for the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference and competition. It was my first time attending; it was really neat! Students from colleges across Texas competed against each other in a variety of media-related competitions. I was in TV advertising and PR Crisis Communication. Not going to lie, I was a little nervous at first as the opening words at the competition went something a little like this, “I know you all have been preparing for this all year.” Hahaha. I just did my best with the knowledge I had! I ended up getting 3^rd place in PR Crisis Management. I was surprised and excited. I love how you can carefully use words to diffuse a situation. This really reaffirms my career path which is settling. Our school newspaper won the “Sweepstakes” award for our division, meaning we collectively had the most points from awards different stories and photos received.

We got back to Belton just in time for the Spring Formal! I’ll attach a few pictures at the bottom so you can see how good-looking of a date I landed.

Tomorrow I have my last meeting of the semester with my mentor, and I graduate from the Apprentice Belton program on Thursday. I’m so thankful for this opportunity that the Belton Chamber has given UMHB students. It’s incredible to be able to ask questions and get advice from a public relations professional.

On Friday I’m heading home for Miss Iowa Orientation on Saturday! I am so excited to get to know all of the girls who will be going through the Miss Iowa process this year. I can’t wait to get this semester over with and get back for my final weeks before I leave for Davenport!

Below are some pictures from my last couple of weeks!

Until later,

Leah

 

 

The ladies at our classy Chili's, pre-formal dinner

 

Outside of Tenroc Ranch in Salado.



 

Thumbs up?

 

 

The newspaper group in front of the Alamo.

 

 

My award from TIPA!

 

Seth and I with Raven and King.

 

Just road trippin' on a long weekend.

 

Internships and good opportunities

Happy April!

 

Wow, this year is flying by. Just wanted to fill you all in on what I’ve been up to lately!

The morning after I got back to school from spring break, I flew out to Orlando for my weeklong internship with Z Option. Z Option is a SAP software partner company that provides tools and solutions that integrate into the SAP system to make it more user friendly. If you have no clue what I’m talking about, SAP is an accounting software that businesses use to upload financial data. Some of Z Option’s customers, that I had the opportunity to meet representatives from, are Nike, John Deere, Kraft Foods and Genentech.

I’m not even sure if I can describe this crazy and amazing experience. On Tuesday morning, I found myself in a huge exhibit hall surrounded by businessmen in suits. The first thought that came to my mind was, “where are the women?” I am so confident that I’ve chosen the right issue to promote through my platform. But for some odd reason, despite my age and gender, I felt like I belonged there.

To sum up the week, the three other interns and I worked on the sales and marketing team, ultimately doing public relations. We met with current and potential customers and built positive relationships with them. Thankfully we had a day-long training day so that we were able to answer general questions about the company and its tools. The trade show went on from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and then after that, we went to dinner with customers of the company. They were LONG days, but I learned more in that week about business than I could learn in any class.

Don’t worry, the interns got to go to Disney’s Hollywood Studios when the week culminated! It was a little difficult missing a week of classes, but I’m so thankful to have been selected for this opportunity. I’m actually in the process of writing an article about this for the newspaper, so I’ll be sure to post a link once it gets online!

I’ve been playing catch up this week! Last night I was able to take some time to meet with my mentor, Kyle DeBeer, who is the public relations coordinator for the Belton school district. It’s always great to pick his brain. Today, I attended the Women in Business Forum featuring speaker Madge Meyer. I’d like to talk about some of the things I learned in the near future. Tonight, I’ll be heading to Salado for the American Business Women Association’s local chapter meeting. Can’t wait to spend time with successful and philanthropic businesswomen in Central Texas.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to Iowa for a weekend of shopping and prep with my fabulous Executive Director, Ashley! I'm so excited to be back on Iowa soil.

I’ll post next week to share what I’m learning and experiencing!
 

Below are some photos from my internship!

At Disney!

 

The interns with Trish and Shari on our last day of work



 

Riding the boat to Disneyworld! 

A Belated Recap

Here is a belated recap of my visit to Muscatine!

 

While my college counterparts were laying on the sunny Florida beaches, I spent my weeklong break from school in Iowa. No, no, no… It was a good thing! I was able to spend some time with my family, make some appearances and work on Miss Iowa prep!

For the first couple days, I got to hang out with the kiddos and family that I used to nanny for throughout high school. I’m extremely blessed to have the Gast family’s love and support wherever I am and whatever I’m doing. When I took Gia to tumbling, I saw her do a round-off back handspring back tuck. I really don’t think I’ve ever been so proud. : )

On Thursday, I went to Wilton to have my photographs taken by Ben Shirk. Wow. His studio is absolutely amazing, and I would highly recommend him for any photos that need to be taken. I’m pretty sure he specializes in weddings because there were the most breathtaking photos of those hanging in the entryway.

When my session was over, I went over to the Pearl City Chophouse, a new restaurant to Muscatine, to sign autographs and greet guests. This was so much fun! It’s interesting to see how different people respond to the crown on my head. I love seeing the look on little kids’ faces; I’m pretty sure they think I’m a real princess or something. Hahaha!

Friday morning took me to Davenport for a visit with Ray at Workout with Ray, my fitness sponsor. It is always a pleasure to visit with him. He is so invested in each of his clients, and that’s pretty awesome. Thanks for the new workout ideas, Ray!

I had a unique opportunity that afternoon. I had a meeting with the president of Muscatine Community College, Bob Allbee. We talked quite a bit about common perceptions of community and junior college. I actually went to a junior college for three semesters, so I was able to relate pretty well. We discussed the advantages and acknowledged that everyone has different learning styles that can be catered to through a variety of post-secondary education arenas. What really impressed me was the relationship that MCC has built with the area high schools. More than 15% of MCC students are dual credit students. That’s really good! It’s so important to take advantage of the college classes offered during high school.

That night, I went back to the Pearl City Chophouse for more autographs and pictures. This time, I had a bag of Hershey’s chocolates.

Saturday was so much fun! After my workout in the morning, my mom and I went to Elly’s tea and coffee shop for lunch. I was able to meet Elly and visit for a little bit. What a nice lady! Muscatine is very lucky to have her and her shop.

Afterward, we went next door to the Hall Tree Boutique to shop for an appearance outfit for Miss Iowa week. They had absolutely beautiful clothing and jewelry! It was pretty hard to choose, but I ended up with a really great outfit! : ) Thank you SO much, Kathy! I really appreciate your sponsorship. I had a lot of fun browsing around your store and chatting with you. My mom and I met my brother for dinner in Iowa City before heading to Cedar Rapids to watch the Miss Cedar Valley pageant! Congrats Amanda Manning! It’s always nice and relaxing to watch a pageant from the audience. ;)

On Sunday, I packed up and headed back to Texas to get ready for my week internship in Orlando. More on that later!