Miss Idaho in Orlando || Part One

Hello Orlando! We are now halfway through our week to watch Abby compete at Miss America's Outstanding Teen and to meet all the Miss America contestants at Orientation. Here is a rundown of events that have happened so far...

Monday: Travel day! I managed to pack all of my clothes into one suitcase with my purse and crown box as my carry on items. Tami and Jaylee were great to travel with; they had all of the rentals and tickets in line and ready to go so there wasn't much for me to worry about. I even slept the entire way! We reached our destination and got to bed by about 2:30am.

Tuesday: After sleeping in Tuesday morning, we went to the grocery store to get food supplies. (We have access to a working kitchen because we are staying in an apartment-style condo.) I forgot to alert my bank that I was traveling, so I had to have a hold removed on my card. I'll be sure to not forget that the next time!! The rest of the day was spent getting settled in, taking naps, browsing Miss America wardrobe options, cooking chicken, and watching Abby compete in fitness at the first night of prelims. I was able to meet other Miss America contestants for the first time, and they are all SO sweet! Being able to talk with them really put me at ease for the upcoming events this week. Having Mallory Hagan and Laura Kaeppeler in the same room was the cherry on top!

Wednesday: I had my appointment with Regalia to search for an evening gown. Not only did I find an evening gown, but I got my talent outfit at the same time! Tami was so relieved to have those items checked off our list. Carry and David, the owners of Regalia, were phenomenal. I have to say that this was one of the highlights of my week. We shopped at the trade show afterwards, and then went back to the apartment to get ready for night two of preliminaries. Abby's talent was the best I've ever seen it, and all of the Miss contestants were seriously amazed by her...I'm SO PROUD!!

Overall, this week has been a lot less stressful and scary than I thought it would be. I'm so excited for the next half of the trip, and I want to thank everyone who has helped me by letting me borrow clothes, by donating to CMN (I reached my goal today!), and by sending me best wishes. I can't believe how fast time flies!

Win a Trip to Miss America

CATALINA® LAUNCHES ENDLESS SUMMER MISS AMERICA SWEEPSTAKES Entrants to win a chance to attend the Miss America Final Night of Competition Sunday, September 15, in Atlantic City, NJ, Live on ABC NEW YORK, N.Y. (August 14, 2013) — Catalina, a division of New York based In Mocean Group and the official swimwear sponsor of the 2014 Miss America Competition has launched the Endless Summer promotional sweepstakes on Catalina’s Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/CatalinaSwimwear. The grand prize winner will receive two (2) complimentary tickets to the 2014 Miss America® Competition in Atlantic City, NJ on Sunday, September 15th. The sweepstakes registration has began and ends August 28, at 11:59 PM EDT. In addition to attending the live competition, the grand prize winner and a guest will receive three nights stay at the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ, complimentary Catalina® swimwear and a spa treatment at Revel. Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan will also meet the winner, as she helps celebrate the return of the Miss America Competition to Atlantic City.  Second and third prizes for the sweepstakes include complimentary Catalina® swimwear and American Express® gift cards valued at $200 and $100 to be used anywhere. Entrants can increase the odds of winning by entering the sweeps once a day every day until August 28th, as well as tweet about the sweeps to receive five bonus entries and refer and enter a friend on Facebook to receive an additional five bonus entries. The Miss America by Catalina® Collection launched in January 2013 at Walmart, following the return of Catalina as the official swimsuit sponsor of the 2013 Miss America® Competition. The 2014 Miss America Competition airs live Sunday, September 15, at 9 PM EST on ABC Network.

Miss Idaho 2013 || Week Three

It is now officially less than one month until I leave for Miss America! My time has been spent making appearances, preparing my interview, talent, and walking, and shopping! I feel so lucky to have the help of so many people. The saying "It takes a village to raise a child" is true, only it makes more sense for me as "It takes a community to prepare a contestant for Miss America." Thank you to all of the sponsors and individuals who have already done so much for me!

A belated congratulations is in order for our new titleholders! Miss Idaho Falls Cynthia Huntsman, Miss Southeastern Idaho Kayla Jepson, Miss Idaho Falls' Outstanding Teen Jackie Andreason, Miss Southeastern Idaho's Outstanding Teen Heidi Schwicht, and Miss Snake River Valley's Outstanding Teen Marissa McKinney. They put on a lovely show and it was definitely worth the drive.

I love attending local pageants and I LOVE appearances! I got to help with the Gem/Boise County 4-H Fashion Show with Miss Gem County Kim Ford, was a taste judge for two Cooking Matters classes through the Idaho Food Bank, attended a Rotary meeting in Emmett, was a video narrator for a grant application for community health equipment, and helped out at the Nampa Farmers Market with the University of Idaho extension program; we made seed bombs with the kids! Keeping up with a blog and social media is harder than I thought it would be, but I'm getting the hang of it. Be sure to "like" the Miss Idaho Organization Facebook page for all of the updates, including the Miss America Judges! This year there will be a separate panel for preliminary competition and finals night. CRAZY! Well, I'm off to a mock interview. 

Until next time...

Sarah Downs

Miss Idaho 2013

The 2014 Miss America Preliminary Competition Judges Panel Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The 2014 Miss America Preliminary Competition Judges Panel Announced Judges Panel Will Score the Results for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Evening for the Competition's Historic Return to Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall LINWOOD, NJ (August 8, 2013) -The Miss America Organization revealed today the panel of distinguished judges for the 2014 Miss America Preliminary Competition. The diverse group of seven judges features a Miss America; an acclaimed music critic at The Boston Globe; former Executive Vice President of Time, Inc., a celebrity hair stylist, the musical director and conductor of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Lion King, the Vice President of the William Morris Endeavor Talent Agency, and a former Miss Louisiana. The preliminary judges will gain the first insight into this year’s 53 contestants, joining together to evaluate them for three nights on Tuesday, September 10, Wednesday, September 11, andThursday, September 12. Bringing expertise from their individual fields, the panel will assess each contestant’s performance in categories including Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit, Evening Wear, Talent, Interview, and an On-Stage question. A separate celebrity panel will judge the final competition on September 15, during a live broadcast on ABC from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The preliminary judges include: Shirley Cothran Barret: This Miss America crowned in 1975 has motivated audiences with her transparent and humorous candor for more than 30 years. After receiving a doctorate degree in education, Barret became an author and professional speaker who serves on boards such as MADD, Texas Speedway Children’s Charity, and her local school board. Using her life experiences, she motivates, encourages and edifies her listeners to examine their present and future destinies. Richard Dyer: This notable journalist spent 25 years as a critic with The Boston Globe and is a two-time winner of the Deems Taylor/ASCAP Award. He is currently writing a book celebrating the 50 years of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, of which he has been a member of the jury since 2001. Dyer is a former Briggs-Copeland lecturer at Harvard University and has also written for many music publications, including Opera News, High Fidelity, Musical Americanand The Nation. Stephanie George: George is the former Executive Vice President of Time Inc. and the former President of In Style, Real Simple, Essence and The Parenting Group. She has served as President for Women’s Wear Daily Media Worldwide, as well as Executive Vice President of Fairchild Publications. George serves on the boards of MPA, Burberry and the Lincoln Center. In 2009, the USO named her “Woman of the Year.” Oscar James: This Emmy Award-winning celebrity hair stylist maintains a loyal client list of supermodels and entertainers all over the world. He has styled celebrities such as Tyra Banks, Halle Berry, Former Miss America 1984 Vanessa Williams, and Beyoncé. His work can be seen on the pages of Vogue, Glamour, Essence, In Style and Cosmopolitan. Karl Jurman: Jurman is the musical director and conductor of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Lion King, currently celebrating its 15th year on Broadway. Jurman served as Music Supervisor International (London & Australian companies) of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as well as Conductor on Broadway. Previous Broadway conducting assignments include Guys and Dolls, The Will Rodgers Follies and Into the Woods. Karl has played piano for over 20 Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals. He is married to former Miss New Jersey and 2nd runner-up to Miss America Mary D’Arcy. Cori Wellins: Wellins is a WME partner and television literary agent. She represents a broad array of producers, writers, show runners, and talent in both the scripted and non-scripted space. Wellins’ clients include Rob Bowman (Castle), Christina Boylan (Once Upon a Time), Steve Holland (The Big Bang Theory), Liz Meriwether (New Girl), former National Lampoon writer Steve Hely (The Office), Matt Warburton (The Mindy Project), Alan Yang (Parks & Recreation), The View co-host Jenny McCarthy, and many others. Wellins began her entertainment career as an actress, appearing in films including Arachnophobia. In 1995, she joined the William Morris Agency and currently heads the agency’s television literary department. Nita Whitaker: This former Miss Louisiana and Hall of Fame Star Search Grand Champion Winner is an accomplished singer in clubs and arenas, as well as television and movies.  She has been the guest performer at The Freedom Awards honoring Oprah Winfrey, President Bill Clinton and actress Ruby Dee, sang duets with Andrea Bocelli during a Winter Tour, and has performed with Josh Groban, Michael Buble and Chris Botti. She has also shared the stage withBarbra Streisand, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, Richard Marx, Stevie Wonder and Yolanda Adams. Whitaker has penned a book titled Finding My Voice: My Journey through Grief to Grace. For photos of the preliminary judges or for more information on the 2014 Miss America Competition, please visit missamerica.org. The 2014 Miss America Competition Tickets are on sale and available at ticketmaster.com  ### Connect with us!         Countdown to the Crown...Tune-in September 15th @ 9:00 pm on ABC!

Miss Idaho 2013 || Week Two

I have the best news! My Miss America paperwork is finally turned in! After many days of filling out every question you could possibly think of, filming videos, and taking photos, it's finally turned in.

My focus is now shifting to making appearances and getting all of my preparations ready for Miss America (which might be more work than all of those forms!) I also get the pleasure of attending local pageants, and Miss Magic Valley was this past Saturday. I had a great time meeting all of the contestants and watching Emma Humphries and Sierra Sandison win the titles of Miss Canyon Rim and Miss Magic Valley. The teen winners were Mariah Thornquest and Sarah Christensen as Miss Canyon Rim and Miss Magic Valley's Outstanding Teens. This program is truly amazing - I was able to attend last year and it just keeps getting better. The set was amazing and so was the production. And a big congratulations to their director, RoseAnna Holliday, for her 20 year anniversary of being crowned Miss Idaho 1993! 

I am so proud of the outgoing titleholders for their incredible year of service - thank you Kalie Wright, Emily Hosman, Sierra Norman, and Macy Urrutia! This Thursday I will be heading to Idaho Falls for the Miss Idaho Falls program where Kaitlyn Anderson, Kayli Schwendiman, and Aubrey Campbell will be passing on their titles. The show starts at 7pm; be sure to come out and support our contestants! 

Now that I've had some time to reflect on Miss Idaho week and what lies ahead, I feel grateful and joyful. My goal for my year as Miss Idaho as a few parts. First comes Miss America. I am putting my whole heart into preparing so I will be the best Sarah I can be in Atlantic City. I want to make friends, have the time of my life, and take time to soak in all the events that take place. If I do not win, I will come back to Idaho and spend the year reaching out to the community, promoting my platform, and revving up our local programs. If you know young women who are looking for scholarship, recommend them to our program!

I'm looking forward to working with the board on wardrobe, interview, walking, talent, and all of the small details it takes to go to nationals. I also get to see Abby Bitzenberg, our Miss Idaho's Outstanding Teen, compete in just a few weeks in Orlando. Be sure to keep an eye out for a detailed post the following week that talks about Miss America Orientation. Thank you to some of our sponsors I've worked with so far: 

• Taralynn Pugmire -photo shoot and headshots
• Andrea Greenwood - hair for photo shoot and shampoo donation
• Annita from the Edge Counter at Dillards -make up for photo shoot
• Katilyn at Planet Beach Contempo Spa - full year  spa membership! Thanks Deidre Edmunds for the connection!

Miss Idaho LOVES her sponsors!!!

Until Next Time,

Sarah Downs Miss Idaho 2013