Greetings from Las Vegas!
This week has been so busy we've hardly had time to see the sights. Yesterday after a brief debaucle at Bally's over a dent in a rental car, we headed out to a Michaels on the outskirts of the city to get supplies for signs to hold up in the audience. Our very clever aunt suggested we wrap them in tin foil so they'll catch the light. It worked and Erin could see us reflecting off stage!
After the signage, we went to a parents and family meeting hosted by the Miss America Organization explaining to the families what Miss America 2010's crowning, first few hours and her year will be like. The speakers were incredibly interesting and all had something good to say. They included, Katie Stam- Miss America 2009, her parents, Rick Brinkley- the national judges chair, the hostess chair and of course, the chairman of the board of Miss America- Sam Haskell.
Parents were given instructions on what to do Saturday night. All the parents are to report to an area off to the side and wait until the first cuts are made. We know the first cuts will happen like this- There will be a production number, then the judges are introduced, and then the first 3 of the final 15 are announced. after that..... a Commercial break!!! You could have knocked me over with a feather once I heard that! We're all worried about it and its a day before its announced. We know we'll be nervous wrecks, but we've waited this long to see if she'll be Miss America we can stand a commercial break. After that, contestants 4 through 14 are announced. Finally, are you ready, one more commercial break!!! There will be TWO commercial breaks before the entire top 15 are announced! We're all going to be nervous wrecks, I'm sure of it.
Parents are seated as their daughter is called and if she does not, they return to their originally assigned seat. From there on the telecast will all go similarly to last year with 15, 10, 8 and Miss America.
When the speakers spoke of what they were looking for the phrase they repeated is someone as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. They also kept repeating that Katie Stam would be the standard these women are judged by- and frankly- those are some HIGH standards!!! Of course, every family member in the room is positive that their girl is the most beautiful on the inside, but I'm sure our Erin is the cut above the rest!
The Stam family were absolutely lovely. They just seem to be perfection in every way shape and form. You can see how close they are and it really does make those people you idolize human when you watch them with their families.
Funny Story- Erin during visitation was talking about how wonderful it is just to have former Miss Americas walking around backstage and how funny her reactions are. she said to us, "You know, I will NEVER look at a boy like I look at a Miss America!" and she made a googly face and said "Omigod Lee Meriwether! Kirsten Haglund, Ericka Dunlap! It'll never hold a candle to another guy!" Just a funny little tidbit!
The preliminary was really great. Erin competed in swimsuit and evening gown. Both were absolutely perfect and she really couldn't have done better if she tried! She was poised and graceful during evening gown and a showy it-girl in swimsuit. She did great and we were so proud of her. Preliminary talent and swimsuit went to Miss Michigan and Miss Oregon respectively.
When she walked t the table at visitation, she exclaimed when she saw how big the crowd had gotten, "Omigod you're multiplying!" and we're not done yet! The last of the family comes in today so we're all rearing and ready to party tonight!
Today will be the first day we actually go sightseeing- we've been so busy with other things we've had hardly any time to do anything but mozy around the area for a while! More updates in the morning on how the night of debauchery with the family and certainly a big update on Saturday night posted sometime Sunday morning!
Don't forget to watch the Behind the Curtain special on TLC tonight at 8/7c! There will be details given on how to vote for Erin to possibly get her into the top 15!!!!
And just in case you've been living under a rock the Final night of the Miss America Pageant will be broadcast live on TLC on Saturday night!
Keep following us on Twitter for any more up to the second updates @MissIllinoisFan and be our fan on facebook, Miss Illinois 2009 Erin O'Connor Fan Page!
Make Some Illi- NOISE!!!
Cait and Leenie
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
This seemed to go over pretty well yesterday so heres another update from the competition here in Vegas!
Yesterday we had a lot more people trickle in. More O'Connors, Hughes, Buckleys and Martins started in and its getting more exciting and positive with every hour and every new arrival. The day was spent shopping and wandering around the hotel. We managed to come on what is likely to be the only day it rains in Las Vegas all year, so we were mostly confined to the hotel. Luckily there is a mall attached!
Onto the good stuff- the preliminary! It was slightly easier to spot Erin in the opening number last night since we knew where to look. Our cheering section was much louder tonight- (looking at you Aunt Nancy!) We're also leaving in a few minutes to get sign and posters for tonight and saturday. It'll be very fun tonight!
There were some interesting statistics that were given during the opening number. For one, more than 13,000 girls competed within the Miss America Organization this year. It is now 53 girls on that stage. I feel so proud of Erin for making it so far. It really is incredible. Regardless of whether she's first of 53rd its an amazing feat coming so far. Something else I heard said in the theater was you are more likely to have a son that plays in the NFL than you are to have a daughter that competes at Miss America. I thought for a moment and (although I can't verify that its a perfect statistic) it is very likely. This is such an amazing accomplishment and I'm so proud of my big sister for what she's been able to do.
Erin's area of competition yesterday was the onstage question. The girls are given questions based on their platforms of community service. Erin's platform is Skin Cancer awareness and prevention. Her dress was an emerald green and she looked absolutely stunning. She was asked about talking to young people about skin cancer. Her answer was flawless, answered the question, very articulate and included a statistic about young people who use a tanning bed 10 or more times in their entire lives are 70% more likely to develop skin cancer. Her answer was clear and concise and we couldn't have been more pleased.
There were also a few more preliminary awards given, New York won swimsuit and California won talent dancing en pointe. Both girls are absolutely lovely and big congratulations to the both of them from the entire Illinois delegation!!
It's the dream of every little girl to be a Miss America. It's all so surreal that Erin is actually here and competing! Tonight Erin competes in swimsuit and evening gown. Swimsuit is one of her strongest areas of competition (she's strong in every area!) So we're really excited for tonight. We have signs ready and are getting loud!
Make some Illi-NOISE everybody!
Cait and Leenie
Yesterday we had a lot more people trickle in. More O'Connors, Hughes, Buckleys and Martins started in and its getting more exciting and positive with every hour and every new arrival. The day was spent shopping and wandering around the hotel. We managed to come on what is likely to be the only day it rains in Las Vegas all year, so we were mostly confined to the hotel. Luckily there is a mall attached!
Onto the good stuff- the preliminary! It was slightly easier to spot Erin in the opening number last night since we knew where to look. Our cheering section was much louder tonight- (looking at you Aunt Nancy!) We're also leaving in a few minutes to get sign and posters for tonight and saturday. It'll be very fun tonight!
There were some interesting statistics that were given during the opening number. For one, more than 13,000 girls competed within the Miss America Organization this year. It is now 53 girls on that stage. I feel so proud of Erin for making it so far. It really is incredible. Regardless of whether she's first of 53rd its an amazing feat coming so far. Something else I heard said in the theater was you are more likely to have a son that plays in the NFL than you are to have a daughter that competes at Miss America. I thought for a moment and (although I can't verify that its a perfect statistic) it is very likely. This is such an amazing accomplishment and I'm so proud of my big sister for what she's been able to do.
Erin's area of competition yesterday was the onstage question. The girls are given questions based on their platforms of community service. Erin's platform is Skin Cancer awareness and prevention. Her dress was an emerald green and she looked absolutely stunning. She was asked about talking to young people about skin cancer. Her answer was flawless, answered the question, very articulate and included a statistic about young people who use a tanning bed 10 or more times in their entire lives are 70% more likely to develop skin cancer. Her answer was clear and concise and we couldn't have been more pleased.
There were also a few more preliminary awards given, New York won swimsuit and California won talent dancing en pointe. Both girls are absolutely lovely and big congratulations to the both of them from the entire Illinois delegation!!
It's the dream of every little girl to be a Miss America. It's all so surreal that Erin is actually here and competing! Tonight Erin competes in swimsuit and evening gown. Swimsuit is one of her strongest areas of competition (she's strong in every area!) So we're really excited for tonight. We have signs ready and are getting loud!
Make some Illi-NOISE everybody!
Cait and Leenie
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Hi everyone!!
We have some time to spare and I wanted to give everyone a good update of exactly what's going on.
Dad, Leenie and I all came in yesterday. They came a few hours before I did and had been dealing with a ticket fiasco. Everything was sorted out along with the backstage passes but before she left, Leenie saw the Miss America 2010 crown!!! Hopefully Katie Stam will be giving it to Erin when the week is out!
After some food and a power nap, we set out for the Las vegas strip. We saw some of the resorts and wandered up and down the street for a while before coming back to the theater at Planet Hollywood. We met up with some more Illinois people and sat down in the theater.
The tension is just palpable in this phase of the competition. It's totally different from being on the local or state level and you can feel the nerves of every audience member in the theater. There is high excitement and the pressure is ON.
The opening number was very fast. The contestants were constantly moving so we had a bit of a rough time trying to find Erin. The sashes and dresses were both black and from offstage you couldn't see the silver lettering. Once the girls paused and began the parade of states, we were able to key in on Illinois. Erin did her intro, "Let me hear you make some Illi-NOISE! From the Land of Lincoln, I'm Erin O'Connor, Miss Illinois!" We cheered for her as loudly as we could.
The rest of our cheering section is slowly beginning to trickle in. The Hughes and the rest of the O'Connors will be here today with the Martins coming in on friday. We'll be getting louder and louder throughout the week.
Erin did her talent on Tuesday night. Her costume is red and purple with fringe and sparkles. Her dance is high energy, en pointe to a remix of Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance with Somebody. It is totally Erin. You can see her personality and how much fun she is. It was a definite crowd-pleaser!
Congrats to the two preliminary winners- Puerto Rico for swimsuit and Virginia for Talent! Both girls worked it. All 53 of these girls are spectacular. No matter who wins we can be very proud that these are the women who represent America.
At the visitation, the girls only had about 20 minutes with us. Erin seemed in good spirits, not getting too tired or sick. She told us how all the girls are lovely and wonderful and how much fun she's having. She also mentioned they had a photo shoot in the morning. This morning we saw all the girls being escorted about the casino taking pictures and videos of them dancing posing and having fun around Planet Hollywood.
Tonight is Erin's onstage question. This is where she really knocks it out of the park. Keep the positive thoughts an prayers coming!
We have some time to spare and I wanted to give everyone a good update of exactly what's going on.
Dad, Leenie and I all came in yesterday. They came a few hours before I did and had been dealing with a ticket fiasco. Everything was sorted out along with the backstage passes but before she left, Leenie saw the Miss America 2010 crown!!! Hopefully Katie Stam will be giving it to Erin when the week is out!
After some food and a power nap, we set out for the Las vegas strip. We saw some of the resorts and wandered up and down the street for a while before coming back to the theater at Planet Hollywood. We met up with some more Illinois people and sat down in the theater.
The tension is just palpable in this phase of the competition. It's totally different from being on the local or state level and you can feel the nerves of every audience member in the theater. There is high excitement and the pressure is ON.
The opening number was very fast. The contestants were constantly moving so we had a bit of a rough time trying to find Erin. The sashes and dresses were both black and from offstage you couldn't see the silver lettering. Once the girls paused and began the parade of states, we were able to key in on Illinois. Erin did her intro, "Let me hear you make some Illi-NOISE! From the Land of Lincoln, I'm Erin O'Connor, Miss Illinois!" We cheered for her as loudly as we could.
The rest of our cheering section is slowly beginning to trickle in. The Hughes and the rest of the O'Connors will be here today with the Martins coming in on friday. We'll be getting louder and louder throughout the week.
Erin did her talent on Tuesday night. Her costume is red and purple with fringe and sparkles. Her dance is high energy, en pointe to a remix of Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance with Somebody. It is totally Erin. You can see her personality and how much fun she is. It was a definite crowd-pleaser!
Congrats to the two preliminary winners- Puerto Rico for swimsuit and Virginia for Talent! Both girls worked it. All 53 of these girls are spectacular. No matter who wins we can be very proud that these are the women who represent America.
At the visitation, the girls only had about 20 minutes with us. Erin seemed in good spirits, not getting too tired or sick. She told us how all the girls are lovely and wonderful and how much fun she's having. She also mentioned they had a photo shoot in the morning. This morning we saw all the girls being escorted about the casino taking pictures and videos of them dancing posing and having fun around Planet Hollywood.
Tonight is Erin's onstage question. This is where she really knocks it out of the park. Keep the positive thoughts an prayers coming!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Hey hey!
So, the Blog this hasn't worked out as well as I had hoped, but here are some articles and videos if anyone is checking.
For better Miss Illinois coverage become a fan on Facebook and follow @MissIllinoisFan on Twitter.
http://www.younghollywood.com/scene/special-k-miss-illinois-spreads-a-great-message-to-the-youth-of-america.html
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources&id=7211510
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Fan Blog
Hey all! For those of you who don't know us, we are Cait and Leenie; and we have begun our preparations for Miss America 2010, where our sister Erin will compete. We thought, "One of us is a Politics student in DC and the other is a New York actor, who better to pump the people up for Miss Illinois?"
Exciting prospect... right?
So, for the next month, keep track of this blog, become a fan of Miss Illinois 2009 on Facebook, and follow @MissIllinoisFan on Twitter. We'll let you in on all the fun!
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