Regional Personality Pageant crowns girl with local ties
Much to her excitement, eight-year-old Kaylee McClimans – who has local ties to Greene County – was crowned “Greater Pittsburgh Elite Junior Miss” in the Personality Pageant Regional pageant, hosted in Gibsonia, Pa. on Jan. 17.
For this regional pageant, girls of different age groups were required to model formal wear, model casual wear and submit a photogenic photo; additionally, they had the option to model an outfit of choice, participate in an on-stage interview, and perform a talent.
Kaylee McClimans, daughter of Wes and Christina McClimans of Jamestown and granddaughter of Martha Grim and the late Russell Grim of Wind Ridge, impressed the judges with her poise, confidence and good-spirited attitude to win awards within the Photogenic, Beauty (Formal Wear), Casual Wear, Talent, and Outfit of Choice categories, in addition to winning the Spirit Award.
Because of her achievement, Kaylee McClimans has been invited to represent Pennsylvania at the 2015 Pageant Nationals, which is to be hosted at the Kean Theater in Gibsonia on the weekend of June 13-14.
Although most pageants evaluate contestants based on their appearances and other superficialities, the Personality Pageant judges are looking for girls with inner beauty and who display confidence, kindness, a great attitude and good sportsmanship.
The Personality Pageant organization also has charitable outreaches for animal welfare; each pageant held benefits a local animal shelter. Contestants of the pageant collect donations for the shelter, which help to sustain the shelter and provide for animals in need. Over 1,000 items were collected and donated in 2014, thanks to the efforts of pageant contestants, such as Kaylee McClimans.
Christina McClimans, Kaylee’s mother, said she was drawn to the Personality Pageant because it promoted these values.
“We found out about it through some friends,” Christina said. “Our friends really liked it because it gives back to the community and works with charities like the Humane Society.”
Kaylee, a self-described animal lover, was already a seasoned animal shelter volunteer when she heard about the pageant. Because of her brother’s allergies, Kaylee can’t have a pet of her own, which is why she decided she wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter.
“That’s the only chance I get to be around animals,” Kaylee explained.
She is currently volunteering at an animal shelter in Greenville called Strayhaven.
“I walk the dogs but when it’s cold like in winter, I play with the cats,” she said.
Because Christina and Kaylee look for pageants that have charitable aspects to them, the Personality Pageant seemed like the perfect fit for Kaylee, which the judges saw as well, earning Kaylee the title of “Greater Pittsburgh Elite Junior Miss.”
Kaylee has been participating in pageants since she was five years old but despite her experience, being crowned was still thrilling for Kaylee, as well as for her family.
“We were very excited,” Christina stated. “She’s still young enough that she is taken by surprise.”
Though winning the crown may have astonished her, with each pageant, Kaylee understands more about the hard work and effort that goes into winning a pageant.
“I’ve won other pageants before,” Kaylee stated. “You can tell if you look in my room; you will see 21 crowns with the new one, I think.”
Though Kaylee is no stranger to pageants, the Personality Pageant marked something new for Kaylee.
“It felt exciting because it was the first pageant that I did a talent for,” Kaylee explained.
“She did a jazz dance,” Christina said. “It was the first time she ever danced alone on stage.”
She did a routine to “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Her efforts were highly rewarded, especially considering that the title of “Greater Pittsburgh Elite Junior Miss” carries additional prestige because elite titles are only awarded to girls who achieve scores higher than those within their age group.
Though her parents were pleased that their daughter has been awarded this impressive title, they were even more impressed with the Spirit Award that Kaylee received at the pageant. The Spirit Award is given to the girl who is the friendliest to other contestants and who displays traits that indicate good-heartedness and good sportsmanship.
For Christina, it was a joy to learn that her daughter was treating other the contestants with kindness despite competing against them.
“I think it was better than winning the crown,” Christina admitted. “I was more proud of that than anything.”
Though Kaylee was proud of her achievement, she was happy just to be able to have fun with the other contestants.
“My favorite part was when the judges were adding up the scores because the contestants got to have a dance party while they were adding up,” Kaylee said.
Christina is so supportive of her daughter’s involvement with pageants because she believes that pageants such as the Personality Pageant are rewarding experiences.
“It builds confidence,” Christina said. “And we try to do (pageants) that give back.”
Christina explained that other pageants have also lead to more opportunities for her and Kaylee to do volunteer work. Because of their ties to the pageant community, Kaylee and Christina are now a part of a group called Crowns for a Cure, which is a pageant group involved with Relay for Life.
Kaylee also believes that participating in pageants is a positive experience.
“I think they are fun,” Kaylee said. “You make new friends and you meet new people.”
Though many of the girls in the pageants may enjoy dressing up and performing on stage, they understand the pageants are more than just a contest, they can be venues for helping out the community.
“These pageants aren’t like what you see on TV with ‘Toddlers and Tiaras,'” Christina said. “It teaches them to give back to the community and it teaches them respect for one another and to care for each other.”
With the upcoming National Personality Pageant right on the horizon, Kaylee will continue participating in pageants with the proud support of her family, friends and community.