The Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA

Magazine of December 22nd, 2005

Ms. Duren, Miss Wooten & The Miss Florida USA Staff

wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!

Dear Miss Florida USA Family:

Welcome to another edition of YOUR Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA Magazine YOUR information source for everything pageantry in the Sunshine State. This being the Holiday season we wish the best of holidays to all of our friends, contestants, sponsors, directors and parents who comprise our Miss Florida USA family. We wish all a happy Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa or Festivus depending on your personal choosing. Here’s also to a great 2006 as this is going to be the best Miss Florida USA pageant season ever!

This weeks Ezine brings you national results from Lebanon and The Dominican Republic as well as tragic news from Arkansas. We meet Miss Minnesota Teen USA and Miss North Dakota Teen USA in a winter wonderland Road to Miss Teen USA Report. Updates on Miss Nature Coast USA and Miss Daytona Beach USA highlight this weeks Miss Florida USA Report. Gen Art keeps you fashion forward with the latest fashion tips and Faces & Places has reports from this past weekends Winterfest Boat Parade. All the pageant news that fits to print updated on Thursdays and Mondays only at YOUR Miss Florida USA Ezine, the only Ezine in the pageant world!

Grant H. Gravitt, Jr.

Executive Producer

Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA

15 Days until Miss Nature Coast USA & Teen USA!

PAGEANT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

» Miss Petit Jean Valley 2005 found dead in her Russellville apartment
By Christina Fowler, Sean Ingram and Scarlet Sims/ www.couriernews.com

Russellville police investigators Friday were trying to account for the previous 24-36 hours of the reigning Miss Petit Jean Valley 2005 after she was found apparently murdered Thursday night at her Russellville apartment. Nona Dirksmeyer, 19, a native of Dover and sophomore music major at Arkansas Tech University, was pronounced dead at 8 p.m. Thursday at her residence on Inglewood Avenue and 12th Street in Russellville, according to Pope County Coroner Leonard Krout.

Dirksmeyer’s body was sent to the State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock, according to Russellville police, where the cause of death will be determined through an autopsy conducted by a medical examiner hopefully Tuesday, Police Chief James Bacon said. The chief explained Friday night several witnesses have been interviewed, including neighbors and friends of the 2004 graduate of Dover High School. “She was found at 6:30 p.m. Thursday,” Bacon said. “Nobody was with her at the time she was found. Her boyfriend, another friend and the boyfriend’s mother went to the (apartment) to check on her. They are the ones that found her. Now, we are trying to backtrack and account for her whereabouts throughout the day (Thursday). “We are investigating the apparent homicide of a 19-year-old female. We’ve questioned and talked to a lot of people — neighbors, friends and family members. At this time, we are investigating the death as an apparent homicide.”

Bacon also said he and up to 12-15 detectives and patrol officers who are involved in the investigation are trying to quash rumors and validate leads that can be utilized by authorities.
“There’s a lot of things about it (investigation) that are raising our eyebrows,” Bacon said. “But again, those are the things that we’re not going to discuss at this point, because we don’t want to jeopardize the integrity of what we’re trying to do. I will say with our new records management system, CAD system and 911, we have the capability of getting some very good research data.”
Details of her injuries or any suspected weapons were not disclosed Friday. No official suspects had been named Friday by Russellville police, the sole investigating agency of the incident.
“We’re tracking down all the leads,” said Assistant Chief Tom McMillan. Lead investigators in the case are Det. Mark Frost and David Verdin.

Dirksmeyer was selected Miss Petit Jean Valley 2005 and went on to compete in the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant in Hot Springs. Her critical issue platform was “Break the Cycle — Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness.” Her talent was a vocal performance of “Con Te Partiro.”
She is the daughter of Carol and Duane Dipert of Russellville. “The Arkansas Tech University community mourns the loss of sophomore music major Nona Dirksmeyer,” Susie Nicholson, assistant to the president for university relations at Arkansas Tech University, said Friday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends. The university is providing counseling and bereavement services for faculty and students.”

Nicholson added campus officials were cooperating with authorities as they conduct their investigation, and all questions are being referred to the Russellville Police Department.
Bacon said a Russellville police investigator would be at the State Crime Lab in Little Rock on Tuesday. “Until the medical examiner does his autopsy on Tuesday, or unless something breaks, we will be hinging on waiting for the medical examiner’s report,” Bacon said. “We should have additional information Tuesday.”

» Miss Arkansas Tech embraces memories of Nona
By Janice Penix /www.couriernews.com Russellville, Arkansas

Although she competed against Nona Dirksmeyer in several pageants, Brandy O’Neal, the reigning Miss Arkansas Tech, said she and the 19-year-old Dover native became friends very quickly. “Nona and I met at the Miss Petit Jean Valley pageant, where we were both competing, a couple of years ago,” O’Neal said. “I remember the first time I heard her sing onstage. I just stopped where I was and got chills all over. She was amazing.” Dirksmeyer, a sophomore music major at Arkansas Tech University, was found dead Thursday evening at her residence on Inglewood Avenue and 12th Street in Russellville. Her death is under investigation by the Russellville Police Department.
O’Neal said there is much to remember about Dirksmeyer’s life.

“Nona was such a wonderful and kind person,” O’Neal said. “It didn’t matter where she was or what she was doing, she always tried to make you feel comfortable. “She knew that singing onstage made me nervous, so she would always try to keep my mind off of it until I went onstage. Even though she might be singing that night, too, she just wanted me to feel comfortable.” Although Dirksmeyer was a quiet person, O’Neal said she also had a good sense of humor. “She was quiet, but very funny,” O’Neal said. “Sometimes at Miss Arkansas she would be sitting at the table eating with everyone, and someone would be telling a story. You wouldn’t even think that Nona was listening, and then she would just bust out and say the funniest thing. We were all like, ‘Where did that come from?’”

Nona Dirksmeyer (right) and Brandy O’Neal smile

for a photo in their hotel room during the 2005 Miss Arkansas

competition. Dirksmeyer, Miss Petit Jean Valley, and O’Neal, Miss

Arkansas Tech, competed against each other but became close friends.

O’Neal said Dirksmeyer was a very strong person who really believed in her critical issue — child abuse prevention and awareness. Dirksmeyer competed in the Miss Arkansas 2005 pageant as the reigning Miss Petit Jean Valley, a title that was officially bestowed on her by O’Neal, the 2004 Miss Petit Jean Valley. The two friends were roommates in Hot Springs during this year’s Miss Arkansas competition. “We had a great relationship,” O’Neal said. “We roomed together at Miss Arkansas this past summer, and we had the best time. I remember my dad coming in and teasing us about our messy room, and we just laughed. “We would stay up late just chit-chatting about the pageant and school. Nona, Leslie Miller [Miss Johnson County] and I rode rides together at Magic Springs, and it was the best time that I had at Miss Arkansas. It was just us girls hanging out and having fun.”
The friendship that formed between O’Neal and Dirksmeyer continued even after the pageant.

“After Miss Arkansas, we ran into each other at the fitness center and talked every time we saw each other,” O’Neal said. “I hadn’t talked to her in about a month when I heard the news. “I just wish that I could pick up the phone and call her to tell her how I felt about her. I don’t think she knew how much we all cared for her and how much she meant to us. “When you compete in pageants with girls, you become close to them and actually become friends. There were several of us from the River Valley who were close friends, and we all went to Miss Arkansas last year. Even though you are competing against each other, it doesn’t feel like it because you are encouraging and supporting each other. "She went out right before me onstage at Miss Arkansas, and I was amazed with her each time she stepped out onstage. She had worked so hard to get there. I was, and still am, very proud of her.” According to O’Neal, Dirksmeyer’s best assets were her dedication and her sweet spirit.

“Nona was so inspiring to everyone who met her,” O’Neal said. “She was one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. When I first met her, she was just beginning to compete in Miss Arkansas preliminaries. She worked harder than anyone I’ve ever met. “She worked out hard, volunteered for her platform, worked on her talent and just blossomed before everyone’s eyes. You could tell that she really wanted to compete at Miss Arkansas because of how hard she worked. I am so glad that she earned the chance to do that, and I am really glad that I was there to experience that with her.”

O’Neal said she hopes Dirksmeyer is remembered for her caring personality and her remarkable talents. “I hope that people remember her beautiful voice,” O’Neal said. “She was such a talented performer and had so much more to give. She was such a kind person and worked so hard to help abused children, which was her Miss Arkansas platform.
“I will never forget her smile. She made more of a difference in 19 years than most people make in a lifetime.”

» MISS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2006

New Miss Dominican Republic Mia Taveras, second left, poses for a picture

with Miss Puerto Rico Zuleyka Rivera, left, Miss Universe Natalie Glebova, second

right, and former Miss Dominican Republic Renata Soe at the Olimpic Center in

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005. Mia Taveras will

compete in the Miss Universe contest next year.

Ms. Taveras holds her crown after being

crowned Miss Dominican Republic 2006

» MISS LEBANON 2006

The newly crowned Miss Lebanon 2005 Gabrielle Bou

Rashed (R) stands next to the first runner up Anabella Hilal in Beirut.

Bou Rashed defeated 30 other contestants over five rounds to win the

title of Miss Lebanon 2005 at a ceremony held at Casino Du Liban.

Miss Rashed is congratulated with a kiss from the first runner

up Anabella Hilal, and second runner up Nadine Yazbek in Beirut

MISS FL USA NEWS!

» Last Call for Miss Nature Coast USA

With less then three weeks remaining before the Miss Nature Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants it last call to sign up for this January 7^th event. A big congratulations goes to Miss Nature Coast USA Director Shalyn Barnes on her new website! With vibrant designs and all of the information you need to compete in the first pageant of 2006 surf to www.NatureCoastPageants.com and learn more about how you can compete in this new addition to The Miss Florida USA Family.

» Miss Daytona Beach USA & Miss Daytona Beach Teen USA Pageant

Ladies:

We are still accepting applications through Tuesday, December 27th. If you know anyone who would be interested in competing in either the Miss Daytona Beach Teen USA or Miss Daytona Beach USA Pageant, please refer them to the pageant web site at either www.missdaytonabeachteen.com or www.missdaytonausa.com to fill out an on-line application.

We are sooooooooo close to being able to award three titles. We are working very hard to ensure that we have the number of contestants that we need in order to award three titles. If we have more than 30 contestants per division we will award three titles per division: Miss Daytona Beach USA, Miss Ormond Beach USA, Miss Volusia County USA and Miss Daytona Beach Teen USA, Miss Ormond Beach Teen USA, and Miss Volusia County Teen USA. The pageant isn’t only about the three competitions (Interview, Swimsuit, and Evening Gown), it is also about meeting some amazing people, forming great friendships, and having a blast! I was on myspace recently and many of my friends are former pageant contestants of ours; it was so AMAZING to see how all of them are in contact with each other!! It truly means that we are doing our job at the pageant.

I know a lot of people think the pageant is all about the winner, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It is our job to make sure that each and every contestant feels great about herself and how she did. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to work with the winner throughout her reign, but the most rewarding aspect is seeing former contestants and how much they have grown because of the pageant! The pageant is a lot of hard work, but we have SO much fun during the pageant weekend. A lot of our contestants come back year after year because they have such a great time. I cannot tell you how many e-mails and phone calls we have received from contestants, thanking us and telling us that the pageant was “the time of my life.” We really become a family through this process. The pageant is, without a doubt, a team effort between our staff and our contestants. We have all of the pieces in place for an amazing, awesome show, now we just need you!

I think a common reaction is to register for the pageant and then a few days or few weeks later you start to wonder why you applied. A perfect example is Kendra Waller. Back in 2004, she applied to be a contestant but then we never heard from her again; she felt like pageantry just wasn’t her thing. After dozens of phone calls she finally picked up the phone and after speaking with us, she decided to compete in the Miss Daytona Beach Teen Pageant (at the very last minute). She ended up winning and has gone on to be very successful in the pageant world, even placing 4th Runner-up to Miss Florida Teen USA.

Our reigning Miss Daytona Beach USA, Meg Perkins, is another perfect example. Meg was a professional model and truly had no interest in competing in pageants. After a lot of research, she decided to compete in our pageant just for fun. Meg not only won Miss Daytona Beach USA, she was a semi-finalist at the Miss Florida USA pageant, something she never imagined she could accomplish.

I would really love to have three titleholders this year, per division. I feel that we should give away additional titles because we have such a strong group of contestants; it would be great if three teens and three miss contestants from our pageant had a chance to become Miss Florida Teen USA or Miss Florida USA!!!!!!

You really have nothing to loose and everything to gain!

Lastly, our pageant web sites feature over 500 photos and 180 pages each, and are an amazing resource that potential contestants should take advantage of. The web site can give you a great idea of what it is like to be Miss Daytona Beach USA or Miss Daytona Beach Teen USA. On the web site, you can view: video clips from last years pageant, video clips from appearances, photos from appearances, contestant pages (the 2007 Contestants will be posted on January 1st), get to know fellow contestants on our message board, Frequently Asked Questions can help you get some of your important questions answered, and much, much more. You will also be able to vote for Miss Photogenic starting January 1st.

It could be your dream that comes true!! The Experience of a Lifetime awaits…APPLY ON-LINE TODAY!!

Kim Decker-Anos

Miss Daytona Beach USA Director

» 2007 Miss Florida USA Preliminary Season Schedule

UPDATED 12/22/05

Jan 6-7: Miss Nature Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants

Jan 13-15: Miss Daytona Beach USA & Teen USA Pageants

Jan 14-15: Miss Tampa/Clearwater/St. Pete USA & Teen USA Pageants

Jan 27-29 Miss Sarasota/Manatee County USA & Teen USA Pageants

Jan 29: Miss Hollywood USA & Teen USA Pageants

Feb 4: Miss Tallahassee USA & Teen USA Pageants

Feb 4-5: Miss Citrus USA & Teen USA Pageants

Feb 11: Miss Polk County USA/Miss Lake Buena Vista USA & Teen USA Pageants

Feb 11: Miss Sunset Place USA & Teen USA Pageants

Feb 18-19: Miss First Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants

March 3: Miss Pembroke Pine USA & Miss Pembroke Pines Teen USA

March 18: Miss Southwest Florida USA & Teen USA Pageants

March TBD: Miss Weston USA & Teen USA Pageants

April 2: Miss West Broward USA & Teen USA Pageants

April 8: Miss Gold Coast USA & Miss Palm Beach County USA & Teen Pageants

April 23: Miss Treasure Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants

May 6: Miss Boca Raton USA & Teen USA Pageants

May 7: Miss Homestead USA & Teen USA Pageants

May 14: Miss Tourism Super Pageant

TBD Miss Jacksonville USA & Teen USA Pageants

TBD Miss Miami USA & Teen USA Pageants

TBD Miss Emerald Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants

TBD Miss Orlando USA & Teen USA Pageants

TBD Miss City Beautiful USA & Teen USA Pageant

TBD Miss North Miami Dade USA & Teen USA

MISS FLORIDA TEEN USA TV LISTINGS:

MIAMI/FT LAUDERDALE

WSVN-FOX

Channel 7

Saturday, January 7

4PM

NAPLES/FT MEYERS

WINK-CBS

Channel 11

TBD

TAMPA/ST PETE/CLEARWATER

WMOR-IND

Channel 32

Saturday, December 30, 2005

10:30PM

ORLANDO/DAYTONA BEACH

WRDQ-IND

Channel 27

Saturday, February 18, 2006

1PM

TALLAHASSEE

WTLS (Ch. 24, UPN)

WTLH FOX Channel 49

TBD

PANAMA CITY

WJHG-TV Ch. 7 NBC

Sunday, December 31, 2005

10:30PM

PENSACOLA/MOBILE

WFGX-WB

Channel 35

Saturday, January 7

8PM

OCALA/GAINESVILLE

WGFL-CBS

Channel 53

TBD

JACKSONVILLE

WAWS FOX

Channel 47

TBD

WEST PALM BEACH

WTCN-WB Ch. 15

Sunday, December 18

3PM

STUART/FT PIERCE

WTCN-WB

Channel 15

Sunday, December 18

3PM

VENICE

W56CN-IND

Channel 56

Saturday, December 30, 2005

10:30PM

PORT RICHEY

W46BQ-IND

Channel 46

Saturday, December 30, 2005

10:30PM

SEMINOLE

WMOR-LP

Channel 63

Saturday, December 30, 2005

10:30PM

» Anoka High School junior is Miss Minnesota Teen USA

By Jennifer Kivioja/Staff Writer www.abcnewspapers.com

Amy Blue knew before she arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington that she would win. This 16-year-old may get a lot of grief from her fellow classmates, who mistake her confidence as being stuck-up, but believes it was her confidence that captured the judge’s attention. Blue, a junior at Anoka High School, was crowned the 2006 Miss Minnesota Teen USA last weekend. She and 83 other teens competed in swimsuit, evening gown and interviews in front of a panel of judges and a 1,400-person audience Nov. 26-27. Last weekend, on Friday, Blue and her mother checked into the hotel and prepared for the competition. Saturday morning was the start of activities and events involved with the pageant.

She started the day at 8 a.m. in hair and makeup, followed by a brief orientation at 9 a.m. Then at 11 a.m., she had her first competition - her interview. “The judges mostly asked me questions from my bio,” she said. The judges asked her questions about her music, but the hardest question was, “What was hardest decision she ever had to make?” This was hard for her to answer because it was a decision to help a friend with a personal problem. “It was a little difficult to answer that,” Blue said. After the interview, she had an hour to relax before the rehearsals started for the two-night show. She and the other girls learned a dance number for the opening of the show. The show on Saturday included the swim and gown competition and it was the Miss Minnesota competition. After rehearsal, Blue had one hour to get ready for the show. She touched up her makeup and talked to her coach. Then 10 minutes before the show, as she was getting dressed into her evening gown, the zipper broke. “We were in shock. I was in tears and called my coach,” she said. Thankfully, her mother had thread, in the same colors of all of her outfits and began to sew the dress while Blue was wearing it. “She didn’t have a thimble, so her fingers were bleeding while she was sewing. I was shaking and nervous. I had never been so nervous before,” Blue said.

Because they only had minutes to repair the dress, the entire time she was on stage she was hoping the dress didn’t come apart. Immediately after she competed in the evening gown, she had to get out of her dress change into her swimsuit. Then she had to be sewn back into the dress for the final walk on stage. Luckily for Blue, there were 83 other girls competing, so she had plenty of time for all the changes, but still it added some stress. “I was incredibly stressed out after the zipper broke, but everything was OK after I was on stage,” Blue said. “I was felling pretty confident. I would have been more confident if I didn’t have that issue to deal with, but there was nothing I could do anyway.” Blue’s mother took her evening dress to a tailor to get fixed, so she didn’t have to worry about it for the next day’s competition.

The next day (Sunday, Nov. 27) was another day full of rehearsals and preparing for the conclusion of the two-day pageant. After the opening dance number, the top 15 names were announced. “I thought I would make it into top 15,” Blue said. “I just didn’t want to be the first name called because the first girl has to remember where all the marks on the stage. But I was very excited to be called and I was the first to be called.” After the top 15 girls were named, they again competed in the swimsuit and evening gown. Then the top five contestants were announced. “I was call third. It’s always fun to hear the audience go crazy when your name is called,” she said.

After the top five were announced, the final component was the interview. First, Blue was asked a question from her bio, which was about her playing the piano, which she has played for 11 years. She thought her answer was horrible, but she stayed positive. The next question was one that she drew from a fish bowl, “Do you believe beauty is only on the outside? “I said, ‘I thought inner beauty is really about the way you carry yourself and the way you act isn’t as important as aesthetic beauty,” Blue told the judges.

Once the top five contestants had their interviews, there was time to for the judges to add up the scores, so they were backstage. “Backstage was full of excitement, adrenaline and nerves. It can drive you crazy. I couldn’t wait to get back on stage,” said Blue. All of the women were called back on stage and the most photogenic award was given, which Blue received. “I was very excited. There were only two awards I wanted to win and Miss Photogenic was one of them, the other the title,” she said. Then the moment came, the first three names were called and it was another girl and Blue left. “We were holding hands, then her name was called as first runner up, I gave her a big hug and I started to laugh,” Blue said. “I was just laughing. Some girls cry when they win, but I laughed. I don’t know why, I guess I was just so excited because I really came to the pageant to win,” said Blue. As the winner she received fashion crown, some money, airfare to the national pageant, a free dress, jewelry and much more.

Blue will compete in the Miss Teen USA Pageant in August; the date and location aren’t known. “It’s going to be harder to say ‘I’m going to win’,” she said. “Everyone is going to be beautiful and I think it will be determined by personality and how you carry yourself on stage.” Over the next year Blue will make public appearances, undergoing more training and hopefully will do well in the national competition. “Winning Miss Teen USA will help my career. There will be so many connections into the entertainment business and that is the main reason I did all this,” she said. Blue, who already acts and models, plans to attend a college in east Las Angeles and major in film and television. “I want to break into the entertainment business,” Blue said. “I want to be a singer, song writer, actor, model, director and I want to sing my own fashion line.” Blue said that she couldn’t have done any of this without the support from her family, including mother Mary, dad Charlie and brother, Jake, who live in Ramsey.

» Cooper Named Miss North Dakota Teen USA

By Ginny Heth/ Westhope Standard North Dakota

Fargo - The 2006 Miss North Dakota USA® and Miss North Dakota Teen USA® took place Thanksgiving weekend at the NDSU Reineke Fine Arts Center in Fargo, North Dakota. A capacity crowd filled the Concert Hall on Saturday evening for the pageant finals, where the panel of judges selected Kimberly Krueger, 22, Fargo, as the new Miss North Dakota USA® and Katie Cooper, 16, Westhope, as the next Miss North Dakota Teen USA®. Kimberly is a 22-year-old from Fargo and is a current student at the University of North Dakota. Katie is a 16-year-old junior at Westhope High School. Both delegates will move on and compete live on NBC next year at the 2006 Miss USA® and Miss Teen USA® Pageants.

Katie is the daughter of Tanya and Jeff Cooper of Westhope. She has light brown hair and green eyes and is 5 feet 7 inches tall. She has a twin brother, Michael and older brother, Jordan. The family has two dogs, Madison and Beethoven and one cat, Bell. Katie will graduate from Westhope High School in 2007 and plans to pursue a career as a medical doctor. After receiving her degree, she would love to travel the world to wherever her help may be needed. The most famous person Katie has ever met was Miss North Dakota but she would like to meet Pat Summit, the Tennessee women’s basketball coach because she is one of the best coaches in the country and a wonderful role model for young women. The best advice she was ever given was “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give”. Katie’s greatest achievements so far in her life was saving a young swimmer from drowning and organizing a charity coat drive for “Coats for Kids”.

She attributes her success to her competitive edge and always believing in herself. She loves who she is and where she comes from. People would be surprised to know that Katie loves to hunt and is a huge tomboy! Katie’s friends and family make her happy with their love, support and belief in her. The gown for the Miss North Dakota Teen pageant was Katie’s biggest extravagance. The things that Katie needs to have always in her refrigerator are peach salsa and red-hot sauce -- she eats them on everything!

According to Katie her best trait is her outgoing personality and her work ethics. “I feel that you should give 110% effort for dreams you believe in. You can accomplish anything with hard work and perseverance.” Her worst trait? “I can out-eat my brothers, hands down!” Katie’s hobbies include reading, working out, hanging out with friends, shopping and listening to music.

Some of Katie’s favorite things include:
Actress - Jessica Alba; Rachel McAdams
Movie - The Notebook
Singer - Faith Hill
Color - Mango
Spectator Sport - Football
Vacation - Maui -- it’s my dream vacation!
School Subject - History
Present Received - Scrapbooks my mom made for me
Ice Cream Flavor - White Chocolate Mousse
Season - Fall
TV Show - Las Vegas
Song - “Skin” by Rascal Flatts
Commercial - Crunch Cereal
Sport – Basketball

Pizza Topping - Taco

The North Dakota Team heading to nationals.

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