PRELIMINARY PAGEANT UPDATES!

» MISS GOLD COAST ANNOUNCES WORKSHOPS FOR CONTESTANTS: New contestants as well as those with experience can take advantage of the training that Miss Gold Coast Pageants, Inc. will be offering the contestants in March. The first will be a “Getting to Know You” luncheon followed by training on expectations for the pageant April 2^nd along with Interview techniques and swimsuit selection. This will be held March 5^th at The Glory Days Grille (11943 Southern Boulevard, Royal Palm Beach, 33411) from 1:00-3:00pm. Another workshop and orientation will be held on March 19^th and will focus on evening gown selection and competition. The official photographer will also take pictures for the program book. The final workshop and meeting will take place March 26^th. Please visit our website at www.missgoldcoastpageants.com for more information or call pageant director Glenda Byrd directly at (561) 252-2907.

» Models Needed to Raise Money for the American Red Cross: The ROLE MODELS Charity Fashion Show takes place March 1, 2005, at 7:00 PM at the Edgewater Beach Resort. 100% of ticket sales go to benefit the American Red Cross. STARRING Miss Florida Teen USA Victoria Ratliff, Miss Georgia Teen USA Katie Conkle, Miss FL Panhandle USA Brook Francis, Miss FL Panhandle Teen USA Tricia Forbes, Miss Tallahassee USA Kimberly Anderson, Miss Tallahassee Teen Alyx ReynoldsUSA, Miss Emerald Coast USA Lauren Howell, Miss Emerald Coast Teen USA Kimberly Wright ... AND YOU! Email Amanda Broadfoot or call 850-773-2795 to find out how YOU can be a ROLE MODEL and walk the runway for the American Red Cross! MORE INFORMATION>>>

» MISS PALM BEACH USA UPDATES PAGEANT WEB SITE: Always Internet savvy, another Miss Florida USA Preliminary Pageant website has made some great additions to the Palm Beach County USA website. The look has completely changed and all photos from our events have been posted! Check out the GPA fashion show! So just sharing the "new look" with you! I'm very happy with it! Address: www.palmbeachcountyusa.com

Contact pageant director Linda DiGiacomo at her new address at ldigia4812@earthlink.net.

» STATE PAGEANT CORNER

NEW MISS FLORIDA USA IMPORTANT DATES CALENDAR: Finally we have put together a calendar with all of the important dates for this year’s Miss Florida USA Pageant. Look for it’s permanent home every week at YOUR Miss Florida USA Ezine.

Miss Florida USA 2006 Important Dates

March 14

Melissa’s Going Away to Miss USA Party (Hollywood)

March 25

Miss Florida USA Arrives for Miss USA

March 31

Temple Solel Charity Fashion Show (Hollywood)

April 06

Miss USA Presentation Show (Baltimore)

April 11

Miss USA Pageant on NBC (from Baltimore)

April 22

Pre Tape Session #1

April 23

Miss Florida USA Seminar Day (Mandatory for Titleholders)

April 28

Broward Outreach “Too Hot For Fashion Show” (Hollywood)

May 14

Hollywood Beach Red, White & Bluegrass Taping

May 18

Expo Al Fresco Pre Tape Shoot (Hollywood)

May 21-23

Pre Tape Session #2

June 11-12

Pre Tape Session #3

July 2

Miss Florida USA @ FLMAO Reception

July 5^th

Miss Florida USA Registration Day

July 7^th

Press Photo Day/Interview Competition

July 8^th

Preliminary Presentation Show (Bailey Concert Hall)

July 9^th

Miss Florida USA Finals (Bailey Concert Hall)

August 7^th

Pageant University (Freshman Directors)

August 8^th

Annual Directors Meeting

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STATE PAGEANT ELIGIBILITY STATS

Miss Florida USA 2006

Delegates Entered: 15

Delegates Eligible: 56

Miss Florida Teen USA

Delegates Entered: 15

Delegates Eligible: 38

Every week more delegates become eligible to compete at state.

The season started with qualifiers from the past year. All of each pageants top15 qualify

along with Miss Amity & Miss Photogenic. Each preliminary pageant qualifies delegates

as “at large” status with their finalist, amity, photogenic and peoples choice awards.

Next Pageant Weekend: Miss Carnavale USA February 26, 2005.

www.PAGEANTDIVA.com

Competition Article of The Week

TEEN APPROPRIATE EVENING GOWNS One of the trickiest parts of pageantry is the selection of evening gowns for teen delegates. There is a very fine line of what’s appropriate for teenagers compared to what’s appropriate for the older age divisions. At the teen level you want to keep the presentation of the gown to look like a teenager. That means conservative at every corner. No long slits or cleavage please! Once again this is fighting the temptation to dress older. read more

THE ROAD TO MISS USA

Miss. Maryland USA motivates and promotes students
By KANIKA J. G. GEORGES, Staff Writer Annapolis Capital

Photo By Alison Harbaugh -- The Capital

Miss Maryland USA Marina Harrison would like to be White House press secretary someday, but in the meantime she's standing before groups almost as tough as the Washington press corps: children. As spokesman for PRIDE Maryland Public Schools, the 24-year-old beauty queen from Severn gives motivational speeches to students statewide.

"It's just my time to motivate students to do ordinary things every day that will hopefully lead to extraordinary things later on," Ms. Harrison said. "If you are a role model for our youth, you are supposed to mentor them to strive for things they never dreamed possible."

State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick said Ms. Harrison is an inspiring example for the students she visits. "She is an absolute magnet for students and teachers," Mrs. Grasmick said. "She is able to help students have a bigger vision for the future."

She has addressed students at about 100 schools so far, she said. While she focuses her speeches on student achievement, she talks freely of her own success. The former Miss Maryland finished fourth in the 77th Miss America Pageant in 2003, and plans to make a run at the Miss USA title later this year. "I tell them I didn't always want to be Miss Maryland, but I knew talking was my passion. I knew if I worked hard at it, I could use it to make my dreams come true."

Naturally, she said, she aspires to be "the ultimate talker in America" as the president's spokesman. She whetted her appetite for politics during a three-year internship with the federal Department of State Foreign Services Institute from 1999 through 2001, she said. "I like public relations when it has a government affairs thrust to it," she said "There is nothing more satisfying than working in public service rather than the private sector. You see how your work is for the greater good."

The 1999 graduate of Meade High School holds a communications degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. The PRIDE program, which stands for Public Education Really Is Delivering Excellence, was designed around Ms. Harrison's platform for the Miss Maryland 2004 competition, she said. "They chose me because I am a product of Maryland public schools," Ms. Harrison said. "I share my story not just as Miss Maryland, but as a student member of the (Anne Arundel County) Board of Education. I talk about my involvement in the national pageants, my academic performance and my involvement in student leadership to show students that great things happen to public school students and Maryland has a lot to be proud of."

Ms. Harrison served as the student member on the county board of education during the 1998-99 school year. Under the PRIDE program, students are nominated for recognition by school staff. They receive awards and have the chance to have their profile appear in television and radio public service announcements. "We are really celebrating a full spectrum of success for our students," Ms. Harrison said.