MISS FL USA NEWS!

» MISS SARASOTA USA & MISS MANATEE COUNTY USA FEB 18th

Ladies:

We are so excited about this pageant! It is the only prelim that we will have this year and we are getting

some GREAT sponsors. This will be very exciting for four young ladies crowned and moving forward to prepare

for the Miss Florida USA title. You already will get you crown and sash; Travel; Lodging; Personal training by

Marianne Oden and Katy Carson; Make-up training and two months of a personal trainer with "Lifestyles Fitness".

We are very close to getting a gown sponsor (which I feel is a done deal) and we would love to have any of

you girls interested to come this is a great time of year to do it!! Don't wait!!

Happy New Year!
Marianne Oden

» MISS NATURE COAST USA THIS WEEKEND!

The first Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen USA preliminary to held in Citrus County is this weekend! Miss Nature Coast USA 2006 and Miss Nature Coast Teen USA 2006 will take place this weekend with the finals being Saturday Night, January 7 at the Plantation Inn & Golf Resort in Crystal River, Florida.

Contestants and their guests will love the southern charm of the nature coast as boating, golfing, tennis, fine dining, and swimming are all within an arm's reach at the resort. Visit www.plantationinn.com if you would like to make this a relaxing weekend of pageant fun.

Shalyn (Barnes) Barker, director of the pageant, is looking forward to a great weekend for all of the ladies as well as the crowning the new queens. A veteran herself, Shalyn competed in the Miss USA system as a young woman and is looking forward to the other side of the fence. "I can't wait to offer my support to the new Miss Nature Coast USA and Miss Nature Coast Teen USA", she said.

For more information on last minute registration to become a contestant or if you would like some more information, contact Mrs. Barker at 352.572.0647 or via email at naturecoastpageants@yahoo.com then surf to her website at http://www.naturecoastpageants.com.

MISS NATURE COAST USA FACT SHEET
Interviews/Orientation: Friday January 6
Finals: Saturday January 7 7:00pm
Plantation Inn
9301 West Fort Island Trail
Crystal River, FL 34429

» TALLAHASSEE ANNOUNCES PAGEANT DATES

Miss Tallahassee director Brook Francis sent us note saying that this years third annual Miss Tallahassee USA and Miss Tallahassee Teen USA Pageants will be held on Saturday, February 25, 6pm, at the RA Gray Building on Florida State University’s Campus. For more information email misstallahasseeusa@comcast.net or check out the Tallahassee USA website at www.misstallahasseeusa.org

» DEBONAIR SITS OUT 2006 PAGEANT YEAR:

It is with much regret that we must announce that Debonair Diva Director Charles Lee has suspended pageant operations for this preliminary season. This is due to a job change and relocation to Georgia as well as staff and volunteers moving out of Jacksonville. The status of Miss Space Coast USA; Miss First Coast USA and Miss Seminole County USA is unknown at this time. We will miss Mr. Lees dedication and enthusiasm toward the entire family of Miss Florida USA. Check here in the next few weeks for news on new directorships in these regions.

» 2007 Miss Florida USA Preliminary Season Schedule

UPDATED 1/5/05

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

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

Jan 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 4-5: 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

Feb 25: Miss Tallahassee USA & Teen USA Pageants

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

March 12: Miss Orange County/Central Florida USA & 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 Pageants

TBD Miss Gainesville USA & Teen USA Pageants

TBD Miss Plant City USA & Teen USA Pageants

MISS FLORIDA TEEN USA TV LISTINGS:

MIAMI/FT LAUDERDALE

WSVN-FOX

Channel 7

Saturday, January 7

4PM

NAPLES/FT MEYERS

WINK-CBS

Channel 11

Saturday, January 14

4:30PM

ORLANDO/DAYTONA BEACH

WRDQ-IND

Channel 27

Saturday, February 18, 2006

1PM

TALLAHASSEE

WTLH FOX Channel 49

Sunday, January 22, 2006

4PM

PENSACOLA/MOBILE

WFGX-WB

Channel 35

Saturday, January 7

8PM

JACKSONVILLE

WAWS FOX

Channel 47

TBD

» Originality pays off in North Carolina Teen USA

MARK PRICE/Charlotte Observer

Melissa Gayle Lingafelt is the second Charlotte area teen in two years to win the Miss North Carolina Teen USA pageant, making her a contender for Miss Teen USA in August. She's 15, lives with parents Ken and Miki in Concord, loves to sing, and claims without a hint of pretense that her goal in life is to get a driver's license. We recently caught up the 10th-grader by phone to discuss how the victory changed her life and why she's having so much trouble with her driving tests.

Q. How did you react when they called your name as the winner?

My body was reacting, but winning wasn't really registering. I stood there with my hands over my mouth, crying. I was numb on stage and all these people started flocking to me, with the crown and the banner and the flowers. It was organized chaos. I'm still pinching myself.

Q. Have you been given any indication of what exactly the judges liked about you?

They did tell me. My wardrobe did stand out. I picked it myself, which is different. With many of the others, their mother picked it. My interview outfit looked kind of like a Buccaneer. I wore a black jacket and white lace ruffled shirt, with blue jeans and black velvet boots that came up to my knees. I got them on eBay. I love pirates and pirate movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean," so I wanted to reflect that. There was no outfit like it, and it was a lot of fun to pick out. They (the judges) also said they had a great time talking to me in the interview.

Q. What did you talk about?

There were 96 girls in the pageant and when the others talked about their ambitions, they told the judges they wanted to win an Oscar, go to college, go to Europe, that kind of stuff. Mine was to obtain my driver's license. I happened to fail my learner's permit test...the driving part with the instructor. I had to keep going back because he didn't think that I was ready to face other cars on the road without his supervision. When I talked about it at the pageant, the judges were laughing so hard, they were crying. I love to make people laugh, and I was kind of a ham on stage.

Q. How many times did you fail?

Ahhhhhhh, well, let's just say more than once. I was nervous! I had this thing where I would put on the brakes every time a car passed me on the road. I was terrified that cars passing me would come over in my lane. It freaked me out. Plus, the instructor had to use his little (passenger side) brake a lot. I'd get to a stoplight and I'd be thinking the car would stop automatically for me. I had this thing, too, about not wanting to turn my head to see if there was a car in the other lane. Obviously, I did not belong on the interstate.

Q. How many contests have you been in?

I started when I was 12, in Little Miss Cabarrus County. I'm not sure how many I've been in. Probably a couple of dozen. I've won several. I was really sweating Miss North Carolina Teen, because there were so many beautiful contestants.

Q. Are people treating you differently since you won?

The people that have always been my friends remain my friends, but I have a lot of new friends who have latched on. It's all right. You just have to be careful, because you know they are not being your friend because of who you are.

Q. What else has changed?

I already have appearances lined up, part of it working with Special Olympics. I'm already preparing for the national pageant, too. I'm picking out clothes and working with a personal trainer to stay fit. That I'll be competing live on national television for Miss Teen USA hasn't sunk in yet, but more and more people keep reminding me.

Melissa Gayle Lingafelt

Birthday: Dec. 20.

Family: Parents Ken and Miki Lingafelt. He's a developer, and she's in real estate marketing. Siblings are Kyle, 21, and MaKenzie, 9.

School: Currently home schooled. Attended Rocky River Elementary in Concord for grades 3-5 and Mount Pleasant Middle School for grades 6-8. Has a full scholarship to High Point University, where she hopes to major in International Business.

Interests: Web page design, freelance make-up artistry, competitive dancing and travel. She has accompanied her father on business trips to 44 of the 50 states.

How she celebrated her victory: "I went to bed. I was exhausted."

Favorite comfort food: Chinese lomein noodles.

Favorite restaurant: Rosario's Pizza in Kannapolis.

The best thing she can cook is: Spaghetti, with lots of paprika.

Strengths and weaknesses: "I have a lot of creativity, but I procrastinate

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