Kylee Solberg Crowned Miss Idaho 2016
Susan Hessing Photography
Boise, ID - Kylee Solberg, Miss Tri Counties was crowned Miss Idaho 2016 on Saturday, June 18th at the Nampa Civic Center. Kylee competed with 21 other young woman from around the state. Kylee will compete at Miss America on September 11th, 2016 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Kylee Solberg calls Coeur d'Alene, Idaho home. She graduated high school from Coeur d'Alene High School and earned her associates from North Idaho College. She is currently attending Boise State University to pursue a Communications Degree. Kylee was 1st runner up in the Miss Idaho Pageant in 2015 and was crowned Miss National Sweetheart 2015.
As Miss Idaho 2016, Kylee will bring awareness to online bullying with her platform, "Our Words have Power." Kylee was inspired by a story of a young girl from her home town that was being bullied. She wrote a letter to the young girl, empowering her to look beyond the mean words and letting her know her life does have worth.
Susan Hessing Photography
4th Runner Up, Miss Nampa Nina Forest
3rd Runner Up Miss Treasure Valley Katarina Schweitzer
2nd Runner Up Miss Canyon County Hannah Menzner
1st Runner Up Miss Meridian Marissa Wickland,
f you would like more information or would like to schedule an interview please feel free to contact me.
Rochelle Criswell
Miss Idaho Organization
missidahopr@gmail.com
About the Miss Idaho Organization
This not-for-profit organization awards college scholarship to outstanding young women of our state, and its mission is more critical than ever in this time of inadequate funding for education in Idaho. The Miss Idaho Organization stands as a shining example of what can be accomplished when college women are challenged and encouraged to achieve ambitious goals.
The community service aspect of the Miss Idaho Organization propels contestants into arenas of prominence where policy is made, laws are enacted or changed, crucial funding is realized, and lives are positively affected. Contestants work for causes represented by their personally chosen platforms which may include Cancer research and education, organ donation, child enrichment and mentoring programs, senior citizen advocacy, arts and cultural organizations, and many others.
About The Miss America Organization
The Miss America Organization, a 501(c)4 non-profit organization, is the nation's leading advocate for women's education and the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women in the United States, awarding millions of dollars annually. The Miss America Organization is comprised of 52 licensed organizations, including all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Miss America contestants contribute tens of thousands of community service hours annually and have raised over $13 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and Miss America scholarships since 2007.
Miss Boise: Let me be Brave in the Attempt
The weather in Twin Falls was overcast and muggy, but the spirit at the opening ceremonies for Special Olympics Idaho could not be tainted.
25 teams arrived at the high school football stadium ready to celebrate their opportunities to compete in the athletics of their choice. Contestants from all over our great state flooded the area with bright colors sporting their teams and big smiles on their faces.
The enthusiasm continued. Part of the ceremony involved each team being escorted onto the field and announced to the crowd. Not just the team announced, but the entire stadium roared in celebration of the tremendous honor to be a part of this event. When I say the entire stadium, I mean audience members, volunteers, and competitors. From what I saw, the competitive nature of the games was second only to sportsmanship.
"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
--Special Olympics athlete oath
This is a message I will carry closely as I prepare for a woman to be crowned Miss Idaho 2016 in less than a week. My goal through the entire process of preparing for the competition has been to be true to myself- to accept the challenge that I pose to others through my platform Be Limitless.
As the clock is running out, I am realizing how terrifying it could be to know that in approximately 4 days, 15 hours, and 20 min, I will be showing an entire audience and a panel of judges exactly who Brittany Lock is. This fosters room for judgement, raw emotion, and rejection.
I want Brittany Lock to be what the judges are looking for in a representative of Idaho. I would relish the opportunity to do so to my best ability. However, as I compete, I will be brave- speaking my truth, and knowing fully well that it might not be received how I want it to be. Whether I earn first place or last place, I am proud because I will be brave enough to just be me. I will also be thrilled for the woman that receives the honor of holding the title Miss Idaho.
Brittany Lock - Miss Boise 2016
Confessions of a Pageant Girl: My journey through the Miss America Organization and the lessons I’ve learned along the way
When I decided to compete in my first teen pageant over 4 years ago, my thoughts were focused on the beautiful crown. My sister had always been the one who loved pageants, and although I thought the girls were all really pretty, it never really occurred to me to compete. I sat in front of my computer for over a month, contemplating whether I should compete in the Miss Western Idaho’s Outstanding Teen Scholarship Program. At the 11th hour of the last day to submit my forms, I hit send. What was my motivation to do this? I’m not really sure – the sparkly crown maybe? After all, I was only 15 years old! The decision to hit “send” was the beginning of an incredible journey.
Much to my surprise, I won that first pageant. When the crown was placed on my head, everything changed. I quickly learned that there is so much more to being a title holder than sparkles and beauty. Holding a title in the Miss America Organization is about service (addressing an important issue), style (looks AND character), scholarship (importance of education and pursuit of personal goals) and success (the growth that happens during the competition and the final outcome – win or lose).
The moment after I won Miss Western Idaho’s Outstanding Teen
My first year was filled with so many opportunities to serve my community. Here are some fun memories from my first year in the Miss America Organization.
Helping Joe Malay in a charity auction.
Dance off at the Race for a Cure, Weiser, ID
I knew when I decided to compete that I had to come up with some sort of platform. Because of my passion for kids, I knew I wanted to find some way to improve their well-being. I decided to create a platform that encompassed four aspects of health:
· Nutritional Health – Choosing healthier alternatives to snack on
· Physical Health – Get out and move!
· Mental Health – understanding how learning can be fun!
· Spiritual Health – Having a belief in a higher being
I called my platform “Healthy - Happy - Youth” because I knew that living a healthy/balanced lifestyle would cause young people to feel genuinely happy.
Promoting my platform at the Women’s Fitness Celebration, Boise, ID
One of my first opportunities to promote my platform and really understand how inspiring it is to be a healthy role model. Thank you to Purdom’s for allowing me to spend the day promoting healthy fruit snacks to families as they took hay rides and picked pumpkins!
Another great opportunity to promote my platform. I was blessed to be asked to give my testimony at Fields of Faith in Weiser. What an honor that was. Living by example!
When I gave up my title at the end of that year, I felt like my work wasn’t done. I realized that the crown represented so many incredible things; it gave me the opportunity to promote health and serve my community. So, I competed for a Miss title.
Needless to say, my first Miss pageant was a humbling experience. I was not accustomed to failure, and when I lost that local, I had to really reflect on what was important. True, it wasn’t my time, but there was more to it than that. My heart and passion were not in it like they had been back in 2013 when I won my teen title. I had competed with the expectation to win, and the judges saw that. After competing in another local, I ended up with the title by default – so I had the privilege of competing for Miss Idaho in 2015. After Miss Idaho, I was really determined to understand and embrace the passion I had a few years earlier. I decided to compete in another local pageant shortly after Miss Idaho. This time, I focused on maintaining a positive attitude and making a genuine effort to help the other contestants. Because of my positive mindset, I went into that pageant confident, happy and prepared.
Here’s a picture from the evening gown portion of the pageant
The positive attitude made all the difference. I had an amazing time competing in the pageant and walked away with the title of Miss Three Rivers!
After I was crowned, I worked really hard to understand the Children’s Miracle Network. Through that, I also learned how important Ronald McDonald houses are and how integrated they are with CMNH. Through one of my local fund raisers, I caught the attention of the President of the Board of Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, CA. He was so impressed with my devotion to the CMNH, he invited me to come spend a full day at the hospital and learn about what they do.
At the entrance to the Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, CA.
Meeting with the CEO of Valley Children’s Hospital, Todd Suntrapak, and President of the Board, Patrick Murphy in Madera. Had some great discussions about ideas for community gardens and promoting my platform. How to get kids to eat healthier. (As well as giving advice to a future judge of Miss California!)
Meeting Shirley was one of the highlights of my trip to Madera. She spends weeks at a time in the hospital, in isolation. She can’t leave her room, but people can come visit her. Her attitude and spirit were so inspiring to me.
Thank you so much to Shannon Slavan-Lombre who set up my visit in Madera.
This family was so excited to see me because they were from Three Rivers, CA!
Performing my piano piece for the Ronald McDonald House in Madera, CA.
My year as Miss Three Rivers has been incredible so far. I am so thankful for the service opportunities that I have had over the past 11 months. Here are just a few shots of some of the community service projects that I worked on this year in preparation for Miss Idaho….
Fund Raiser for Children’s Miracle Network
Delivering food to families in need over the holidays.
Helping kids in need wrap Christmas Presents
Mother Daughter Luncheon to raise money for CMNH – sporting a beautiful checked dress with ruffled hem line and dress shoes! Raised over $1500 for CMNH at this event!
Preparing food for community Thanksgiving Dinner.
Parade appearances with my sister title holder - Mikayla Stephens
Making appearances at wacky events to help raise money for community services – such as this event for White Bird First Responders – silent auction. What a great group of ladies – and such a sense of humor!
Making blankets and collecting donations for the Ronald McDonald house in Boise. All together I put together a package to donate of over $3000 in items and cash, including 35 homemade blankets!
Preparing dinner for the Ronald McDonald House in Boise
These photos are just a few of many incredible moments I have had during my time in the Miss America Organization. I have grown so much since I won that first crown almost 5 years ago. The Miss America Organization has taught me to appreciate being a servant to the community and to those in need. Over the last 5 years, I learned to sit in a board meeting with CEO’s and on the floor with children, visited areas that I never knew existed to put a smile on the face of someone less fortunate than me, and baked my heart out to raise money for the CMNH. Most importantly, I have committed myself to creating healthy lifestyles for youth with my platform, Healthy Happy Youth. I learned that pageant women are more than just pretty faces; they are servants of their communities. The personal growth that I’ve felt because of this organization has been amazing and I am forever grateful.
- Sarah Jensen, Miss Three Rivers 2016
Meet me at the Barre!
“Fitness isn’t about being better than somebody else. It’sabout being better than you used to be.” ~ Unknown
I don’t know about you but the gym and I aren’t really friends! I love working out and being active but the gym is a foreign place with a lot of scary equipment. Due to my ballet training and conditioning over the years I never had to step foot in a gym. Ballet was all the workout I needed and it kept my muscles very lean. The tall, long and lean body is what ballet requires to fulfill the lines many variations call for. It’s not impossible to be a shorter or more muscular ballerina, but imagine a 5’2’’ basketball player. They can still be a good basketball player, it’s just not ideal. Not dancing as often and going off to college required me to venture out to different types of workouts in order to stay fit. From Piyo classes, to Zumba, all are great but Barre classes are the BEST!
Barre classes are exercise classes that pull technique and fundamentals from ballet, Pilates and yoga. It’s structured that you work out your entire body with high reps and focus on strength training. Many times light weights are used, along with a variety of other exercise equipment. What I have come to love about Barre class is that I am able to incorporate a lot of my ballet training and enhance what I work on in the ballet studio. I appreciate that these classes help me tone my muscles and keep me lean, not bulky! By no means do you have to have ballet or any dance training to do well or benefit from Barre classes! I encourage everyone to give it a try because it’s truly a workout that pushes the limits of what you think your body can do!
In preparation for Miss Idaho 2016 I took classes in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho at Reform Studio. Kelly Pintler is the owner and a wonderful instructor! She and her staff provided several different classes that kept me in shape and active over the two weeks I was home. I checked off a bucket list item taking an aerial silks class and realizing that it was not only beautiful but also extremely difficult! I had a lot of fun venturing out of my comfort zone and trying different classes. Staying fit and active should be something you find enjoyment in and have a passion for. If you have any interest in barre, aerial silks, yoga or pilates I highly recommend Reform Studio in Cda!
~ Kylee Solberg, Miss Tri-Counties 2016
Miss Boise: Shine on stage and off
(Fashion for a Cause 2016 Group 1)
For the last 3 years I have been involved in an event called Fashion for a Cure. This is a fashion show that is sponsored by a local photographer, Samuel Marvin Photography, and raises funds for a charitable cause. The organization that we partnered with this year was the Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho.
My role every year is to meet with the models (high school seniors) in groups to go over walking the runway. First, I introduce myself to them, talk about the Miss Idaho Organization, talk about my platform, and then we get to the real reason why we are there: walking gracefully on the runway.
As a contestant for the Miss Idaho competition on June 17 and 18, I have learned a thing or two about walking (and falling, unfortunately). It would be easy to say “walking is something you learn when you are two and that’s the end of it” and, I mean, yes- the mechanics of walking are learned young, but polishing those skills can have unexpected results.
(Fashion for a Cause 2016 Group 2)
(Fashion for a Cause 2014 Group 2- as Miss Syringa)
(All of the models from Fashion for a Cause 2016)
(Fashion for a Cause 2014 Group 2)
I was talking to a group of girls for the show this year about techniques to stay balanced in high heels, how to add your personality to your strut, and what kind of moves translate well on stage… at least that is how it started. I continued to talk about how, as bizarre as it sounds, this skill set does not just benefit you when you are in a fashion show or on a pageant stage- but instead everyday of your life.
Now stay with me, because I know that probably sounds like a stretch…but it is true and I will tell you why. The stress of high pressure situations like that job interview, or networking and social events, for me- approaching people for interviews, cannot easily be replicated. This is especially true when first impressions are on the line and in an instant you need to be able to convey your genuine self. When a person is able to walk into a room, command respect and be approachable, just off of their body language, I don’t think that anyone would argue saying that person isn’t a leader.
The Miss Idaho competition is what I believe to be a fairly accurate representation of these skills. In interview, obviously you are able to use multiple levels of human interaction to get across who you are, but the on stage portions of competition like “life style and fitness in swimwear” and “evening gown” are unique in that all you have is your nonverbal communication.
(Fashion for a Cause 2014 group 3)
(Fashion for a Cause 2016 Fashion show)
I have seen this necessary skill set developed over the time that I have competed in the Miss Idaho Organization. The phrase “fake it until you make it” actually comes to mind. When I am in those high pressure situations and am letting my own self-doubt take ahold of me, my best self becomes my habit. When I am nervous, when I am tired, when I am scared, I can still show confidence and accuracy because that is my default.
The time I have spent competing within the Miss Idaho Organization has taught me to be clear and concise through my words, but I can say just as much without saying anything at all.
Brittany Lock - Miss Boise 2016