StandOut Titleholder Retreat!

Words can't even begin to describe how amazing the retreat experience was! The StandOut Titleholder Retreat was in Lynchburg, Virgina. The retreat is held by the incredible former Miss USA, Chelsea Cooley and the renowned fitness trainer and inspiring speaker, AT Dunn. The weekend was filled with exciting events, activities, seminars, and most of all, receiving the opportunity to have the time of my life! The retreat is a preparation for Miss Teen USA and Miss USA. After spending the weekend with all of the other contestants, Chelsea, AT, and the incredible staff, not only do I feel more prepared to enter my journey to Miss Teen USA, but I learned so much about myself. I gained confidence, morals, and truly found belief in myself.

I flew into Lynchburg Friday evening. I was so nervous flying alone to another state! I flew out of Akron/Canton airport to Charlotte then I was off to Lynchburg! When I landed in Charlotte and was waiting for my flight to Lynchburg, I met Miss Alabama! She was such a sweetheart! We sat together on the plane and found out we had a lot in common! Miss Arizona Teen, Miss Utah, Miss Utah Teen, Miss Massachusetts, and Miss Wisconsin were all sitting near us too! We had a plane full of queens which was really exciting! After we landed and picked up our luggage, I realized my sister queen, Rima Fakih was on my flight too and I had no idea! Rima is Miss Michigan USA and she is a true beauty! She is drop dead gorgeous and she has the personality to go with it! All of us queens arrived at the camp, The Master's Inn, and immediately unpacked our luggage in our rooms. I roomed with South Carolina Teen, Indiana Teen, and Connecticut Teen. We all clicked right away and got along great! That night, we had a blast roller skating and playing hockey! Let's just say, I found out hockey is not of my better sports! I kept trying though and had so much fun with it!

This is Megan and Ashley representing South Carolina
and Delaware! We got along great and had a blast trying
to play hockey together haha! We are all in our first year
of college so we thought it was appropriate to take a
"college girl" photo! Love these two girls!

On Saturday, we played paintball, went horseback riding, climbed rock walls, and a telephone pole!! I would never have imagined myself ever climbing a telephone pole AND jumping from it to catch a trapeze bar! I was scared to death to even climb it, much less jumping from it! No wonder they call it, "The Leap of Faith." You have to gain trust and faith in yourself to conquer the fear. After I climbed up to the top, my legs were shaking and my heart was racing. I was so nervous, but with everyone cheering me on, I gained the confidence to jump. I was one of the few that actually caught the bar too! I was so proud of myself!

Yes, this is me, Bridget climbing a rock wall! I never
thought I would ever do something like this! Each teen
was paired up with a Miss and we competed to reach the
top of the wall. I was paired with the beautiful Miss Maine
USA! After climbing the wall, we sky lined across the woods!

Crazy! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these
pictures! I can thank the wonderful Miss Michigan
Teen, Catherine for capturing these moments!

My first horseback riding experience! So much fun :)

Some of the beautiful queens after riding the "bull" haha!
We each took turns sitting on the barrel and the other
queens would pull the strings until we fell off!

After the adventurous day, we took the time to have mock interviews, walking lesson, inspiring

speech from AT about living a healthy lifestyle, and a special seminar with Chelsea. I truly learned more than I ever could have imagined. The words of Chelsea and AT really touched my heart and I could not feel more prepared and excited for Miss Teen USA! Chelsea is such an inspiring role model and I look up to her in so many ways. AT's words are so real and meaningful. These are two of the most phenomenal people I have ever met. I cannot thank them, the incredible staff, and the amazing other queens for making this weekend one of the best experiences of my life!

Posing with my beautiful sister queens! This was our
first night at the retreat. I was SO excited to see these
ladies and spend an entire weekend with them! I am so
fortunate to have the opportunity to share my year with
these incredible girls! I love them so much :) Yay go Ohio
and Michigan!!

I cannot thank Chelsea Cooley enough for the amazing
experience she gave me. She is one incredible woman
and I am so honored to have met her!