With that being said, I'm going to jump right in. Starting with the national pageant in Nashville, Tennessee! Nationals was a blast! I left bright and early Monday morning; Sarajayne was there, coffee in hand, ready to shuttle me and my four bags (2 carry on) to the airport. With a quick layover in DC, I arrived in Tennessee right on time, (lost my credit card), checked into the hotel, and watched the Teen optionals show. Jen Maloney, Miss Massachusetts ANTSO National Miss, had flights taking off shortly after mine and was due to arrive in Tennessee less than an hour after me. Poor Jen. She didn't make it in until 6 am the next morning, and spend the night prior sleeping on the floor of the airport hugging her garment bag to her chest. :( But she made it! And the fun began!
We checked in early Tuesday morning, and after a wonderful motivation speech from by Dale Smith Thomas, we were headed to our first rehearsal. By nine pm we were exhausted and ready for bed...I slept like a baby. The next day was full of rehearsals, and also included the Miss optionals show and the first night of preliminaries for the teen division. All the NH, MA, and FL girls did great! There wasn't much time to stay and celebrate, however, for interview was the next morning, and I needed to get my beauty sleep.
Interview went great. I looked fierce and fabulous in my teal suit (thanks Justine!) and felt as though I really hit it off with all the judges. Then, after successfully getting rid of the majority of my jitters, it was time for more rehearsals and the next night of Teen preliminaries. Once again, all our girls rocked the stage, leaving us with high hopes for Saturday night's finals.
The next day was once again, full of rehearsals (and a fun little party at Wild Horse Saloon!). I got to see my parents and the Barkers before kicking up my heels and doing some line dancing. It was great to see my family (I had not seen them since Thanksgiving) and great to see the Barkers as well. Then, without further ado, it was time for the preliminary night of competition. I felt confident going into it, and felt as though I couldn't have done anything better! All the girls did so well and I knew I was facing some tough competition! Later, after the show I went to dinner with my parents and Deb Barker, and after stuffing my starving face with half cooked chicken and a so-so salad, it was off to bed to rest up for Saturday morning's rehearsals and the final day of competition.
Four hours later, I woke up violently ill. I tried to shake things off, but the sickness only got worse. By 8 am, it was so bad, that I could not even get myself out of bed. My parents came by to help me out, and Jen was so sweet, offering to get me anything I needed. We had rehearsal at 11 am, but I absolutely couldn't make it. I was told to stay in bed until the last possible minute and head to the theater for the final show.
So, after sucking down pedialyte, one teaspoon at a time, I managed to pull myself out of bed, stuff rollers in my hair, and make it to the theater just in time to compete. I was shaking and felt so sick, but pulled it together for the opening number. But then, as they started announcing the top 8, I really didn't know if I could make it through the show. They had already called the top 7 and my heart was beating a mile a minute! There were several very strong competitors left and only one spot to go. But then, through the pounding in my ears, I heard the announcer say: "In the 8th spot.... New Hampshire!", and BAM...I felt fine!
Adrenaline kicked in and I finished all phases of competition in high spirits and at the top of my game. I ended up finishing as 3rd runner up-winning a fabulous gift bag and a solid sense of self satisfaction.
Then, it was back to bed for a bit, before getting dressed up again and heading to the Teen final show. All the New England and Florida girls did great. All the Junior and Senior New England girls made the top ten, and all the Florida girls made the top 5! Kia, the Florida Pre-teen, won her division and took home the national title! Congratulations Kia!!!!!
Later that night, we had the Queens ball. I wasn't feeling up to snuff, but stuck around for a little bit, dancing to Jai Ho! for one last time with my Miss girls! I really had a wonderful time at nationals and am so thankful for everyone who was there for me!
Thank you to all the people who made this week fantastic: My parents, the Barkers, Jen (couldn't ask for a better roomie or sister queen), my NH/MA girls, my other Miss competitors, Barbara and Kristen, Liz McGlynn, Michael Hartmann, Jenny Telewar, and all the staff for the National Teenager Scholarship Organization. I had a blast and am so excited to see next year's queens rock the runway. Thanks so much everybody!
Peace, Love, and 3rd runner up!
Erika Lehman
Miss New Hampshire ANTSO National Miss
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