ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 29, 1996 TAG: 9607010069
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALESSANDRA SOLER STAFF WRITER
The 24 contestants prove it takes as much brains and brawn as it does beauty to win the title of Miss Virginia.
This week, they've met with pageant sponsors and organizers during cookouts, dinners and receptions - all while coordinating rehearsals in between. And time to relax, much less sleep, has been hard to come by.
Twenty-year-old Stacey Moseley, winner of the second portion of the talent competition said she stayed focused during the week's hectic hours by going over her routine mentally. "I've been constantly repeating the words to the song in my head and trying to protect my throat," she said.
Moseley, Miss Norfolk Festival, sang composer Michael Brown's "I'm Not Through," taken from a 1970s off-Broadway show. Although she went over her routine once this week, Moseley said she's been performing the song for quite a few years.
And her efforts paid off.
Moseley, a junior at Old Dominion University, has been singing for nine years. "This has definitely been one of my goals for a while, and I'm glad I've had my family to support me through all this," said the teary-eyed Moseley, who also took part in last year's pageant.
Miss Botetourt Festival, Kelley Orr, was Friday night's preliminary winner in the swimsuit and evening wear competition. The 21-year-old Roanoke College senior, who wore an aqua bathing suit, said she changed her eating habits instead of spending hours at the gym.
"I've adopted a nutritional program to learn how to eat well and live a healthy lifestyle," said the 5 foot-3 inch, 108-pound contestant. "It's a long-term commitment to improve my life overall."
During Friday's early dinner at Billy's Ritz in downtown Roanoke, Crystal Lewis, also a Friday swimsuit competitor, chose to skip her salad in preparation for the event. "You can't have any roughage or none of the green, leafy vegetables [on the night of the pageant], since it'll make you bloated. But other than that, you can basically eat whatever you want." Lewis, who said she was more nervous about the swimsuit portion of the pageant than the talent competition, worked out at the gym for an hour, three days a week before the contest, in addition to putting in 25 hours a week at her job at a boutique. Lewis has been getting six hours of sleep these past few nights and said she tries to fit naps into her schedule whenever she can - even if it means dozing on the couch backstage during rehearsals.
Contestant Elizabeth Howell said she's used to the busy pageant schedule. "I'm usually up by 5:30 a.m. to go to work, and I don't get home until 10:30 at night," said 22-year-old Howell, who works as a choral director for the Southampton County public school system.
Wendy Dillard of Roanoke, who also competed in Friday's swimsuit and evening wear competition, made rest her first priority.
"Most people come home after the pageant and rehearse, but I usually take a bubble bath and go to bed," confessed Dillard, who said she drinks plenty of Mountain Dew to keep her going. "I pretty much came prepared. If you're relaxed and comfortable, it'll show on stage, and I think you're better off that way.
In the end, however, the late hours and rigorous training give contestants a glimpse of what it's like to carry the title of Miss Virginia, who travels an average of 20,000 miles during her year's reign and makes an average of 300 appearances - aside from preparing for September's Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, N.J.
"These girls have to be extremely disciplined to do what they do," said Bud Oakey, the pageant's public relations director.
"They have to juggle a great deal. A lot of them hold full-time jobs, go to school and do this at the same time. It's great preparation for the outside world."
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. ERIC BRADY STAFF Miss Norfolk Stacey Moseley of theby CNBA pageant contestants wins the talent contest by singing "I'm Not
Through." color
2. Miss Botetourt County Festival Kelley Orr wins the swimsuit
competition among the group B pageant contestants. color
3. ERIC BRADY STAFF Miss Virginia pageant contestants and their
hosts dine at Billy's Ritz on Salem Avenue in Roanoke.