By J.J. Smith
J.J. Smith has written the feature stories that Pageantry magazine readers have enjoyed through the years, including the Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss America and Miss World pageants— as well as an array of other pageant systems. As an experienced pageant judge, J.J. has been invited to judge on the local, state, national and international levels. To prepare for competition, many pageant winners have benefited and confirmed their success from utilizing the techniques provided by “WinnerViews,” the pageant preparation business that J.J. founded. His expertise offers “winning interview techniques from a judge’s perspective” and is unique in that it gives the participants positive and constructive feedback on their interview skills from an experienced pageant judge’s viewpoint. With WinnerViews, your interview is “evaluated, then elevated.” For the record, Texas-born J.J. has coached many winners of the coveted Miss Texas USA title including three Miss USA winners as well as a Miss Universe. For his rare accomplishments and insight, J.J. is considered by many to be the best pageant interview coach in the nation. J.J. is also the recipient of many acting and public-speaking awards, including the prestigious Veterans of Foreign Wars “Voice of Democracy” national scholarship award, which was chosen from among more than 200 entries and contributed to his selection in being named a Moody Scholar.
After succumbing to the allure of Facebook, I recent- ly had the pleasure of reconnecting with a friend and former client that I had not seen in several years. We were both fascinated and mystified at the paths that each of our lives had taken. A former pageant winner, she married, has a beautiful family and settled into a nice, comfortable lifestyle, and she is content.
Aware of my everlasting love for and continued involvement in pageantry after many years, she seemed both congratulatory for my success and surprised at my tenacity, not to mention longevity. “J.J., isn’t it a bit ironic that you have pursued a career in a business where you can never attain what that business revolves around,” she asked. “If you can never win a crown, then what is the appeal?” I explained that winning a crown—or anything for that matter—is not the only motivation that anyone, male or female, should ever have for participating in something that they derive pleasure from.
Finding my niche in pageantry has taken me all over the world, visiting places I never dreamed of traveling to and going to glittering events in Germany, Switzerland and all over the United States. My pursuits have allowed me to attend the Miss World pageant in London, wallowed in history at Mrs. World in Israel, and watched the dream of one in millions of girls come true with the crowning of Miss Universe in Mexico.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting 28 Miss USA titleholders and 17 Miss Universes and loved every moment, finding each one to be as unique and lovely as the state or country she represented. I may not have won any crowns, but I gained so much more. I wrapped up my brief soliloquy with the old familiar saying, “It is not the destination that matters, but the journey that I have taken.” It has certainly been an unforgettable one.
I saw the emotion cross her face as she realized how different our paths had been and how especially fulfilling my journey was. “Since you were my interview coach, you know that I won my title ages ago,” she continued. “I guess in the intervening years, I thought pageants had somehow lost their relevance.” Her comment caught me somewhat by surprise, since I am firmly enmeshed in the pageant business, love all things connected to pageants and am the type of fan whom after the Miss America pageant concludes, counts the days until Miss USA. However, she voiced something that apparently people may be thinking: Are pageants still relevant?
I began thinking of the ways that I felt pageants make a difference, or not. Not everyone is aware of the educational benefit pageants provide. Did you know that the Miss America Pageant is the largest provider of college scholarships for women in the
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