Hello Everybody!
I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I think I’m still recov- ering from my food coma. My Thanksgiving was terrific. I spent the day with family, friends, food, and football. I can’t believe it is already December. This year is flying by so fast. The days are turning into weeks and months in what seems like the blink of an eye.
I’m sure December will be no different with the excitement of the holidays upon us. The holiday season is a special time of year for many of us. It is in many ways a magical time of year. My favorite part of the season is how it tends to bring out the best in people. The charity and unselfishness that people display is a yearly renewal in my faith in humanity! I anxiously await what the holiday season will bring this year.
In November, Amie Bland and Alissa Ledeboer hosted the triple crowning of Mister Texas USofA MI, Mister Texas USofA MI Classic and Miss Texas USofA Diva! Congratulations to Oliver Percy on an outstanding reign! Congratulations to your new Mister Texas USofA MI Classic, Seth B. Sexxon and his 1 st Alternate, Randy D’Hardness! Outstanding job guys! I will see you both at Nationals in March. Amie and Alissa, thank you both for a wonderful night of pageantry! Also in November, I was honored to judge Miss Oklahoma USofA Diva. David Dees and Tamia St. James hosted another very successful prelim. Thank you both for inviting me to judge! I love spending time with my Oklahoma USofA family!
December 10th, Tawny and Missy Choate will be hosting the triple crowning of Mister Missouri USofA MI, Mister Missouri USofA MI Classic, and Miss Missouri USofA Diva in Springfield, MO. Any potential contestants that are interested in competing please contact me, Abs Hart, Victoria Rios, Tawny or Missy as soon as possible. Deadline to register to compete is December 7 th !
To all the contestants that have already qualified for Nationals, I hope that you are all busy working on your national packages! I assure you the more work you put in now, the more prepared you will be in March. From personal experience, the more organized you are, the smoother things will go for you on March 12th. I caution you all not to procrastinate. March will creep up on you if you don’t use your time wisely. This same advice applies to those of you that are planning on qualifying at a late prelim. You all should be working on your national packages as well. Speaking of preparing for nationals, let’s talk about “Creative Evening Wear”. The category is intended to show off your “creativity and individuality”. According to the contestant handbook, the only requirement is that “a jacket is required”. This opens up all sorts of options to help yourself stand out. Remember, the scoring is comparative, so what will make you stand out among the group of your fellow contestants. Keep in mind the judges panel will be scoring on “creativity, originality, presentation, poise, fit, coordination, hair & make-up, and general appearance”. My advice is to start with “fit”. If your CEW does not fit properly it will not score well. Think about your overall look, each component listed is important and should all contribute to the creative look you are displaying. Another important detail is your song selection. Since each contestant picks their own modelling music, your song selection should also make sense and go with your look. This is a really fun category. So, have fun with it. It will show on stage! These are all just general requirements and suggestions. If you have any specific questions or concerns, please let me know. I am here for you!
Happy holidays to you all! For all that may be traveling, be safe out there. Until next month…
Much love,
Valentino “Val” Rios
Mister USofA MI Classic