I want to compete in a pageant....WHERE DO I START??!!

The pageant bug has bitten you!  You've watched your friends post photos with new friends having fun in glamorous gowns.  You've read about how someone just won a title and is preparing for the next big adventure in some really cool location.  You've witnessed as girls get opportunities that you didn't even know existed and now you want in on it  So, you're taking the plunge and signing up for your first pageant.  You do a little googling and quickly become overwhelmed...."WHERE DO I START??!!!"

No worries, I'll share a few things you should look for as you sign up for your first pageant experience.  I can't share everything, after all, I am a pageant coach, so if you need more than just what will scratch the surface here, then contact me and set up some one-on-one time at my studio so you can head to that first pageant totally confident and fully prepared!

First and foremost, no two pageants are the same.  Okay, so they may be similar, but they are hardly ever the same.  There are many things that differ from one pageant to the next, but some of the obvious things include areas of competition, scoring, available age divisions and style.  What, am I going too fast?  Okay, I'll use this blog post to break those down a little further for you...

          Areas of competition - the areas of competition are the part of the pageant that you actually have to compete in.  Some areas may include interview, photogenic self-introduction, talent, swimwear, fitness wear, fun fashion, formal, community service, etc.  Again, the keyword is "some."  Not every system is going to have swimwear just like not every one has a self-introduction.  The important thing when signing up for a pageant is to know exactly what you are signing up for.  If you don't have an on-stage talent, then competing in a pageant where talent is mandatory is probably not a good idea!  That being said, some pageants then offer what we call "optionals."  These are things you can compete in as an option...meaning, they are not mandatory and your scores from those optionals won't count towards the actual pageant scores.  So, if you have a talent, but you're still working on developing it then signing up for a talent optional competition may be a good place for you to start.  Well, what did you learn here?  Know what the mandatory areas of competition are and what might just be an option.

          Scoring - It's a pageant...you're being judged, so you are getting scored.  A winner is chosen based off of who has the highest scores from the judges.  This is generally done on some sort of scale.  It could be 1-10, 1-20 or ranked or whatever they decide.  Most pageants will include how their scoring is handled in the paperwork, so make sure you read up on it!  That being said, each area of competition accounts for a certain percentage of your overall score.  For example, a pageant may have interview, fashion and formal as their areas of comp, with all three being equally weighted at roughly 33% each.  Great, so if you bomb interview, then you have the other two stage areas to make up for it.  But another system with the same three areas may have interview weighted at 50% of your score with fashion 25% and formal the last 25%.  That tells you that interview is a heavier weight of your overall score, so that's one area you'll want to make sure to excel in.  Some pageants are heavily dependent on your talent, so if talent is 50% or higher of your score, then you'll want to make sure you're talent is spot-on and really strong!  Regardless of the percentage though, you should always make sure you are completely prepared for EVERY phase of your competition. Make sense?  Know the percentage breakdown of the areas!

Available age divisions - most pageants are broken down into divisions so that a toddler isn't competing against someone in their 30's.  This keeps the competition fair and balanced.  Some pageants are broken down solely based off of your age, while others are by age AND marital status, meaning, some pageants have separate age divisions for those who are married or for those who are not but yet in the same age group. Every division then has it's own separate group name based off of what that particular pageant likes to call it.  For instance, one system may have a 9-11 year old age division and call it "Pre-Teen," while another with the same breakdown may call it "Junior Teen."  Basically, when signing up, make sure you know what age division you are in and know what the title is that you are competing for!

          Style- okay, so this just may be the most important part of signing up for a pageant...you need to know the pageant's style.  Some pageants are what we call "conservative" while others may be more "glitz" and then there's everything in-between!  Just knowing the style of the pageant alone can lead you to success.  A conservative pageant is going to look for more of the natural overall looks.  This means, certain age divisions may not be allowed to wear makeup, while others will not be allowed slits in their dresses or deep-plunging necklines.  Knowing this ahead of time will help save you from unnecessary point deductions.  Glitz pageants are more like what you see on the tv show "Toddlers & Tiaras," heavy makeup, spray tans and fake hair for little ones.  There's nothing wrong with the different individual styles of pageantry, but it will be important to figure out which style you personally want to pursue and then find a system to match your needs.  When I first started, I signed up for a more conservative system and bombed because I wasn't doing the "pageant-patty" things they looked for, but then I tried one that was a little more glam and high-fashion and ended up doing really well.  So success can really start with choosing the right system for YOU.  Bottom line, know the style of the system that you are signing up for and follow their rules!

Clearly, there's a lot to pageantry and these are just some of the many things to consider when doing your research.  That's just it though...do your research!  Google.  Bing.  Ask friends who have competed before.  Talk to strangers.  I don't care what you have to do, but get the knowledge!  Most pageant websites will list the director's name and contact info, so don't be afraid to ask questions to them directly before you sign up for anything...most deposits are non-refundable, so do your homework before you pay.  Speaking of paying, look into all of the fees too while you're at it.  Is it just a one-time entry fee?  Are there mandatory program ad page fees?  Do you have to pay for dinners or other tickets on top of the entry fee?  This will be important to know for your budget.  Also, consider what will happen if you do go and end up winning....after all, that really could happen you know.  Is there another level that you'll have to compete at?  What is that info...dates, location, etc?  These are all things to consider for your wants, needs, schedule, budget, etc. Worse case, come see me at Studio K Coaching and I'll help ya out! ;)

Moral of the story (in case you're one of those people who don't really like to read and just scroll) DO YOUR HOMEWORK before signing up for anything!!!