I hope you all had an outstanding holiday season. Mine was filled with family, friends, and food. Lots of food way too many carbs, but I’m not complaining. They were delicious! As I look back on the past year, I am amazed at what an incredible year 2016 was for me and my family.
I am truly blessed. The places I’ve been. The memories I’ve made and all the wonderful people that I’ve met. It has been magical and more than I ever thought it could be.
Thank you all for making 2016 so spectacular!
Recapping December, I only had one prelim this past month. Mister Missouri USofA MI Classic was held in Springfield, MO on December 10th. Congratulations to Tawny Choate on a very well run triple crowning that day. Tawny is a master at time management and had that day scheduled down to the minute. Well, done Tawny! Congratulations to your newly crowned Mister Missouri USofA MI Classic, RC Mischief and his 1st Alternate, TomCat Quinn Akers. Both earned their ticket to Nationals in March. A final shout out to Logan Rider on a great reign and fantastic step down.
There are three Mister USofA MI Classic prelims still on the calendar. Mister California USofA MI Classic will be held on January 22nd in Long Beach, CA. The promoter for California is Robert VanBeveran. Looking ahead to February, Mister Southern States USofA MI Classic will be held in Little Rock on February 10th. Promoters for Southern States are Marco Del Gatto and Drew Samuelson. And, the final prelim will be Mister Indiana USofA MI Classic on February 18th in Evansville, IN. I’m extremely excited that Jody Bockman and Tiffany Farley have added Mister Indiana USofA MI Classic to their Indiana prelims. Any potential contestants that are interested in any of these prelims, please let me know. Continue reading Val’s Views – January Edition→
I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I think I’m still recov- ering from my food coma. My Thanksgiving was terrific. I spent the day with family, friends, food, and football. I can’t believe it is already December. This year is flying by so fast. The days are turning into weeks and months in what seems like the blink of an eye.
I’m sure December will be no different with the excitement of the holidays upon us. The holiday season is a special time of year for many of us. It is in many ways a magical time of year. My favorite part of the season is how it tends to bring out the best in people. The charity and unselfishness that people display is a yearly renewal in my faith in humanity! I anxiously await what the holiday season will bring this year.
In November, Amie Bland and Alissa Ledeboer hosted the triple crowning of Mister Texas USofA MI, Mister Texas USofA MI Classic and Miss Texas USofA Diva! Congratulations to Oliver Percy on an outstanding reign! Congratulations to your new Mister Texas USofA MI Classic, Seth B. Sexxon and his 1 st Alternate, Randy D’Hardness! Outstanding job guys! I will see you both at Nationals in March. Amie and Alissa, thank you both for a wonderful night of pageantry! Also in November, I was honored to judge Miss Oklahoma USofA Diva. David Dees and Tamia St. James hosted another very successful prelim. Thank you both for inviting me to judge! I love spending time with my Oklahoma USofA family!
December 10th, Tawny and Missy Choate will be hosting the triple crowning of Mister Missouri USofA MI, Mister Missouri USofA MI Classic, and Miss Missouri USofA Diva in Springfield, MO. Any potential contestants that are interested in competing please contact me, Abs Hart, Victoria Rios, Tawny or Missy as soon as possible. Deadline to register to compete is December 7 th !
To all the contestants that have already qualified for Nationals, I hope that you are all busy working on your national packages! I assure you the more work you put in now, the more prepared you will be in March. From personal experience, the more organized you are, the smoother things will go for you on March 12th. I caution you all not to procrastinate. March will creep up on you if you don’t use your time wisely. This same advice applies to those of you that are planning on qualifying at a late prelim. You all should be working on your national packages as well. Speaking of preparing for nationals, let’s talk about “Creative Evening Wear”. The category is intended to show off your “creativity and individuality”. According to the contestant handbook, the only requirement is that “a jacket is required”. This opens up all sorts of options to help yourself stand out. Remember, the scoring is comparative, so what will make you stand out among the group of your fellow contestants. Keep in mind the judges panel will be scoring on “creativity, originality, presentation, poise, fit, coordination, hair & make-up, and general appearance”. My advice is to start with “fit”. If your CEW does not fit properly it will not score well. Think about your overall look, each component listed is important and should all contribute to the creative look you are displaying. Another important detail is your song selection. Since each contestant picks their own modelling music, your song selection should also make sense and go with your look. This is a really fun category. So, have fun with it. It will show on stage! These are all just general requirements and suggestions. If you have any specific questions or concerns, please let me know. I am here for you!
Happy holidays to you all! For all that may be traveling, be safe out there. Until next month…
Time certainly flies when you are having fun, and I’m having a blast! October was an amazing month and I’m excited to see what November brings. I was honored to attend final night of Mr. Gay USofA.
Thank you to Craig Henderson for inviting me, and congratulations to you and your staff on an excellent week of pageantry. The entire Top 12 were outstanding, but as we all know only one can be crowned. Congratulations to Desi M. Andrews, Mr. Gay USofA 2016. Earlier in the week, Mr. Gay USofA at Large was also held. Dakota Whitney qualified by winning Mr. Gay Southern States USofA At Large. Then the very next day, he turned around and won Mr. Gay USofA At Large. What an incredible two days for him. Congratulation Dakota and enjoy your reign! Desi and Dakota, welcome to the family. Also, one final congratulations to Michael LaMasters and Kane Connors on outstanding reigns!
Mister USofA MI Classic prelim season heated up in October. Owen McCord and Devin Liquor hosted the Mister Georgia USofA MI Classic adding two more qualified contestants. Mister Georgia USofA MI Classic, Syr KamRon Buchanan and his 1 st Alt, Rocky Valentino put on a show. My Sister’s Room in Atlanta was a so much fun. I met so many wonderful people and saw others that I haven’t seen in years. It was a great night and a well-run prelim. Great job Owen and Devin! Rounding out the month, Marco DelGatto and Drew Samuelson hosted Mister Arkansas USofA MI Classic. Mister Arkansas USofA MI Classic, Luke Davis and his 1 st Alt, Isaiah Knyte, both left their hearts on the stage. The Triniti crowd in Little Rock was fantastic. Getting to have a prelim in your home bar is an amazing and humbling experience. Well done, Marco and Drew! KamRon, Rocky, Luke, and Isaiah congratulations on earning your tickets to Nationals. I look forward to seeing what you all bring to Ohio. #TeamPeach and #TeamArkansas added some great members to their respective teams! Continue reading Val’s Views – November Edition→
The past week has been fantastic! I just got home from an amazing weekend in Ohio. Friday night, September 23 rd was final night of Miss Gay USofA at Large! Thank you, Jeremy Burnette for allowing me to be a part of your special entertainment for the evening and congratulations on an incredibly successful pageant! Ka’aliyah McKim Diamond, you were stunning as always! I’m so glad that I was able to be there for your Final Night! You have always been so kind and welcoming! Congratulation on your reign! You were spectacular all year and I can’t wait to see what you do next! Congratulations to your newly crowned Miss Gay USofA at Large, Sasha Lauren! Excellent job! Welcome to the USofA Court! Enjoy every second of your reign!
That same weekend I also had the pleasure of spending Saturday with one of my national promoters. Thank you, Devin Dame for an amazing day. Gage Gatlyn was in Florida so I did not get to see him but I hope he had a wonderful trip. I love you both!! While in Dayton I had the opportunity to visit Club Masque which will be the host venue of my step down on March 11, 2017! Potential contestants this is an amazing venue! The videos Devin and Gage have posted touring the bar do not do it justice. After seeing it myself, I’m even more excited about the move to Dayton, OH! Contestants you are going to love it!
Speaking of contestants, prelim season has begun! On Sunday, Sept 18th, we kicked off the prelim season with Mister Oklahoma USofA MI Classic at Club Majestic in Tulsa, OK. Promoters David Dees and Tamia St.
James put together an awesome prelim! It was a sentimental night for me because it was also my step down as Mister OK USofA MI Classic! We had three outstanding contestants and we now have our first two qualified contestants for Mister USofA MI Classic 2017! Congratulations to King Mykal Khrystian, Mister Oklahoma USofA MI Classic 2016 and his first alternate, Hurricane Savage! Club Majestic, as always, you had a fabulous crowd. Thank you all for coming out to support the Mister USofA MI and Mister USofA MI Classic divisions. Thank you, David and Tamia for your continued support! Continue reading Val’s Views – October Edition→
