BROOKLYNN SLABY, 5, was recently selected as a finalist to compete in the Washington State National American Miss Pageant. The pageant will be held Aug. 8-10, at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma.
When Christy Slaby asked her 5-year-old daughter Brooklynn what she is most looking forward to the weekend of the 2013 Washington State National American Miss Pageant, her response was: “Making friends and wearing my special dress on stage with Papa (great-grandfather).”
Brooklynn, who lives in Battle Ground with her twin brother, Colton, and her 16-year-old brother Joseph Hernandez, is a finalist in the Princess division of the 2013 Washington State National American Miss Pageant, which will be held Aug. 8-10, at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma. The Princess division is for girls who are 4-6 years of age.
This will be Brooklynn’s first pageant, and Christy said Brooklynn received an invitation in the mail back in February outlining the open call audition for the pageant at the Red Lion Hotel in Vancouver March 27.
“I wasn’t sure if it was something that she would enjoy and kind of went back and forth about having her attend,” Christy said. “I went online and did some research and was very impressed with their mission to empower and enable young women by building confidence and teaching life skills. I chose to talk to her about the pageant experience and let her decide. As soon as she saw the other girls, like her, in beautiful dresses and tiaras, she was all in.”
Contestants in the state National American Miss Pageant are judged in several categories, including Formal Wear (30 percent), Personal Introduction (30 percent), Interview (30 percent) and Community Involvement (10 percent). Brooklynn will ask her great-grandfather, Bud Slaby, to escort her for the Formal Wear portion of the competition.
During the audition that Brooklynn attended for the pageant, organizers took some photos and gave a short presentation about what to expect if chosen to compete. Each of the girls who were auditioning filled out a short resume about themselves and were interviewed by a panel of judges. Christy said she wasn’t sure how Brooklynn would take the whole experience as she is fairly shy, but she said the pageant staff was so “warm and friendly” that Brooklynn felt right at home.
“A week later we received the call that she had been chosen as a Washington state finalist based on her manner, poise and desire to participate,” Christy said.
Brooklyn, the daughter of Beck and Christy Slaby, currently attends Country Campus Preschool in Battle Ground with her twin brother, Colton, and Christy said she “absolutely loves school.” Her older brother, Joseph Hernandez, is a junior at Battle Ground High School and plays center forward on the varsity soccer team.
Christy said Brooklynn is like many other 5 year olds and loves being outdoors. She especially enjoys picking strawberries with her grandma, Patti, on the farm, and she and Colton enjoy riding their bikes and jumping on the trampoline. Brooklynn also started riding her horse, Ace, all by herself and Christy said she spends as much time as she can with her at the barn.
Brooklynn also enjoys swimming, but most of all, Christy said she “adores” ballet. She is currently enrolled in her second year of ballet at Joy of Dance studio in Battle Ground.
“Through ballet we have really seen this shy little girl bloom into a beautiful young lady,” Christy said.
This summer, as a part of the Community Involvement category of the upcoming pageant, Brooklynn will be active in the community collecting school supplies and children’s books to distribute to area organizations assisting those in need. During the pageant weekend in August, contestants, as a team, will present items collected to representatives of libraries, literacy programs, firefighters and police officers to aid in their work with children.
Brooklynn is seeking sponsorships from area businesses in the community. The sponsor fees pay for the cost of producing the pageant, awards, trophies, choreographers, emcees, lighting, sound, staging, judges’ expenses, staff, florists, hotel ballroom rental, cash awards, printed materials, scholarships and office support.
Anyone interested in being a sponsor for Brooklynn can contact Christy at (360) 772-0627. Sponsorship fees are tax deductible and sponsors are published in the official state program book.
Christy said she encourages anyone looking to get started in pageants to visit www.namiss.com for more information.
