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September 2009 Edition Of"The Excellence"
Well
here we are again. It has been such a pleasure letting you all in on my life
adventures this past year. It is now September and I really can’t tell you
where all the time has gone. To think that I have one more official letter
to write makes my stomach hurt! One
thing that I have learned is to enjoy life to the fullest because time rushes
away so quickly. As I look back one year ago, like you, I was busy
preparing for Miss Gay America, putting the finishing touches on my competition
package. Attention to detail is very important in the MGA system.
Please review the category descriptions and what the judges will be looking for
at nationals. It is all there in black and white. Giving away points
that you could have prevented is always heart breaking for any contestant. When
it comes down to the national stage… it is what sets us all apart and as you
all know... the outcome is always very close! I
would love to let you in on my mind set as I went into competition with last
year. Over the years competing, winning had always been the top priority
and you should go into competition with that mindset. However sometimes,
stress and your reputation take over the best of you and pride steps in the way.
One thing that was missing was being able to have FUN! I would
get so wrapped up in thinking that I had to walk away as a winner that I would
forget the foundation of being on stage and that is to have fun! Going into to
last year I had told myself that If I didn't walk away a winner, that it was ok
and that I would move on to the next chapter in my life. I didn’t let this out
to the general public because I did not want anyone to think that I was bitter,
and I wasn't, but I believe you have to be in the right place in your life and
have the right mindset to let new things happen. I
realized that competition did not define me as a person or as an entertainer
which, I have to admit that this was the first year I realized that for myself.
My goal was to compete to the best of my ability and not to worry about the
outcome. I didn't watch much of the competition last year because I didn't want
the added stress of other contestants doing a great job in their categories. I
focused on the friendships I have had along the way and the honor of developing
those friendships over the past eight years and having the time of my life. I
knew what I was there to do and knew that I would be ready to win if it was
meant to happen. So I treated the week as if it was a vacation. I
enjoyed every aspect of my endeavor. I do believe that things happen for a
reason and looking back I am so proud to have had the practice over the past
eight years which have molded me into Miss Gay America. I
am proud of my journey and the outcome has been everything I could have ever
hoped for! I hope that all of you have realized that just because you have the
crown of Miss Gay America, it is up to you to make it what it is and the
excellence behind the crown. I wear my crown with the utmost respect,
knowing all of the history, promoters and competitors throughout the years of
MGA and thank all of you for your continued support to the Miss Gay America
Pageant System. So
now we are back to craziness! For some reason I thought that I was leaving
for my next trip in the evening so I had booked just about a full day of work at
the salon. Oops!! I was wrong. I was leaving late morning, which
meant I would not be able to see all of my clients. I had to reschedule them
with no times available because I am booked thru MGA. It was a
little challenging but I got it worked out with the help of one of my
stylists…..thanks JoJo for helping a Gal out!! So after I dealt with this, it
was now time to leave for Thursday
night was a night on the town in DC! Myself, Blake Macon, Aron Harvey and
Robert York embarked on visiting some of DC's finest establishments and one that
clearly sticks out in my mind the most was….Secrets! LOL! OMG....I have never
seen something of this sort in my whole life! I will never forget the fun times
we shared that night. People are so friendly in DC. I don't think I
have ever done so many shows in a row! It started out with Ziegfeld’s for the
Friday night show under the direction of Mr. Jon Parks and what a blast it was!
I got to entertain with Miss Kristina Kelly, Catia Lee Love, Destiny B. Childs,
Regina Jozet Adams and Billie Ross. It was an honor and pleasure to share
the stage with such great entertainers. Saturday
was pageant time! Robert York did an amazing job putting together Miss Gay
DC America 2009! The morning started off with registration where I got to
brief the judges Kate Michael, Mike Wynne, Brian Alexander, Khori Ross and my
MGA sister Linda Carrero (Omar Reyes) along side the contestants - Jessica Jade,
Jada B. Douglas and Karyn Thomas. It was a blast and the hotel board room
really made me feel like something special! Lol. It was a busy day with
lunch following interview and the night was even better! I walked into
Town Danceboutique and it was decorated with streamers and balloons just like a
high school or college homecoming. It was priceless! The pageant was incredible
and very professional! The contestants provided us with quality entertainment in
every category! Congratulations to my little sister Jessica Jade for capturing
the title and Karyn Thomas for getting her ticket back to MGA. You both
made me proud and I can’t wait to see you soon! I was also very proud of Jada
B. Douglas. Over the past year I have had the pleasure of adding a
wonderful new friend to my life! Robert York was such a positive role in
me becoming MGA as well as Blake Macon too! It really goes to show you
what MGA is all about and I’m glad I have had the honor to experience it!
Thank you for my proclamation from the DC Mayor’s office as well as my
beautiful (and original) art work of me being crowned! Thanks for
all your attention to detail…. it is amazing! I had another
surprise at MGDC and that was the opportunity of getting to work with my MGA
sister Luscious. Thanks for being a part of my step-down. It was nice working
with you and I hope to see you again sometimes soon! I would also like to
mention my DC sisters and thank them for their involvement: Monet Dupree, Ashley
Bannks and Kristina Kelly! Thanks to the staff and management of Town for
letting us showcase the Miss Gay DC pageant in your beautiful bar! The
show must go on and it did as we made a special appearance at Freddie’s Beach
Bar the next evening! This restaurant/bar is so fun and the peeps love
them some drag at Freddie’s! The show was full of local performers
including: Destiny B. Childs, Tattiyana Voche, Regina Jozet Adams, Ashlee Jozet
Adams, Shelby Bottoms, Ophelia Bottoms, LaCountress Farington and Raquel Savage!
Thank you Freddie for having me, it is always a pleasure performing in your bar!
Sunday was a double booking back to back and we kept on with entertaining
the audience at Ziegfeld’s for the MGDCA afterglow review show staring
the formers with the addition of Jessica Jade and Karyn Thomas and Vickii Voxx
who celebrated her twenty year anniversary. Thanks to Allen Carroll and Jon
Parks for hosting another incredible night! Whew! We had one more night to
go. Monday night was held at Omega. This was a fun place for myself,
Catia Lee Love, Coco L. Blackwell, Vicki Voxx, Rivera Leone, Isis Deverreoux,
Yoo-Mei and the wonderful Big Daddy who hummed a special diddy of a tune! It was
great to meet all of you and I cant wait to come back and visit again for more
good times! So
I flew home on Tuesday and left again on Thursday for Miss Gay Tennessee.
William Carleton and Darryl Rodgers did a wonderful job putting on this pageant!
Hadley Sinclair, Anita Cocktail, Tatiyannia Star and Pat McCooter worked
their little hearts out competing for the title.. Larry Tyger, Will
Pappas, Barry Guarno and Misty Meaner had their hands full judging this pageant!
They all did an outstanding job! Congratulations to Anita Cocktail
for achieving her dream and to Pat McCooter for rocking the house down
especially for your first time! I enjoyed myself at the pageant and loved
working with Miss Pebbles, Mercedes Alexander, Anastacia Beverhousen and the
beautiful Miss Ivy White! A special thanks to Mike Divoky for being so kind and
helpful!! I look forward to working again with William and Daryl for Miss Gay
Heartland! Thanks to everyone for making my visit to So
I returned home from the club around three in the morning, re-packed all the
bags and slept for two hours because I had a road trip sponsored by William and
Daryl to the homeland of MGA in The
pageant was remarkable under the direction of Spencer May (Kelly Cruiz) and
Dennis Harris (Debbie Taunts). Registration was one of the highlights to
me because I remember sitting in those very chairs at MGA and listening to the
reigning MGA and all of the formers talk and educate the contestants, wishing
that someday I would get to do the same. Thankfully I got my chance. The
contestants were so wonderful. Even better that they all strived to be and
become Miss Gay Arkansas! Felisha Winners, Mya Alexander, Charnay Iman,
Cassadine, Roxie Starlight Wolfchase, Zia Dior, Veronica Duvall, Christina
Saxton, Dedra Windsor Walker, Dimond Rose, Makalyla Blake, Sasha Harrison, Leah
Iman Devori and Britney Page were on top of the world looking down with their
eyes on the prize! It was fabulous! Back stage was just the same.
The formers do such an incredible job helping everyone! April Scott, Raven
St. James, Vicki Valentine, Missy Klein, Kamrin Michaels, Megan Michaels, Alexis
LaRue and the newest Stephanie Richards were so welcoming and real! We had
a great time together! I also got to meet a wealth of knowledge to the MGA
system with Mr. Ron Standridge. It was so wonderful listening to him talk about
MGA over the years. I hope that our paths cross again. Thanks for all of
your words of encouragement! I must say that the judges had a hard job.
Blake Hardcastle, Connie Jo Smith (Love You), Jamie Willams, John Davis and
Melvan Beavers were all professionals at what they were there to do. In the end
Christina Saxton, after seventeen years, captured her dream of becoming MGAA and
Zia Doir was the first alternate. Congrats to both of you. It was a pleasure
getting to know you both! So
now we are at the end of the month again! You know what they say
"time flies when your having fun" and let me tell you that is not a
lie! I had one more stop before my letter was due and that was to the HOT HOT
state of Well
I must say that it has been a pleasure writing these letters. The only problem
is that it will end in about a month! I hope that you have all enjoyed
your experience this year as much as I have! It has been so rewarding to
travel the country and watch first hand pageantry at its best and finest! Thank
you all for reading this letter and supporting the Miss Gay America pageantry
system. Remember behind every success is effort... Behind every effort is
passion... Behind every passion is someone with the courage to try!
Greetings
to all! We hope that this finds each of you enjoying these last few days of
summer. In the Until
Next Time!
What
I Know For Sure… Every year when getting ready for a
wonderful week at Miss Gay America I talk with so many people with so many
different reasons to be excited for the week to arrive.
Some are excited to be going for a fun-filled week, meeting new people,
having a week off from work, being in a new city, having a maid clean their room
everyday, going to new bars or "meeting a new love interest" while
some are going for one reason - to win the title of Miss Gay America or see a
new Miss Gay America crowned. Every year when getting ready for a
wonderful week at Miss Gay America, I hear the same thing and have for over 20
years, “Will they "pick" a veteran with years of experience or go
with someone new and fresh.” This
has always been a thorn in my side. If
you stand out and do very well at MGA the 1st time you enter then it does not
take long before you are a veteran, so you can be 25 and people will say,
"She has been here for 100 years!"
I know this story so well. You
can also be 25 and not be in the top your first years and well then you are
fresh. But this year I have learned
a new way to look at fresh. I hope
we all have. Being fresh is all about the attitude you
bring. The attitude you share as you
travel, being infectious with your spirit and love for the title you hold.
This has been so evident by our Symbol of Excellence this year, Victoria
DePaula. She is excited and proud to
wear the crown and you can see that written all over her face.
This is fresh and this is what Miss Gay America should be, in love with
her job. I was...
I loved every day of my year and look back
with the knowledge that I was a success because I did my job with a fresh
outlook and wanted to make a difference in the lives of the friends I made all
across this beautiful country. I was
excited to get going to the next prelim even with only a few hours of sleep.
I see this and more in Every year when getting ready for a
wonderful week at Miss Gay America, I look at the contestant list and try to
find who I think will win the title. From
my experience it is not easy to do from a list written on paper or typed on a
web page. You never know who is
going to step up and knock it out of the park, bring their A game or just have a
year when, even as a veteran, you stand out as fresh to the judges.
So to all the contestants this year, good luck and may the best
contestant stand out as the fresh contestant and win the crown that has meant so
much to so many. The crown has gone
to both the veteran and the inexperienced, in the end it is up to the winner to
make the year one to remember.
So after 9 years of being a former Miss Gay America, this is what I know
for sure… Charity Case, Miss Gay America 2001 –
Forever…
A Note From The Editor
The Excellence strives to be an informative newsletter delivered to the promoters,
contestants, audience and other supporters of the Miss Gay America Pageant System throughout the year. Should there be any issue or topic of discussion a promoter would like to see addressed (or to write an article to be published) in a future newsletter, please contact the editor via
Email.
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From the desk of Larry & Terry
From
A Former...
