From the Publisher
Before we agreed to publish this book we checked existing publications in this category. We found books written by previous pageant winners telling about their experience but found nothing to guide the beginner in her quest for a title. We decided to publish HOW TO WIN YOUR CROWN because it is a 1, 2, 3 book -- a basic guide for teen girls new to the world of pageants, and it is more. Even teen's who decide not to jump into the world of pageants will find something valuable in these pages. Learning to be all you can be isn't just for contestants---we're betting it's a dream all females share. Enjoy!


From the Back Cover
Turn your dreams into realities. HOW TO WIN YOUR CROWN is a savvy guide that tells you how it's done. You'll discover how pageants work, who the people are, and what's expected of you as a competitor. As a serious contender, you will need to know how to plan & organize your efforts, figure out your pageant budget, & make sound decisions about yourself and your participation. Be prepared for competition and feel your confidence soar. Work out a plan and put your plan into action. Learn which skills make a winner & how to acquire those skills. Discover the magic of practice, and the secrets to developing poise. Find out the most graceful ways to stand, walk, and sit and how to project your image. Learn how to decide which colors, necklines, & waistlines are best for you & how to establish your own style. You'll find this and more in short, easy to understand, chapters written for young adults just like you. Remember----Winners are made not born & you can be one, too. HOW TO WIN YOUR CROWN tells you how. The rest is up to you. Good luck!


About the Author
Shirley Bordenkircher has more than ten years experience dressing and coaching teen's and adults for special events, special occasions, and competitions, including pageants. Her extensive experience as a pageant judge, patternless designer, seamstress, fashion buyer, small business owner, photographer, gourmet cook, prison warden's wife, and world traveler comes together in this balanced, no nonsense guide for pageant aspirants. Bordenkircher writes with authority, compassion, and good sense, blending dreams and realities into a plan of action. Once a teen herself, she also reared two, and is now enjoying four teen grandchildren.


Excerpted from How To Win Your Crown: A Teen's Guide to Pageant Competition by S. A. Bordenkircher and Scott. Copyright © 9810. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Who? Me? If you've picked up this book and have gotten this far, you must have a million questions you want answered. Questions like...Am I pageant material? Dare I think I can compete? Am I pretty enough, or talented enough or, or... Will my friends, mostly my boyfriend, still like me if I enter? Will they be proud of me for just trying? What if I loose? What can I do to win? Why do I want to enter? What will I do if I win? How do I prepare myself for this? I'm so nervous! Are pageants for anyone? Are pageants for everyone? Are pageants for me? There will be as many questions as there are girls wanting to enter. And you should have questions, lots of them. Your decision to participate evolves around all of the above, as well as a few, more practical considerations. Some of these might be explored by answering the following questions. Only you can give the right answer to these questions. Right being the answer most meaningful to you. This is a very personal, and should be a very deliberate, decision as the commitment and hard work involved cannot be overstated. You will be doing things you've never even imagined doing and you will be doing them, hopefully for your gain. All of what we will be talking about can be fun, too, for a particular type of person. Do you want to be that person? Are pageants for me? Only you can tell for sure. What kind of person are you? You'll have to do a little soul searching here because it's important to be sure your real reasons for wanting to be in a pageant are really good for you and your life. For example, you might dream of yourself walking across a glittering runway with all eyes in the Astrodome upon you... but would you in real life have legs as stiff as popsicle sticks and not be able to walk into the spotlight? Maybe you should reconsider the whole idea if you really do freeze. On the other hand, may be a healthy commitment to a competition such as this is just what you need to be able to overcome your debilitating fear of appearing before a crowd. Do you like challenges? If you are the type of person who thrives on taking new directions in life, on the unknown, or unexpected happening to make your heart beat at top speed, then indeed, pageants may be for you. Some people prefer the known and the status quo to change and challenge. Which pleases you? Deciding if you are pageant material, in your own mind, is the MOST IMPORTANT DECISION for this is the beginning of your commitment. No one should expend energy to compete unless they really are ready to put their best efforts into winning. Otherwise, there's only disappointment ahead. Doing it for fun? Well, sure, fun's good, and you should enjoy what you are doing. Up to you-- but takes a lot of time, effort, and money. Can you justify this in the name of fun alone? Pageant translates in many minds to beauty contest and conjures up all sorts of fantasy images. Fantasies are wonderful but recognize pageants are one of those things in life that is much more difficult than it appears. Competition of any kind is a lot of hard work. Can all the preparation and rehearsals fit into my already busy schedule without school and studies suffering? Do I have transpor-- tation of my own or will I have to depend on Mom or Dad to get me where I'm going? Will this fit into their schedule? Will someone be able to travel to the pageant with me and help with all the clothes and makeup and schedules? Not only will I need help for all those practical things but I also wantsomeone there clapping for me. Who will it be? Will my family be behind me all the way or will they think I'm really dumb for wanting to do this? If they don't support my commitment and effort then do I have what it takes to go it alone? Will others think I think I'm hot stuff for entering, and will my peers shun me, or be glad for me, and proud of my desire to compete? The decision to enter has nothing to do with being absolutely beautiful (by whose standards you might first ask) or charming, or any physical trait alone. It has much to do with the combination of many things that make you...you. So don't let a nose that's a little bigger than most, or a hip that's a bit straighter than most, keep you from jumping in. Look at yourself honestly in terms of physical beauty. Do I make the most of what I've got? Do I know my real drawbacks and have I learned to compensate or hide or defuse the eye from them? Will my nose, eyes, hips, thighs or hair loose the competition for me when I have a winning smile, great eyebrows, gorgeous legs and an absolutely charming personality? Perhaps, your talent with the saxophone is spectacular, or maybe target shooting, or magic is your special interest and can be turned into a talent presentation. Once you've answered these and other questions, truthfully and realistically, you can then make the big decision. It's often helpful to write things down--get a good look in black and white. On a piece of paper, label two columns. One column is SHOULD and the second is SHOULD NOT. Now list the pros and cons. Thinking and writing down things has a way of clarifying ones thoughts and feelings. A heavy SHOULD like I really want to do this might outweigh three or four SHOULD NOTS of picayune nature. So what to do? Go for it! Pageants may not be for everyone but why not try it -- just once. The decision to enter a pageant has nothing to do with whether or not you think you will win. It has everything to do with whether or not you have, or can muster, the drive and commitment to giving it all you've got to TRY to win. There are no guarantees and so you must also think about loosing. Are you a poor sport? Is winning worth whatever it takes? At all costs? If I loose will I cry and forget it? Say it was someone else's fault? Blame the judges and say I'll never do this again? Just what would you do if you lost? How have you handle other disappointments or losses in your life? Do you brood for weeks and and plan a pity party, or do you recognize the world is full of risk and opportunity and there will be plenty of both in your life? Life is coping, after all, with ups as well as downs. And the attitudes we have make the difference between success and failure in most life situations. What if you win? Some coping skills we learn as we go along. Others we need to build on. Entering a pageant just for fun may be your way of setting yourself up to cope with losing. Sort out your thoughts on this carefully and honestly. Once you have decided in your heart of hearts that pageant participation is for you, you must begin to think of the practical aspects of the decision. I'M SO NERVOUS! Of course you are! Why wouldn't you be? Excitement and fear move us to fulfill our dreams. And that's just where you want to be. The best is yet to come!