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November 2008 Edition Of
"The Excellence"
Victoria's Voice
 Hello to my Miss Gay America family.
Well…… I have waited for this moment for
eight years and I find myself checking the MGA website, making sure it's real.
It is the most surreal feeling and I can’t believe I’m finally Miss Gay
America. To be among some of
the best female impersonators in the country is a dream come true. It is proof
that if you want something bad enough it will someday happen.
If you give up, you will never know… Hard work, dedication and broken hearts
do pay off in the end. It makes you a stronger individual and helps you see life
from different angles. I am so honored to be Miss Gay America 2009 and I look
forward to a humble and exhilarating year across the country.
This year I would like to touch on the word Excellence breaking it down letter
for letter. It takes a person who is willing to see issues from more than one
side. It also takes a person who is willing to work with what is in front of you
and make it the very best it can be.
I have chosen the title "
Victoria
's Voice" for my newsletter because over the years I have listened and
applied different opinions, so now I want to share my experience with you.
I would also like to share something with all of
the “newbies” feeling hurt and unwanted. I
was once there too! I know exactly how you are feeling.
My first year at Miss Gay America, I placed
forty first and was devastated. I cried and cried thinking how can this be
happening because I want this so bad.
The next year I got myself together, learned the
system and asked as many questions as I possibly could. I placed fourth in 2002.
Totally pumped I went on to compete to find myself not in the top ten the next
year. It was an emotional rollercoaster.
But I have been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I
came back and could not qualify the next year, so I took a year off. I
gathered my thoughts, hopes and dreams and the started up again. I
was able to learn, evaluate and determine once again that this only makes you
stronger; if you’re always successful, you never learn what it feels like at
the other end of the spectrum. It
is what helps you connect with other people. There are things that are out of
our control in life and we just have to trust that it will pan out and pay off
in the end. It does and it
will, I promise!
I would like to mention a few people who
inspired me during the week of competition at Miss Gay America 2009.
·
Chantel Reshae, thank you for being a breath of fresh air… always
happy and with a smile
·
Coti Collins, for sharing life stories in female impersonation and
being a friend
·
Alyssa Edwards, for being so beautiful and dancing the house down
·
China Collins, for being real
·
Sue Nami ,for your willingness to learn
·
Tatiyanna Voche’, for your drive and passion
·
Alana Steel, for your respect for female impersonation
·
Jade Sinclair, for always offering help to anyone who needs it
and last but not least
·
My newest sister Jessica Jade, thank you for being so full of love -
you will soar like the wind
Thank you all for touching my life… you all are a sparkle in my crown.
I look forward to this coming year for every reason - the good and the bad
because my personal growth does not stop here.
This year will be a year of learning and I welcome it with open arms. Prepare
yourself for life’s journey. It
may be a long winding road but you will find great friends that become family.
You will gain knowledge in issues you never knew about. This
is what makes a person flourish. I look forward to our many chats along the way!
I would also like to thank Jerry Peek for his vision of starting the finest
pageant in female impersonation, the Miss Gay America pageant and what an honor
to be crowned on the night he won the MGA lifetime achievement award.
To Norman Jones aka “Norma Kristie”, I say thank you for your words of
inspiration that helped me move forward and come back to compete year after
year. You helped me see the
performer in me that I did not always see or believe.
And finally to Larry and Terry I would like to say I am honored to be the newly
crowned Miss Gay America. I
look forward to working with you through the year to continue the excellence
that Miss Gay America is all about and growing our family with new contestants
and promoters.
To all of my MGA sisters, I stand before you humble and proud to be in the
sisterhood. The words of
wisdom and advice have been amazing and I welcome your guidance throughout my
reign. The sisterhood of MGA
is in my heart and soul and as I travel the country I know you are there with me
in spirit.
Dreams really do come true!
With pride, love and excellence,
Victoria DePaula
Miss Gay America 2009
 From the desk of Larry & Terry
Sportsmanship
and Pageantry...
When we purchased this pageant from Norma Kristie, Inc., a few years ago,
during dinner, Norman Jones informed us that “no matter how hard we worked to
make the pageant experience incredible and to make sure that the contest was
fair, as soon as the next Miss Gay America is coronated, someone would always
contact to let us know how “rigged” the pageant was. While we heard every
word
Norman
said, we actually thought that
Norman
was just bitter and that would never happen to us…. Imagine our surprise when
Nicole DuBois was crowned and we received emails and phone calls from persons
who said the pageant was “rigged”. Then when Luscious was crowned, the same
thing happened. Then, when Mikaila Kay was crowned, we again received email of
the pageant being “rigged”. While we thought that we had grown accustomed to
the “bitter souls” who were obviously upset because their favorite did not
win, we too were very hurt and became angry when this year, just as the last few
years, we received email that the national pageant was “obviously” rigged.
When one invests tens of thousands of dollars and nearly as many hours, or so it
seems, to make the pageant better than prior years, a simple accusation that the
contest was “fixed” can be devastating… But then, we were able to catch up
on our rest and realize that the very people who complain each year when their
favorite contestant does not win, are the very people that 1)watch the pageant
through very biased eyes 2)are easily distracted by their likely consumption of
alcohol 3)do not totally focus on every aspect of the pageant because they are
too busy talking to those around them 4)most
likely do not bother to read the published category descriptions and 5)do not
view the contest from the same birds-eye view of the judges. While on many
instances one’s favorite contestant may not win, but in no way does that
insinuate that a contest is “rigged”. In fact, as anyone who has been
involved in tabulation can attest, it is difficult to “fix” a contest, as
there are many means by which to audit scores that would detect a scoring
discrepancy, including whether or not a judge is scoring in a biased manner. As
we say, each year, and in the first few emails we respond to, that claim the
pageant is “rigged”, we are not dumb businessmen so why would we spend the
incredible sums of money we do, and gain so little in return, in order to fix a
pageant. In fact, we could easily
“hand pick” the winner and save ourselves a lot of headache, heartache and
expense. We pride ourselves on being good, fair and ethical businessmen that
deeply love this system. Our every thought is what is in the best interest of
this pageant system and our vow is to continue to manage this contest with the
utmost of integrity and professionalism. So we challenge each of you, who plan
to attend any pageant, to review and clearly understand the category
descriptions and then, view the pageant through unbiased eyes. In most cases,
you can view any of the Miss Gay America pageant videos and see the consistency
in each contestant who won. And while the contestant who wins may not always be your
choice, we urge you to respect the decision of the judges and lend your total
support to the newly crowned Miss Gay America. We congratulate Victoria DePaula
for becoming the 37th annual Miss Gay America.
Victoria
has a unique talent and work ethic that is going to leave a very positive mark
on the Miss Gay America pageant system. Those who follow the system throughout
the coming year, will most likely be able to say, at the conclusion of her
reign, that Victoria DePaula was a good Miss Gay America and exemplified the
expectations of a Miss Gay America.
The sad part, each year, after the national contest, is that there are usually
more than one contestant, within the group of contestants that we would like to
hear called as the next Miss Gay America, as we know that they would do an
incredible job as Miss Gay America. Unfortunately, many of those contestants,
often times, will “give-up” on their dreams. As Victoria DePaula can attest,
winning the title is not easy. One must swallow pride, be humble, willing to
learn and to act like a Miss Gay America, before being crowned, which will lead
to immediate respect and admiration. We
task the judges with the responsibility, to find for us, the best candidate,
within the pool of contestants. Then, once the accumulative scores have selected
the new Miss Gay America, we will immediately begin to “school” the
“chosen one” and mold them into what we and the country expect, which is
“excellence”. Most often, the
road to becoming Miss Gay America begins with good sportsmanlike conduct.
Pageantry is about conforming to the requirements of that particular system. The
rules are clear and failure to conform to rules will likely result in penalty
that often lead to not being called as the winner.
The Top 10, this year was exceptional and the scores were very close. The judges
has a difficult time in their selection of the new Miss Gay America. If one does
the math and will divide the scoring differential of the Top 15, by 5 (the
number of judges), one can see that the group of contestants were very well
rounded and prepared. In fact, many were “Top 10” quality but there is only
10 finalist spots that lead to the crown. To those who “almost” made Top 10,
we encourage you to learn from your mistakes, obtain a copy of the video and
realize that the crown is within your reach.
This year, there was more than one contestant that did not make Top 10,
who “stood out” whereby we think, if improvements continue to be realized,
they too could one day be called Miss Gay America. To those who did not win,
your attitude is watched to see how you will react… therefore we always say,
if you want to become Miss Gay America, you should begin to act like it today.
Of course, there is disappointment when one does not win, but we encourage
contestants to be known as a “class act” both on-stage and off-stage. This
is where sportsmanship and pageantry meet…
As we always say to contestants, “do not let anyone tell you what you can
dream… and even if you think that the dream is too “big” to
realize….dream it anyway”. There
are 39 men who would tell you that they are called “Miss Gay America”
because they dared to dream and decided that they could not give up on their
dreams until they achieved it. Now
is the time to continue the dream, by selecting the preliminary that you want to
enter next year. Then, immediately begin work to improve your competition
package so that you can qualify for the Miss Gay America 2010 pageant which will
be held in
St. Louis
,
Missouri
. Remember, that achievements begin as goals and in order to be a gracious
winner, the contestant and his
entourage must learn to be a gracious loser.
Until next time…
Larry and
Terry
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.
Please note, any article, comments, or opinions faxed, mailed, (postal or electronics),
or otherwise sent to any of our "addresses" become our property and carry an implied consent of publication should we choose to do so. No articles will be published in which one or more of the following occurs:
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