Miss SVG contestants ‘Meet the Media’

by J. Soso-Vincent 16.MAY.08

As May 31st fast approaches, the contestants taking part in the Miss SVG 2008 show are being given numerous opportunities to hone their interviewing skills. The most recent opportunity came when the Beauty Shows Committee hosted a ‘Meet the Media’ event Saturday, May 10th, at the Young Island Resorts.{{more}}

The contestants spent the best part of three hours divulging information about themselves and the experiences that they have been going through, in their training, to several media personnel. And, needless to mention, they didn’t miss the chance to strut their stuff and showcase their perfected poses in front of the camera.

In speaking to contestants, it was evident to SEARCHLIGHT that the majority of them entered the competition with the incentive of the university scholarship and the chance to represent SVG in future competitions uppermost in their minds. Jolene Toney, Emmelin John and Shanel Nanton said winning the show had been their childhood ambition, while LaToya Lewis was unique in her motivation – her deceased father had always wanted her to enter, and she wants to make him proud.

In her remarks at the recent sashing ceremony of the Miss SVG contestants, Chairperson Cheryl Rodriguez related that many people view the competition as “frivolous”, but, in fact, the rigorous training provides the young women with skills that last a lifetime. This is something that the contestants proved in their interviews with SEARCHLIGHT, as they recalled a plethora of new skills that they have benefited from since taking part in the competition. These include: self discipline, time management, increased maturity, becoming more well-rounded, an increase in self confidence and self awareness, improvement in posture and speech, becoming a more well-rounded individual, improved social etiquette and the ability to cope with stressful situations. Confident that she will scoop the top prize, Karen Whiskey firmly believes that her improvement in self-discipline and time management will aid her greatly when (and not if) she embarks upon her degree at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Given the fact that the training for this competition is so intense, it was no surprise that the majority of the contestants were unsure of whether they would participate in similar shows again, in the event that they didn’t secure one of the top three positions. Shanel Green in particular was certain that she wouldn’t be keen on participating again. She declared: “There will now be better things for the fabulous Shanel Green to do!” Tamisha Nichols echoed this sentiment. She admitted that she would call it quits for beauty shows, should she not place in the top three. However, she believes there is a lot in store for her other than in beauty pageants; especially with regard to her singing career. “I’m ready for it”, she replied with confidence.

Despite all the late nights and early mornings, all the young ladies are grateful for the experience, and to have met each other. They believe that the training involved has aided each of them in their personal development, and they encourage other young women to sign up for this life-changing experience. Ronique Dellimore was the most enthusiastic of the bunch. “Once you have a goal… something you want to achieve, and Miss SVG is going to harness the opportunity for you… go ahead and do it!” Dellimore also spoke of her “fabulous” experience in getting to know all the different personalities and learning how to deal with them. She related that she also had the opportunity to pick up tips from the contestants who had prior experience in beauty shows.

As attractive and eligible young women in society, it was only natural to question the contestants on their thoughts of their counterparts – young Vincentian men. Their general consensus was that the young men of SVG are of average calibre, with a few outstanding ones in between. However, Nekesha Adams was passionate about her belief that there is an alarming trend of disrespect for young women by young men. Adams wants men out there to realize that it was a woman who brought them into the world and, as such, should have more regard for all women. “If you have a mother, you should have respect for young ladies!”

One can only hope that the confidence, intelligence and exuberance that the contestants displayed at the ‘Meet the Media’ event can be replicated on the night in question. Should they be successful in doing so, then this year’s Miss SVG competition promises to be a vast improvement on previous years.