Miss Florida USA Faces

Miss Carnaval Miami USA Recap

Miss Carnaval has been a Miami tradition going into it’s 27th year and is one of two premier pageants in the Latin community. So it was quite a privilege to form ties between The Little Havana Kiwanis Club and Miss Florida USA. Just one of many reasons I was looking forward to our pageant journey aboard Discovery Cruise Lines Bahamas Princess day trip to Freeport. What could be more fun? Pageantry along with an excursion to an island paradise! Of course I brought my note pad and camera along as always.

The cameras were out poolside for the mornings competition!

I was not alone as our Miss Florida USA Melissa Witek was one of the judges for the daylong competition. So many of our Miss Florida USA family came through this pageant on the way to success at state. Carnaval alumni include Miss Florida USA 1996 Idalmis Vidal. One true sign of a well-run pageant is the amount of alumni who return, on board we had several past titleholders. It was great catching up with Leslie Vaszquez (FLUSA ’94 t15); Ivis Guerra (FLUSA’98 t15); Claudia Santiano (FLUSA’03 3rd ru/’05 t15); and Melissa Hernandez (FTNUSA ’01).

Miss Carnavale Alumni return to root on this years contestants!

The event was truly first class with so many outstanding volunteers who make this truly a year round reign for the new Miss Carnaval. Look for the tradition to continue as both reigning titleholder Yazmin Navarro and Melissa Hernandez will carry on the tradition this summer in Hollywood. Thank you for all of the hospitality during the cruise from Pageant Director Rick Gonzalez and the hard working volunteers including pageant coach Alisha Fuccio made sure the contestants made the most of their pageant experience. Can’t wait until next year….enjoy the pictures!

The queens poolside!

Miss Florida USA Twinestone Shoot

Our titleholder Melissa was in the supermodel mode this past week as she will be featured in pageant sponsor Twinestone’s first ad campaign. It was a glimpse into what awaits for Melissa as she had her own hair, makeup and wardrobe stylists along with several professionals behind the camera. Thanks for a fun day go to Twinestone entrepreneurs Omar & Martin as they made our Miss Florida USA look and feel like a superstar! Enjoy the pictures.

(click on thumbnails below to enlarge images)

Melissa’s Going Away To Miss USA Party

It’s a time honored tradition to say bon voyage to those traveling to great challenges….so with a great send off in mind we say good luck Melissa with a “Going Away To Miss USA” Party this upcoming March 14th at 5:30pm on our soundstages at The Hollywood Production Center. The movers and shakers of Hollywood will be in attendance as well as members of our Miss Florida USA family. That’s where you come in! If you would like to attend this wonderful event please RSVP immediately to either telair@aol.com or call pageant director Rachel Uziel at 954 924-4949. We are going to send our Miss Florida USA to Baltimore in style and we hope you’re here!

Kudos & Did You Knows

- Kudos to The Leading Ladies of North Florida on an outstanding charity fashion show this past Tuesday night in Panama City at The Edgewater Beach Convention Center. The cause was The Panhandle Red Cross and over thirty potential delegates competed to raise funds for local Hurricane Relief efforts. Congratulations on another wonderful event to Sam, Amanda & all The Leading Ladies!

Some of the Leading Ladies of North Florida pose for the camera prior to this weeks charity fashion show.

- Did you know that our first Miss Broward USA Danielle Wasser has made quite a career for herself on television in Los Angeles? Seems Miss Wasser even had her own show on Adelphia cable! She visited us this week at the home office and has moved back to Florida. Great to have you back Danielle!

Danielle Wasser

- Kudos to Miss Florida Teen USA Victoria Ratliff on her appearance this week on The Morning Show with Tom Najjir in Panama City. She handled the 5:30am appearance like a seasoned talk show veteran. Way to go Victoria!

Victoria shines on morning television. It’s not easy looking that good at 6:00am!

Portrait of a contender Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts,

sets her sights on a bigger competition
By JOHANNA CROSBY

WEST BREWSTER - From a wheelchair, everyday life takes on a different perspective. Stairs and doors that aren't automatic don't faze able-bodied people.
They become obstacles for Laurel Labdon. Personal care is another challenge. The 34-year-old West Brewster woman can't get out of bed in the morning, dress herself or comb her hair without help. Then there are the attitudes. "People tend to think of a disability as always tragic and that they couldn't live like that," Labdon says.

Despite the inconveniences, Labdon, a quadriplegic, puts a positive face on living with a disability. "I'm the same person I always was," she says, "only I can't walk." A car accident on July 22, 1990, a week before her 20th birthday, left her paralyzed from the neck down. Home from college for the summer, Labdon was driving to her waitress job when a storm kicked up. She swerved to miss a fallen branch on a road a mile from her house. The car hydroplaned and Labdon was knocked unconscious. Doctors didn't expect her to survive her injuries: a broken neck and fractured skull. Labdon was hospitalized for almost a year.

Over the years she regained full sensation in her body and movement in her arms, but the accident changed her life plan. After college she had hoped to join the Peace Corps, then work as a deck hand on a charter boat. "I wanted to travel and save the world," she says with a smile. Labdon had to revise those plans. Yet she hasn't let her physical limitations get in the way of leading a productive life. She has a close circle of friends, dates and enjoys traveling. She's also found meaningful work as an advocate for others with disabilities.

People often tell her she's inspirational, Labdon says, but she's not looking for credit for dealing with a catastrophic injury. "If I was given a choice, I'd choose not to be a quadriplegic," she says. "But I choose to do valuable things. When life doesn't give you a choice, you have to figure out a new way of doing things and deal with it the best you can."

Besides, her disability has given her experiences and insights she never would have realized, she says. Like being named Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2005 last month. It was Labdon's outlook that impressed the judges. "Her special message is that women utilizing wheelchairs have many talents and abilities that are not always recognized," wrote Pat O'Bryant, executive director of Ms. Wheelchair America.

Dr. Philip K. Wood, a Columbus, Ohio physician, to increase public awareness of the achievements and talents as well as the needs of mobility-impaired individuals, started the nonprofit program in 1972. Unlike other pageants, Ms. Wheelchair America "is not a beauty contest," says Denise Di Noto, secretary for the competition. Instead, contestants are judged on their platform speeches, communication skills, accomplishments and self-perception. The title will go to the contestant who can be the best spokesperson for more than 54 million disabled Americans, Di Noto says.

Labdon will compete against contestants from 33 states at the national pageant July 19-24 in Albany. "I've never been in any kind of pageant," says the impeccably dressed, stunning looking woman who thinks the experience will be empowering. She also looks forward to meeting and exchanging ideas with other contestants from across the country.

Since Massachusetts does not have a state pageant, Labdon applied to become an independent delegate. After meeting the requirements, including a personal interview before the judges, she was accepted by the executive board. Her job involves traveling the state speaking on behalf of the disabled and establishing a Massachusetts pageant. She is seeking sponsors, both companies and individuals, to lend their financial support.

"We're very excited about having a Massachusetts pageant," Di Noto says. "Our goal is to have a spokesperson in every state" to improve the quality of life for disabled individuals and help breakdown physical and attitudinal barriers. As Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts, Labdon hopes she'll have greater clout in influencing social change and public policy. Her special concern is the hot-button issue of stem cell research. "I'd like to use the controversy," she says, "to foster a greater understanding of it."

Her other mission is to dispel popular misconceptions. "The stereotype is pervasive that if you are disabled you are sick," she says. "Expectations for people with disabilities tend to be lower." Labdon's vivacious personality and experience fit the bill for her new role. She has worked for the Cape Organization for the Rights of the Disabled (CORD) and formed her own consulting and advocacy business for disabled individuals and their families last August. She also volunteered as a teacher's aide and counselor's aide at a local elementary school.

Labdon returned to the University of Colorado at Boulder three and a half years after her accident to complete her degree in political science. As the only undergraduate in a wheelchair, she paved the way for making the campus wheelchair accessible. "If you are disabled you have to be an advocate for yourself every day," she says.

Labdon lives with her parents and has a personal care attendant. "I've been blessed with amazing family and friends and the support I need to get through this," she says happily. The greatest challenge she faces as a quadriplegic is asking for help and being dependent on others. "I need help to get out of bed in the morning and get ready for the day. After that I'm pretty independent," says Labdon. "I want to be treated as a smart, capable woman who unfortunately needs some accommodations and special care."

It has taken her years to overcome one emotional hurdle: getting behind the wheel again. Labdon wants to drive to attain more independence and has bought a van that will be modified with electronic hand controls. But even with all the technology and helpful aids, Labdon looks toward the future with hope tempered with realism. "I would love if they find a cure for spinal cord injury," she says. "But it's not a goal to live hoping for that. As long as I can do something that keeps me fulfilled, I'm happy."

This Weekend on The Pageant Calendar:

This weekend on The Road to Hollywood ventures to West Broward for the inaugural Miss Pembroke Pines USA and Miss Pembroke Pines Teen USA Pageants. Halavin Productions and The Pembroke Pines Kiwanis Club present the pageant this Saturday night and we will have all the results right here on Monday and an audience recap on Friday!

Alumni News Wanted!

If you know of any Miss Florida USA alumni in the news please drop us an email to feature them in future articles. Email all info to info@missfloridausa.com! Until next week here to good pageantry!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK!

Even though it’s not truly pageant related, I thought this series of pictures of Oscar winner

Hilary Swanks post Oscar hamburger run was priceless.

Hey, even a famous star gets the munchies!

So enjoy a rather appetizing Picture(s) of The Week.