Last Sunday, I arrived back in the beautiful state of Colorado from Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant in Orlando, Florida, and I could not possibly be more proud of Miss Colorado’s Outstanding Teen, Lexie O’Dowd.  She had an incredible amount if energy in her fitness competition and she was the only one in her group to do a full push up, while looking at the audience.  She made me proud as she danced her heart out during her talent competition and she shined more than I have ever seen her shine in her evening gown.  I have never been so honored to wear this Miss Colorado sash and crown as I was on Saturday night, because everyone knew that Lexie was my teen.  People I have never met before would approach me and tell me how blown away they were by my sister titleholder.  Lexie, you are the sweetest, purest, most intelligent and beautiful teenager I have ever known and you make being Miss Colorado that much sweeter, because I get to reign with you.  I am so proud of you and your performance at MAOT and you will forever and always by my Miss America’s Outstanding Teen!

I met the Miss America Class of 2011 in Orlando and they are an extraordinary group of girls.  I had an amazing time with all of the state titleholders and I cannot wait to see everyone again when we compete at the Miss America Pageant in January in Las Vegas!  The first night in Orlando, we were able to go onstage and introduce ourselves to the audience.  We were in alphabetical order and I love my line mates, Miss California, Arianna Afsar and Miss Connecticut, Brittany Decker. 

On the second night of preliminary competition, the princesses went on stage and they were all so cute!  I am very excited for my princesses to come to Las Vegas and support me there.  Seeing their faces will make the experience that much better. 

Thursday morning at 8:00 AM, I headed to Salon 16 in the Rosen Centre Hotel to film my original 60 second segment of Why I should be the next Miss America.  It was so much fun creating my personal statement and the content will be a surprise to you all.  There may or may not be voting attached to this video when it airs on ABC.com and other internet sites around mid-October, so  I will keep you posted as more information is made available to me.  

Thursday night was the third night of preliminaries and before the show all of the Miss America contestants went to Maggiano’s Little Italy for a wonderful dinner. It was co-sponsored by Mary Sullivan, the Executive Director of the Miss Florida Pageant and one of my judges at Miss Colorado, as well as Regalia, who is the Miss Colorado Organization gown sponsor and also sponsors several other state titleholders. We all enjoyed the dinner and the opportunity to relax and get further acquainted.

On Friday, competition was not taking place and the Miss contestants definitely had a full day planned.  We began our day at 7:30 AM loading the bus and going to Disney World!  My first time at Disney World was this past May for college graduation and my 24^th birthday, so it was very reminiscent for me.  Even though I had just met Belle three months earlier, I still couldn’t wait to see her again, since I am still a kid at heart!  In the morning, I participated in two different interviews that will be used for a contestant video for Disney.  It was definitely hot and humid, so if you can see the camera man’s reflection in my face, you know why!  Whoever said beauty queens don’t sweat, they glisten, may be proven wrong soon enough.  After the interviews, we had a chance to ride the Tea Cups, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, and Buzz Lightyear.  Thanks to the Buzz Lightyear ride, I can truthfully tell you if you have an alien problem and need me to exterminate them with my laser gun, I’m your girl!  After the promotional items were complete and we got to ride several of the best rides at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for “An Evening with Miss America” at the Siegel Estate.  The house was beautiful and the company was fantastic.  There was a live auction to raise money for the Miss America Scholarship Fund, so thank you to all who so generously donated.  You are helping so many young women grow and succeed and I am very thankful for the many opportunities I have received through this scholarship program.

At last, Saturday came and it was the final day in Orlando.  We had a contestant orientation in the morning where we had the opportunity to ask Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron questions about her year as Miss America and any advice she had that would help us prepare for competition.  As the day progressed, I was filled with anticipation and excitement for the final show!  I loved wearing a beautiful Jovani evening gown from Regalia and I felt like a million bucks in it!  Thank you David and Carry from Regalia for being the best in the business!  The final show was wonderful and Lexie was amazing and all of us in the audience couldn't have been more proud of her!!  The newly crowned winner of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2010 is Lacey Russ from Oklahoma.  I know it takes hard work and dedication to succeed at a national level, so congratulations to Lacey and I wish her a year of amazing success and unforgettable memories! 

Throughout this experience, I have learned several things, including: My Outstanding Teen, Lexie O’Dowd, is one of the strongest little girls I know and again, I could not be more proud of her performance and to be her Miss!  Miss Florida, Jaclyn Raulerson, I am convinced we are sisters separated when we were teeny little babes.  I love you and cannot wait to see you again!  Miss Texas, Ashley Melnick, Miss District of Columbia, Stephanie Williams, Miss Louisiana, Kelsi Crain, and Miss Ohio, Becky Minger, thank you girls so much for making my experience in Orlando an unforgettable one!  I loved getting to know each and every one of you girls and I miss you already!  May the wolf pack live on!  To the Miss America Class of 2011, you are all incredible young women and I feel so blessed to be a part of this unbelievable group of young women.  I enjoyed spending the last week with all of you and I am thrilled to see you again in January!

I started a theme with my last blog, so I will update you all who are counting down the days with me… only 136 days until Miss America 2011 is crowned!  Thank you to my friends and family for consistently being such a great support system and I cannot wait to make you all proud on the national stage!

Until next time,

Melaina Shipwash

Miss Colorado 2010

It has been six weeks since I have received the title as Miss Colorado Teen, and I have been very busy! Time seems to be flying by.   I have had many exciting appearances that I have been able to attend alongside Melaina and Lexie! One of my favorite appearances was the Ed McCaffrey Dare to Play/ Dare to Cheer camp for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. This event was designed to teach young people with Down Syndrome to play football, and cheer for the players. It was near and dear to my heart, as I would like to become a Special Education teacher when I am older. I had so much fun, and so did the players!  I feel very blessed to be able to spend time in the presence of such wonderful people.   Along with the camp, I attended a kick-off party for the Jet Set fashion show which is partnered with the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. I had a blast walking down the runway with the kids, and am excited for the fashion show taking place in October.

 In July, I was able to throw the first pitch of the Sky Sox game. With two brothers, I have been a spectator at many baseball games, but was still nervous!  I did manage to make the throw to home plate, so was happy with the results.

We recently attended a luncheon at the Air Force Academy for the Stars and Stripes Golf Tournament, which was a fundraiser for military families.  Most recently Lexie and I were invited to the Comfort Dental VIP party at the Comfort Dental Amphitheatre.  We met some wonderful people, and ended the evening watching Tim McGraw in concert.  Thank you so much to Comfort Dental, you are so generous!  I have had the most amazing times with my beautiful sisters. I love you girls so much!

In September, Melaina, Lexie and I will be participating in the Relay for Life, for the American Cancer Society. It is a 24 hour event being held at Webster Lake in Northglenn that benefits and recognizes those who are fighting, have fought, or lost their battles with cancer.  Everyone is welcome to join us in our walk.

Summer is ending quickly, and we will be going back to school very soon.   I am very excited to start my career as a high school student, but nervous as well.  I am so happy that I have made some amazing friends that will help guide me through this experience.   I am looking forward to what is still to come.  I will join my dear friends Lexie and Melaina in spirit, as Lexie competes in the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant later this month. Good Luck Lexie, I know you will do very well!

See you all soon!

With Love,

Kayla Thomas

It has been two weeks of my reign as Miss Colorado 2010 and it has already been a fantastic whirlwind.  I have had several appearances that have been so amazing and I am very excited to see what the rest of this year has in store for me.  So far, I have had interviews with news stations, radio stations, newspapers, and websites.  I am definitely getting great practice before I start gearing up with mock interviews for Miss America!

The most recent appearance I did was in Vail for the July 4th America Days Parade where there are 30,000 spectators each year.  I was so honored to be asked to be the Grand Marshall of the parade, as the previous Grand Marshall was President Ford!  Prior to the parade, I had an interview with TV8 News and was featured on Good Morning Vail.  I also had the opportunity to meet and take pictures with several of the fire departments from Vail and surrounding areas.  It is always great to meet people who are role models in the community!  As the parade started, I sat on the back of a BMW convertible and made my way in and out of the parade trail.  They were not kidding when they said there would be 30,000 people watching from start to end!  The streets were packed with rows and rows of people lining up so far I could barely see them sometimes!  One particular moment that was extremely special for me was when they introduced me as the Grand Marshall.  I came around the corner and looked down the strip of a straight-away street and there were thousands of people lined up.  Over the loud speaker, they announced, “Now coming into view is our Grand Marshall of the parade, Miss Colorado 2010, Melaina Shipwash!  She will be competing in Las Vegas in January for the crown of Miss America 2011.  Good Luck, Melaina and we know you will make us all so proud!”  Then, they started playing “America the Beautiful” and everyone was clapping and yelling for me.  It was such an emotional moment (I know, surprise!) for me but that was the moment that it really sunk in and hit me.  I am Miss Colorado 2010 and I have a chance to be Miss America 2011!  Not only that, but I have so many people behind me that have never personally met me.  It meant so much to me to have the entire crowd of thousands of people stop everything they were doing to clap and cheer for me as I was driven down the street.  It made me feel like I had an impact on so many people in just that one moment.  That is what being Miss Colorado is about…making a difference and impacting people in my community in a positive way.  I had so much fun and I am very thankful to have had this experience!

In addition to the parade, I also had the opportunity to attend Ed McCaffrey’s Dare to Play football game to benefit the Global Down Syndrome Foundation which touched my heart in many ways.  These Special Olympians worked very hard and trained for two full days in football and cheerleading prior to this big event!  They all did such a great job playing football and cheering on the sidelines.   I enjoyed meeting each and every one of you and I want you to know that you are truly inspiring and wonderful athletes!  Because of you all, I may go out and try a little football myself! 

Thank you to everyone who has helped put together these incredible events and thank you also to my supporters!  You are all such amazing people and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with you.

Best wishes,
Melaina Shipwash
Miss Colorado 2010

Hey guys!! Wow this is my first blog as your new Miss Colorado's Outstanding Teen and I just can't thank Christ and so many people enough for this opportunity that was given to me! I competed last Thursday, Friday, and then on Saturday my life was changed, as I  was crowned and will follow in the amazing Janelle Orsborn's steps as your new title holder. The girls I competed against were awesome I couldn't have asked to be with a better group of girls, and each one of them deserved this title just as much as me! They are all OUTSTANDING girls with charisma, kind hearted, and truly passionate about life. I definitely had an amazing weekend all together at the Elle and it was a life changing experience that I will never forget. The quote that truly inspired me throughout this competition was from Philippians 4:13 which says "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." This verse was kind of like a voice record in the back of my head playing over and over again, but now I know why. The Lord was telling me that I can do all things through him. I still hold on to this quote and throughout my journey this entire year it will help me to remember that I can make a difference in people's lives, and influence others through Christ. I also was blessed with this opportunity and as I look to my future this year as Miss Colorado's Outstanding Teen I hope to have no regrets and truly represent Colorado through positive leadership and influencing others to believe in accomplishing their dreams!

I would like to thank a few people that truly helped me accomplish this dream of becoming your Miss Colorado's Outstanding Teen. First of all to my mom. Wow such an amazing women she is, her dedication and determination she had towards helping me accomplish this goal was not replaceable and I can't thank her enough for being at my side constantly through this journey. Next to my daddy, those days sitting in your office going over interview questions is a memory I will never forget and thank you for constantly supporting me and loving me every single day of my life! To me brothers Christopher and Jack, you two are my role models you constantly remind me what a servant of God truly is and thank you so much for being there for me through this whole journey. Katee and Suzi, wow I don't think a state could ask for better directors than you guys! Thank you so much for all your time and work put into making this competition truly spectacular, I cannot wait for this year filled with memories with you two! All the volunteers, God know how I would have been able to get on that dress without you guys! Thank you so much for the time you put into helping all of us girls and your constant support back stage!! To all my sponsors thank you for supporting me, and the Miss Colorado Organization, I truly appreciate your generosity. Lisa, you are my second mom and I am so blessed to grow as close as I did with you this entire experience. Thanks so much for making my dance great, love you!! Keely, wow what an amazing, positive, and beautiful women you are!! Thank you for everything you truly helped me to compete to my best, and helped me be the best Lexie O'Dowd that I could be. Melaina, thank you for your continuous support and your advice on my dance, I cannot wait to spend a year with an amazing Miss Colorado like you!! Janelle, an image of God is what you truly are. Your legacy as Miss Colorado's Outstanding Teen will never be forgotten, you have truly set an example of what an Outstanding Teen and role model should be! Thank you for your support already and the awesome day I spent with you watching MAOT from last year, I truly could not ask to follow in someone's footsteps as great as you. Lastly to Christ for giving me this opportunity to truly act as a servant of God and changing the hearts of others throughout my year as Miss Colorado's Outstanding Teen. I hope to make everyone proud and to represent this amazing state in a memorable way! Off to Orlando to the National Pageant in six weeks, I will keep everyone updated on my journey.

Love always,
Your Miss Colorado's Outstanding Teen 2010
Lexie O'Dowd