Leading ladies - Young women to represent Juniata Valley at pageants

Sentinel photo by BRADLEY KREITZER Elena LaQuatra, left, Miss Central Pennsylvania Outstanding Teen; Rachel Henry, Miss Greater Juniata Valley; and Lauren Zumpino, Miss Central Pennsylvania, take time for a group photo during a farewell kickoff event, held Wednesday, in preparation for the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant and the Miss Pennsylvania Outstanding Teen Pageant.

BURNHAM — For three young women representing the Juniata Valley in the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant and the Miss Pennsylvania Outstanding Teen Pageant, it’s time to see if a year of hard work, practice and rehearsal will pay off.

On Tuesday, the area will say goodbye and good luck to Miss Central Pennsylvania Lauren Zumpino, Miss Greater Juniata Valley Rachel Henry and Miss Central Pennsylvania Outstanding Teen Elena LaQuatra.

And if Wednesday night’s farewell kickoff event was any indication, each young woman is well prepared to represent the area for a chance at the state crown.

“I feel calm,” Zumpino said when asked about how she feels, admitting that mostly on her mind are “all the things I have to do tomorrow” in final preparation for the pageant, which begins Sunday in Nazareth when the ladies hold their first rehearsal at the high school.

“The adrenaline is starting to roll at this point,” she said.

Henry said she felt very similar to Zumpino, but not as calm as she packs for the week-long trip.

“Your living out of a suitcase for a week,” she explains, adding that packing the right items has its own challenges.

“So to get everything together for me is a stress,” she said. “This week will fly by.”

At 15, LaQuatra is the youngest of the two, and, with this being her second appearance at the teen pageant, the least experienced (Zumpino has been three times and Henry four).

“I’m flipping out, I’m so nervous,” she admitted with a laugh. “I’m very excited through ... I know it’s going to be a wonderful experience.”

LaQuatra said what she is most looking forward to at the pageant is meeting other girls her age.

“I’m looking forward to meeting them and learning about them,” she said.

Zumpino and Henry were more straightforward when asked what they are looking forward to the most about the competition — “when it’s done,” said Zumpino, laughing, saying she is really looking forward to performing her gymnastics routine at the competition.

Henry jokingly said she was looking forward to eating, especially after training for the swimsuit competition, but also said she was really looking forward to the entire competition.

“The whole week is a great experience,” she said.

But despite looking forward to the competition, all of the girls admitted to having their little routines before going on stage to calm their nerves.

Zumpino said she was once told by a former miss contestant to put her arms above her head in a “V” shape — both for victory and to get the adrenaline running.

However, Zumpino said she prefers a less dramatic approach to calming down — closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths to relax.

“I just try to keep myself focused,” she said.

Henry admitted to her own routines, which include jumping up and down to wake herself up and drinking a shot of olive oil before singing — to loosen her vocal cords.

“It works, but it’s really disgusting,” she said with a laugh.

LaQuatra said she prefers to run through her talent again and again before performing it, partially to make sure she knows it and partially to tire herself out.

“Because I actually think when I am tired and exhausted I do it better,” she said.

But regardless of how well the pre-show routines work, each woman said they will take from this past year a lifetime of memories of places they have seen and people they have met.

For Zumpino, the crown brought exposure to new community service opportunities and a chance to get her platform, building healthier communities, out to different communities where she can make a difference.

For Henry, the different parts of the state she traveled to and the chance to represent the area were her best moments of they past year, she said.

One of her most powerful moments, she said, came at Kid Connection, when she was talking to the younger children and letting them wear her crown.

“I think each one of us has had experiences that really made a difference,” she said.

“These are experiences we will always take with us,” LaQuatra said.

Indeed they will. And, as they travel to Nazareth to compete in the state competition, it is hoped they will also take LaQuatra’s advice on the upcoming competition.

Which, as she put it simply, is “to have fun.”

Section: News    Posted: 6/14/2007