5 Lessons You Need To Learn Before Competing At USA National Miss

USA National Miss is what I like to call the Holy Mecca of youth pageants in America.

With hundreds of contestants aged 4 - 25 competing for titles in 6 different age divisions, a prize package of over $100,000 (per national title!) and a slogan of Positive Pageantry, this pageant is truly an experience fit for a Queen.

I was fortunate to experience the UNM Magic for the first time this year when I judged over 300 contestants in the Senior Division (Jr. Teen, Teen & Miss) at their national pageant in Orlando Florida.

I thought I knew what I was getting myself into but I truly had no idea!

Walking away from the experience, I now have answers to so many questions I had back when I was competing.

Lucky for you, you don’t have to wait until you’re done competing to get answers to the questions I know you’ve been agonizing over. 

So let’s get into it—these are the 5 lessons I learned while judging and the 5 lessons you need to learn before competing at USA National Miss.

USA NATIONAL MISS—LESSON 1
​Your interview is long enough

On day 1 we started with interviews. As you can imagine, with over 300 contestants, these interviews lasted HOURS

Each interview was approximately two minutes. If a contestant was in the middle of answering a question when the timer ran out, we allowed them to finish before thanking them for their time and moving on to the next girl. 

If you have competed in a pageant or are currently preparing to compete, I know what you’re thinking--“two minutes is never enough time”

As a former pageant contestant myself, I have also once shared this thought. However, now, as a former pageant judge, I can emphatically say--two minutes is plenty of time!

300 interviews and five months later, I can’t tell you what anyone said in their interview, but I can still tell you the specific people who brought in an energy that I felt in my bones.

There are about 20 girls that I remember specifically—and it’s all because they came in with an energy so clear, so defined, and so distinct to them that it affected me in some way.

Now if I’m being honest, not all of these girls had a positive energy, but they 100% were all memorable.

To quote Maya Angelou, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

You don’t need a five minute interview to make someone feel something. The energy you bring into the room is enough--you are enough.

USA NATIONAL MISS—LESSON 2
​The older we get the more we doubt ourselves

This lesson I also learned in the interview room. 

When we started interviews with the Jr. Teen contestants I was BLOWN AWAY. I mean—Wow! These girls were absolutely incredible. 

The Jr. Teen contestants were all aged 13 - 15 and so many of them had written and published their own children’s books (or two!), raised thousands of dollars for a charity of their choosing, and had spoken at multiple middle/ elementary schools in their hometowns.

I was far more impressed than I ever expected to be.

After wrapping up the Jr. Teen division, I thought “Okay, I’ve got to prepare myself for these next two divisions.”

You would imagine if the bar had been set high by the Jr. Teens, it would keep rising as we advanced in age divisions.

Sadly, that was not the case. As the contestants got older, their confidence got lower.

This is not a blanket rule of course, there were absolutely standouts in each division. But overall, the average Miss contestant was less confident than the average Teen contestant and FAR less confident than the average Jr. Teen contestant.

My theory behind this strange turn of events is simple--the older contestants put more pressure on themselves to be perfect because they know (or at least they think they know) what is expected and what’s at stake. 

Whereas the younger contestants are more likely to show up with the intention of having fun. They are often less critical of themselves which shows up as a higher level of self confidence.

USA NATIONAL MISS LESSON 3
Slower is NOT better

How long does it take to form a first impression? 

Some say it’s 7 seconds, some say it’s 30. For the sake of this lesson let’s say it takes 7 seconds to form a first impression, 30 seconds to form a lasting opinion. 

With that logic, within 30 seconds of you walking on stage, I already have a score in my head. Now, all you have to do is not mess it up. Lol no pressure.

USA National Miss is known for their stunningly long runway. Honestly, I think it was even longer than the Miss USA runway when I competed!

With a long runway, there are ample opportunities to stop, turn, whatever... Don’t fall into this trap! 

The judges are at the end of the runway—that is where you want to be. They are the ones writing the scores, they are the ones who need to see you first. 

If it only takes a judge 30 seconds to decide what score they are giving you, don’t you want to be in front of them when they decide?

If you are walking slower than a turtle because you want to “soak up your moment” you are actually doing yourself a disservice. Your moment is at the end of the runway and you just missed it because you took too long.

Yes, of course, the judges will still watch you and some might even wait to write down your score until you get to the end—but judges are humans too.

Once they have an opinion it’s hard to change it. 

As a judge, I found myself fighting my brain to not form an opinion until the contestant had reached the end of the runway. 

Don’t make your judge fight their natural instinct—get to the end of the runway quicker so that you are right in front of them when their 30 second opinion is being formed.

USA NATIONAL MISS—LESSON 4
​Mistakes are not memorable

This one is important so listen up—your mistakes are not memorable unless you make them memorable.

At some point during your pageant, you will make a mistake. Whether you exit the runway on the wrong side or you make a slight stumble over a word during your interview. 

Mistakes happen. They’re totally normal and completely unmemorable.

Unless…

You make a big scene that clearly signifies to the judges and everyone else that you messed up. 

Half the time, I didn’t even realize a contestant made a mistake until I saw it on her face a half second later. 

Don’t rat yourself out!

If you recover well—it’s not a mistake at all, it’s a chance to showcase your personality and boy do we live for those moments!

Next time you do a mock interview, or practice your walk, make a mistake on purpose so you can practice your recovery. 

Remember not to take yourself too seriously and know that mistakes don’t matter! (unless you make them matter)

USA NATIONAL MISS—LESSON 5
Don’t Try To Stand Out

Every year I hear contestants and coaches talking about what you need to do in order to stand out.

Everyone wants to stand out. But when 300 girls are all trying to stand out—no one does. 

So how do you do it?

What is the magic key to capturing the eyes and hearts of the judges?

Well, to put it simply, and quote one of my favorite songs in the process, stand in the light and be seen as you are.

Stop searching for some external factor that’s going to make you stand out. 

When you do this, you are only further enforcing the belief that you are not enough on your own.

Instead of asking “What can I do to stand out?” Ask yourself, “What can I do to be more of myself?”

That is the secret. I’m serious. That’s it. 

But if it’s that simple, why is it so hard to do?

If you believe you are unique (which, cough cough, you should), there is no reason to ever look outward for a solution to standing out. 

I promise, the answer is inside you. Whoever you are, whatever you’re good at…

DO MORE OF IT! 

Stop trying to be who you think the judges, the audience, or even the fans want you to be.

Stand up on that stage fully embracing the unique person you are and I promise…

You will stand out by standing in(side of yourself).

All you have to do is trust that YOU. ARE. ENOUGH.

Let me know in the comments which lesson surprised you the most and follow me on IG for more Pageant Mindset & Performance Tips including how to find your X-Factor! @samanthaneylandcoaching