Miss Carival hopefuls ready to do battle

The stage is set, the crown has been polished and the contestants have been preened to perfection, in anticipation of what promises to be a hotly contested First Citizens Miss Carival Beauty Pageant 2012.{{more}}

The regional beauties took time out of their hectic schedule to meet and greet the media at Young Island Resort on Tuesday, July 3 – encouraging Vincentians to attend the show tonight at Victoria Park.

The contestants all seemed confident about their chances of scooping the top award for their respective home countries, and hinted that the talent segment of the show will be something patrons won’t want to miss.

The ten hopefuls, who will make judged appearances in four categories (Swimwear, Talent, Evening Wear and Interview), are: Miss Anguilla Olufunmike Banks-Devonish, Miss Barbados Charlene Christmas, Miss Dominica Nadira Lando, Miss Dominican Republic Emilicy Montano, Miss Jamaica Candise Bulli, Miss St. Kitts & Nevis Kalia Huggins, Miss St Lucia Roxanne Didier-Nicholas, Miss Trinidad & Tobago Davia Chambers, Miss Venezuela Astrid Hidalgo Andreina Martinez and host Miss St Vincent and the Grenadines Carice Glasgow.

Head of the Beauty Shows Committee Cheryl Rodriguez and President of the Carnival Development Corporation Dennis Ambrose extended a warm welcome to the contestants and urged them to spread the word about the show being broadcast online to their friends and family overseas.

Ambrose described the pageant as one of the most “renowned” beauty shows within the region, and explained that their participation is a “wonderful opportunity to exchange cultural information”.

SVG and St Kitts & Nevis have both won the competition six times since its inception in 1985. The crown has been won four times by Dominica, twice by Trinidad and Tobago, and once by St Lucia.

The other competing countries have yet to take home the title, in the history of the Miss Carival pageant.

Miss SVG 2012 Carice Glasgow promised to give her best effort to bring the crown back home – last done by Ronique Dellimore in 2008.

She explained that her focus is to perform as consistently as she did in the Miss SVG pageant, and hinted that her talent will be completely different from what she did before.(JV)