I love it when I have the opportunity to judge a pageant where there are over 200 contestants and this past weekend I did just that. It’s amazing how many of the same mistakes are made over and over again. I wish the contestants and their mothers knew this information before the pageant so they could increase their chances of winning the honors they seek. So here is my list of top mistakes that cost contestants points and possibly the title.

• Showing up late for your interview or when it is your turn to be on stage. 

• Hair is in your face. In all beauty pageants, beauty of face is always one of the line items we score. Your hair must be sprayed back from your eyes and face so the judges can see your features. Bangs cannot hang in your eyes.

• Clothes that do not fit perfectly. You must have a good seamstress who can alter every piece of your pageant wardrobe to fit your body perfectly. No exceptions. Your clothing should be tight enough to see the outline of your curves; but not so tight we see every line from your undergarments or bulge of your body. Sleeves must hit right at or slightly below your wrist bone. Dress hems must be an appropriate length. A dress too long is just as unflattering as one that is too short. Remember, the judges are lower than the stage in most cases. We see everything. No midriffs should be seen. Cleavage should be proper secured and supported with the aid of sewn in pads and proper undergarments, which we should never see. Little boys need to wear belts to keep their pants up and shirts need to be kept tucked in. Either attach his shirt to his underwear by sewing on snaps, or have a custom shirt/bodysuit (like the male ball room dancers wear) made for him. Then there’s my favorite. The messy lacings of the corset tops. If you have a corset top, make sure you have the fabric insert that going behind the laces and the lacing job must look great.

• Holding the skirt of your full length dress up while you walk so you don’t step on it. Hem the dress in the shoes you are going to wear. Judges should not see your shoes when you are stopped or walking. You need to practice walking in your dress before the pageant.

• Not having your contestant number in clear, plain view. I have to be honest with you; there were a couple contestants this weekend I wondered if I gave them the right scores because I couldn’t see their badge number. So I had to guess at their number. The judges need to know who you are.

• Not using your full time on stage, or taking too much time. Again, it’s just as bad to race on and off the stage as it is to watch a contestant walk at a turtle’s pace when they are modeling. You need to practice your walk so you keep the same pace the entire time you are onstage.

• Not making solid eye contact with the judges.

• Talent outfits must match the style of your talent. If you’re doing a hip hop dance, don’t wear a lyrical outfit. Don’t wear a dance outfit if you are a vocalist. Your clothing must be age appropriate, stay securely in place, cover all important body parts, and work with your talent number.

• Singers must sing with a professionally recorded backing track. It is the kiss of death to sing a cappella. And please, whatever you do, don’t sing along with the original recording of the artist. The only voice the judges should hear is yours. Try http://musicalcreations.com/ to see if they have the song you’re looking for. I use them all the time and they are great!

• Special notes for the parents with toddlers and babies. Carry your child facing out so the judges can see their face. Don’t force your child to walk. It is better to carry them and keep them happy than for them to have a tantrum on stage. Moms, don’t wear spaghetti strapped tops or low necklines. Child’s hands grab and move at the speed of light and you don’t want that kind of exposure, if you know what I mean.

These are the big mistakes that I see on a regular basis. Of course this list isn’t complete. I could write a whole book on blunders and bloopers I see on the stage when I’m judging. To receive your highest score, eliminate these common mistakes.

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Pageant Season Is Here!

Now's The Time to Brush Up On Your Interview Skills

INTERVIEW CARD

The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill that everyone can benefit from. The more you practice, the better you will get. These handy interview cards are a great way to practice with a partner or use by yourself to get you thinking about the topic.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview situation. Then each month you will receive a new card in the mail with fresh questions.

Now preparing for your interview is easy and for a limited time FREE.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®. She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 22 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

Everyone wants to win whether it's in a pageant, sport, relationship, or career. We want to know the winning combination to help us achieve it and we want it right now.

At times, we forget that everything in life has peaks and valleys. There's a time and place for everything that happens to us. With everything being so instantaneous in our society, it's hard to be patient; but, it's one virtue I feel is the foundation to a strong moral character and there's no better teacher of it than life events. Patience will help you rejoice when you're on the mountain top and sustain you when you're in the dark valley.

So let's talk about these peaks and valleys. We humans are physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional. The physical growth and changes are easy to see. In pageantry, physical beauty is key. Yes, the other areas of life are important too, BUT, it is first and foremost a physical beauty pageant so basic external components must be present to win a national title. Remember, beauty is subjective and everyone has their own opinion .

However, as I look over the photos of my life, I can clearly see periods of time when my physical make up was at its peak and when it was in the valley. Peaks for me were ages 5, 17, 22, and 38. My entire middle school years, junior high years and the pregnancy decade were definite valleys. Oh my, were they valleys!

Hair textures, body fat distribution, skin clarity, height and changes in our teeth are drastically different at various times in our life. With as much money and time that goes into pageant preparation, I feel it is important to take these changes into account.

At times, it may be better to wait to do a pageant while these growth periods take place.  It’s been my experience that the most valuable personal insights and growth lessons have taken place when I was in the valley.  Then when I did reach the top, my appreciation of the experience was so much greater.

If doing a pageant during this "valley" period of a person's life helps them to feel better about themselves and builds them up, by all means do pageants. But, if a young girl wears glasses, braces and struggles with her weight decides to do a pageant, and she develops a negative self image; then waiting to do a pageant until the hormonal changes are complete may be wise.

We also hit peaks and valleys in our mental, emotional and spiritual growth. So, there may be times when physically we peak, but emotionally, we may not be ready for the responsibilities of a national titleholder. Physical changes, for the most part, happen quicker than the mental, emotional and spiritual areas of our lives.

You'll have the greatest opportunity of winning the crown when you're competing at your peak than when you're in the valley. If you're in the valley, be patient and wait. Your time is coming to peak. If you're peaking right now, be humble and appreciative because you won't stay there permanently.

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When the girls were done with interviews, we went to Downtown Disney to watch the new Harry Potter movie.It was refreshing to do something outside of the pageant world that we'd been immersed in for the past 10 days.

Just taking a few hours to leave the hotel and do something "normal" (LOL) helps to break up the stress that can be felt at a national pageant. I don't know if any other mothers can relate to that.

But you want to keep the fun in your relationship with your daughter especially at a pageant. Don't turn it into a stress feast.

National pageants are very high maintenance and it's important to take a time out once in a while to help keep everything in perspective whether that means taking a dip in the pool, going out for ice cream, or to a movie. Remember; don't let things get too serious. If they do, give yourself (and your daughter) a time out.

However, I have to admit, I needed a bit of a pick me up after seeing this movie. I really missed the humorous interplay between the characters that was present in the previous films, and quite frankly it was downright depressing for me-nothing that a little sweet food couldn't cure though :).

Advent starts this week where Christians around the world start to prepare for the Christmas season. I wonder what the holiday season would look like if everyone focused on loving and giving to their fellow man with the same focus and intensity that pageant contestants use for their pageant preparation.

Plan right now to "give" one thing away each day to someone you encounter. It could be a smile, a word of encouragement, a blanket to the homeless, or a meal for someone in need. Let's see what kind of an impact we can have this December.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®. She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 21 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through  www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

For the person whose only exposure to beauty pageants is from what they see on television, it’s difficult to understand why anyone would choose to do a beauty pageant. After all, showcasing the benefits of doing a beauty pageant wouldn’t get the ratings that the drama does. But there are definite benefits or else pageantry wouldn’t be a multi-billion dollar industry.

Of the many benefits to participating in a pageant, I’m going to share my top five reasons.

1. Recognition.

People feel valued and appreciated when they receive recognition for their hard work. Some pageant systems offer cash prizes along with on-stage recognition for optional areas of participation such as talent, speech, commercials, modeling, community service, scholastic, letters of recommendation, career achievement and creative arts through scrapbooking, ad pages and decorating contests .

1. 2. Personal Development.

   The more a person recognizes and understands their strengths, values, likes, dislikes, beliefs, and personality style, the greater fulfillment and satisfaction they’ll experience from their life. The greatest self discovery and personal growth can come from working with an expert pageant coach who understands in depth how to use pageantry as a tool to develop the excellence within you.

2. 3. Communication Skills.

   The ability of articulate ones thoughts into written and spoken words is priceless. We live in an age where masses consider quality communicate as texting or posting an update on Face book. The skill of having a meaningful face to face conversation with another human being is being greatly diminished by technology. As an expert pageant coach and judge, I regularly encounter contestants with poor writing and verbal communication skills. This is very apparent in the paperwork that is submitted. By developing your communication skills, the relationships in your life will also develop in a life giving way.

3. 4. Confidence.

   The ability to face ones fears and take action anyway develops great confidence. It’s common knowledge that speaking in front of a crowd is the number one fear of people. Well, in pageantry there’s plenty of opportunity to get in front of large groups of people on a regular basis and develop a comfort level with being on stage. Through the interviewing process and introducing yourself to many people, your speaking skills will blossom in this arena.

4.  

5. 5. Handling Stress, Pressure and Disappointment.

   These reactions are a part of life. Your attitude and thoughts around these reactions can either move you forward towards fulfillment or break you down. Stress, pressure and disappointment don’t have to be viewed as negative things. In fact, they can be powerful motivators to accelerate you to the next level. It all depends on how you look at them. In pageantry, you will experience these to the fullest extent, and with guidance, you can learn how to flip them to work to your advantage.

Recognition, personal development, communication skills, confidence and handling the stress, pressure and disappointments in life are the benefits you’ll take with you from doing pageants. And if you really enjoy modeling, hair, makeup and fashion, oh the fun you will have learning these life lessons.

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Take a moment to list the benefits you receive from each of the activities you participate in. If you struggle to come up with benefits, decide if that is an activity you want to be spending your time doing.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach and an iPEC trained personal development life coach. She created Winning Through Pageantry™, to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation and achieve winning results in life through pageantry. In the pageant world she has held multiple local, state and national titles. Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 21 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website . For more information on Rhonda, visit www.WinningThroughPageantry.com.

One of my favorite movies is The Sound of Music.  I just love the scene where Maria (Julie Andrews) asks the children to sing along with her, and their response is that they don’t know how to sing. Shocked at the very thought that anyone couldn’t do such a basic skill she “starts at the very beginning” and teaches the children the simple abc’s of music. Maria explains that these simple steps are the tools upon which all songs are built.

“When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything”. Within minutes, the children are singing beautiful songs with complicated rhythms and harmonies. But they had to master the basics first.

Pageantry is no different but it will take longer than a 3 minute song :).  For the most part, you can’t just grab a dress out of your closet, arrive at the pageant and expect to have a winning experience. There are basic steps that need to be addressed first before you move on to the more complicated areas.

So let’s start at the beginning with the A,B,Cs of what to do when you have made the decision to enter a pageant.

 

A -  Acquire Knowledge

There are two main areas where you’ll want to spend your time educating yourself.

• Knowledge about yourself at a deeper level
• Knowledge of the pageant system you have chosen to participate in

 

Self knowledge is the foundation for your on-stage introduction, personal interview and platform development. It’s critical to know WHY you are doing what you’re doing. To know why you do what you do means you need to know what you value in your life. And it’s not just enough to have a list of values. Your power comes from a prioritized list of values and knowing what means the most to you. This can take some time so allow plenty of time for this exploration.

 

Learning as much as you can about the pageant system you’re competing in will greatly increase your chances of obtaining your desired results. What are the areas of competition? How are they scored? What is the look for this particular pageant? What is expected of the winner?  These are just a sample of some of the questions you need to find answers to in order to feel properly prepared.

B -  Build a Plan

There are detailed logistics involved in preparing for a pageant and I cover these areas in my free special report 10 Insider Secrets to Winning.  The most important question you need to ask yourself is how much time and money are you willing to invest in this endeavor?  Once you quantify both the time and money you have, get to work and create a detailed plan of how to reach your goal.

C - Create a Team

The way you can keep yourself on task and prevent procrastination is to create your own dream team to help you in the areas where you need assistance.  They will keep you accountable to what you say you’re going to do. Let me ask you a question, which scenario are you more likely to follow through with an action.

• You verbally tell someone else what you’re planning to do, knowing that each time you see them, they’ll ask you for an update, or
• You keep your plans to yourself depending in your level of self discipline to make it happen.

Plus it’s more fun to celebrate with a group of people when you achieve your goal, and they can be your biggest cheerleaders when you encounter challenges.

This is where you benefit from working with a pageant coach.  A qualified coach can work with you to evaluate what your needs are, help you find professional services that you need and keep you on track. To receive the greatest benefits from your coaching experience, it’s very important you feel comfortable and connected with your coach.

I‘ll  be covering this topic in greater depth in my upcoming teleclass “What’s Your Focus?”  For more information, you can go to my website at www.WinningThroughPageantry.com or click here to  Register for the Class!  There will be plenty of time for Q&A so register now and come with all your questions.

Beyond The Pageant

The above ABC’s of pageantry are the very same steps to use when starting any new project in your life. Ask yourself the 5 following questions to get you started.

• What do I want from this situation?
• How would I benefit from the results of this activity?
• How am I going to make this happen?
• What is standing in my way?
• Who can help me achieve what I want?

About Rhonda