NATALIE BINCZAK
Staff Writer
Tensions are mounting as young women from the Malibu community prepare to compete for the title of Miss Malibu 2007.
The pageant, which is the preliminary for the Miss California USA pageant, is set to be held at Pepperdine’s own Smothers Theater on Sunday, April 23. A little over ten women ages 18 to 24 will participate in the competition.
Most of this year’s contestants are current Pepperdine students. The reigning titleholder is also a proud Pepperdine Wave.
Ashley Jay, a senior Broadcast News major, was the first young woman to be crowned Miss Malibu in the pageant’s debut last year. Since then she has made a noteworthy impact on the Malibu community through her involvement in service. This commitment has allowed Jay to become a positive role model for her peers and fellow students.
Jay describes the experience as one of personal growth. She did not originally intend to pursue a title during her college career. In fact, Miss Malibu was the first pageant she entered.
According to Jay, it was purely by chance that she learned of the competition. While studying at Payson Library on Pepperdine’s main campus, Jay happened to walk by a poster advertising the pageant and decided to consult her mom about becoming a contestant.
Looking back, Jay is confident she did the pageant for all the right reasons. Through a longtime commitment to service and volunteer groups, she developed the desire to get more involved with youth. She thought the pageant would provide an opportunity to have more influence in the community.
Advising the delegates at a recent meet and greet reception for the 2007 contestants, Jay told the young women to enter the experience wanting to show everyone who they are as individuals rather than making the focus about becoming a beauty queen.
Although she too was once in their shoes, apprehensive and uncertain about the pageant, her winning strategy was realizing early on that it was not a competition against other girls, but rather, as she puts it, “a competition about who is the best you.”
Some of the 2007 pageants are seasoned veterans of pageants. Pepperdine freshman Marchelle McConnell has participated in over ten pageants while growing up in Gunter, Texas. Her most notable award is the title of Miss Texas National Teenager, which she claimed in 2003.
“I really feel that pageants help make women more well-rounded. They polish our skills in communication, interacting with others, and our confidence,” says McConnell of her pageant experience.
Director Kristen Bradford is the person responsible for instituting the first Miss Malibu pageant. Winning second runner-up at the Miss Oregon USA pageant twice, Bradford gained impressive knowledge regarding the pageant circuit, and she played a positive role in mentoring the current Miss Malibu before the state competition.
Though Jay did not place in the top ten at Miss California USA, she remains grateful for the experience and describes it as one she will never forget.
Now Bradford’s energy is devoted to making the 2007 Miss Malibu pageant a well-prepared event and a memorable experience for the contestants. On the day of the pageant, the young women will be judged in three separate categories: swimsuit, evening gown and a personal interview.
Before the pageant takes the stage at Smothers on Sunday, each delegate will be placed before five judges in a three-minute interview. At this point the judges have a chance to ask questions based on the information provided by the women in their biographies.
When informing the contestants on the rundown of the high-energy pageant day, Bradford made sure to emphasize that the interview process will be just like that of any other job; the contestants are interviewing for the position of Miss Malibu, which she advises the girls to remember is a job.
The judges, whose names are currently undisclosed but who are said to hold notable positions within the entertainment industry, will narrow the contestants to the top five after the swimsuit portion. They will then choose three finalists, each of whom will need to answer a final question before the 2007 winner is decided.
In this final week before the pageant, it’s all about last-minute preparations. “This time is really important for getting everything together. It’s busy but it also creates the excitement and gets the girls in pageant-mode,” McConnell says.
Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased through any of the current contestants as well as the box office. During the pre-sale they are ten dollars for Pepperdine students and will be 20 dollars for everyone at the door.
Miss Malibu 2007 will be held at four P.M. Sunday, April 23 at Smothers Theater. Be sure to purchase a ticket to see who will represent Malibu, and possibly Pepperdine, at the Miss California USA pageant.
FACT BOX:
Miss Malibu 2007 Gift Package:
– Full entry fee paid to the Miss California USA pageant October 13-15. Includes hotel accommodations, meals and functions ($1500 value).
– Official crystal crown
– Official monogrammed sash
– Official acrylic trophy
– Floral bouquet provided by Cosentino’s Malibu Florist
– Diamond encrusted Polanti Watch ($1700 value)
– Four personal training sessions at Malibu Gym
– Official photoshoot and photographs by Felicity Murphy ($300 value)
– Pageant gown for state competition provided by California & Main ($300 value)
– Complimentary consultation and treatment at Malibu Acupuncture & Herbs
– Pageant guidance and enhancement program provided by Kristen Bradford
Total prize package worth approximately $5000.
04-20-2006