Although I have posted updates and photos from the Miss Nebraska Pageant on Facebook, I wanted to write a full blog about my experience this year! I had such a wonderful time in North Platte!
Sunday June 3rd was the beginning! All 13 Miss Nebraska contestants arrived in North Platte for the opening ceremonies of the pageant! We introduced ourselves at the North Platte mall and also had an autograph signing! :)
Here I am introducing myself and my little sisters!
Here are all 13 contestants!
Sunday evening we had talent rehearsals at the high school and they went very well! Everyone was so talented this year, it was so much fun to see what everyone had been working on!
Monday June 4th and Tuesday June 5th were rehearsal days! We were such a fun group this year and had a blast learning the production numbers!
Wednesday June 6th was a big day, interview day! Interview is worth a big part of our score for the pageant, so there is a lot of anticipating leading up to this event! I am so happy to say that every single contestant came out of their interview smiling and saying "it went great!" I was so happy with my interview went as well, I felt like the judges got a good feel for who I was, which is the goal!
Here is a photo of some of the contestants before interview!
Here I am with my new friend Meghan Thalkan! Meghan and I grew very close during the week!
After the interviews, the contestants attended the Rotary Luncheon at the Quality Inn and Suites, and also headed to the North Platte Daycare to spend some time with the local children!
The contestants at the Rotary Luncheon with our special guest for the week, Patrick Thomas!
With some fans at the Rotary Luncheon!
I got interviewed by the local news station while at the Day Care!
With some of the kids.. :)
Thursday was the first night of preliminary competition! I competed in talent and evening gown and ended up winning the Preliminary Talent Award! Everyone was very strong in talent this night, so I was incredibly honored to be chosen as the talent winner!
Here I am in my final pose for talent!
Here I am in evening gown, thank you Winning Crown Boutique for helping me find this amazing dress! :)
Accepting the Preliminary Talent Award
Signing some autographs!
Another TV interview :)
It is always so nice to get to visit with my family after the pageant, I miss them all during the week!
Friday night was another night of preliminaries! Swimsuit and onstage question for me! I worked very hard all year staying in shape, and leading up to the pageant I took up running almost every day! I am glad to say that I will continue to run daily, it is addicting! I felt confident in my swimsuit and also answered both of my onstage questions to the best of my ability, so I was happy!
Here I am in swimsuit, thank you to my trainer Trent Coufal for helping me achieve this!
Some more friends and family time after the pageant! :)
My adorable nephew Kellen..
Aunt Marcy and Uncle Eric
With Tom, he has been so wonderful and supportive! :)
Saturday was the big day! We began the day with a parade, then attended the Miss Nebraska Outstanding Teen pageant in the afternoon, and at night it was the final night for the Miss Nebraska Pageant!
Meghan and I before the parade!
All of the contestants wishing Makenna, a local girl in North Platte, a speedy recovery for her heart transplant!
Here I am with Miss Nebraska 1942!
The final night of the pageant began with the announcement of the top 7..
From left to right: Katrina Poppert, Mindy Schreiber, Meghan Thalkan, Rachel Foehlinger, Kaylee Carlberg, Chrissy Townsend, and Mariah Cook!
The top 7 competed in each area of competition once again. This includes swimsuit, talent, and evening gown! From there, the top 5 move on to answer two final onstage questions. Before the announcement of Miss Nebraska and her court, there are several overall awards presented. I was so excited and honored to receive the Overall Talent Award! I had worked very hard all year on my talent routine and I was so glad that the audience and judges enjoyed my performance!!
Here are the top 5! From left to right: Rachel Foehlinger, Meghan Thalkan, Mariah Cook, Mindy Schreiber, and Katrina Poppert!
Before the final awards, here I am receiving the Overall Talent Award!
While I came to the pageant with my goals set high (with hopes of possibly becoming Miss Nebraska), I was so incredibly honored to receive 2nd runner up! I performed to the best of my ability, and with such an amazing group of women to compete against, I was so happy to get as far as I did!
And the winner is....MARIAH COOK!
Mariah is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. She is beautiful inside and out!! This having been Mariah's third year competing, she had mentioned that it would be her last year! I am so happy that Mariah won and will have the opportunity to represent our state all year long and also at the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas! I am hoping to go out to Vegas to support her in the pageant! She will make a wonderful Miss Nebraska!
All in all, I had an amazing experience at the Miss Nebraska Pageant this year! I performed to the best of my ability in all areas, made new friends (AWESOME new friends!!), got to hear an astronaut share his story, had the pleasure of meeting Patrick Thomas, a finalist from the Voice, and had the opportunity to share a week with 13 of the most beautiful and accomplished women in the state of Nebraska!
SO WHAT IS NEXT??
I do plan to continue competing for at least another year. I will begin that process in the fall by competing for another local title! I hope to be back at the Miss Nebraska Pageant in a year from now! In the mean time...I will be performing at the College World Series Opening Ceremonies this Thursday with my baton group, I will be traveling to Notre Dame University with the same group to compete at the Baton Twirling National Championships, and in the fall I will continue to do my favorite thing...twirling baton for the Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band (the Pride of All Nebraska!!) I will continue my studies in Advertising and Public Relations and Dance, and plan to become more involved with my sorority Gamma Phi Beta, as I only have one year left as an active member!! I'm sure there will be many more exciting things to happen, but this is all I have to share for now!
Hope you had fun reading!
Until next time,
Rachel Foehlinger
Miss Lincoln
