Training in Cinci!

This is the time of year we call CRUNCH TIME!! Miss USA is here and Miss Teen USA is right around the corner! The Michigan and Ohio titleholders had one last training & bonding weekend with our fabulous director, Melissa Pitchford. I traveled with Rima and Catherine (Michigan girls) to Cincinnati to meet Amanda and Melissa. We were running a bit late so right when we arrived, we had 6 minutes to beautify ourselves and be ready for our event appearance at a party being held for us as we continue on our journey to Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. We were ready in record time and made it to the party. We had so much fun meeting past judges, reuniting with one of the emcee's at our pageants, and getting to know all of the incredible people there. We all are so fortunate to have such a huge support group and people behind us that care so much. After the party, we headed back to the Pitchford household! We all stayed at Melissa's GORGEOUS home for the weekend with her wonderful family. We stayed up the remainder of the night eating healthy snacks of course and watching some fun pageant videos. It was a fun Queen's slumber party! Even Melissa's absolutely ADORABLE little girl, Ava joined in on the fun! She is the cutest little girl I have ever seen and she is hilarious! She is definitely a future Miss Teen USA! She already walks better in heels than I do and wears my crown and sash like she was born a Queen! We all had a blast together, but we had to get our beauty sleep for our big training day! We woke up Sunday morning and headed to the New View Modeling Agency to practice walking, have our physical appearance checked out, and practice our interviews. I honestly don't know what I would do without my sister queens, Melissa, Kim Proctor, and Deb Knoske. I could not have wished for a better group of people to be my back bone throughout this journey. They tell me exactly what I need to work on, exactly what I have down great, and are constantly giving me that extra boost of confidence to keep my head held high. I had so much fun with my mock interview and the judges there were fantastic! They gave me helpful hints which I will carry on with me to Teen USA! After training was all over, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at P.F Changs! It was unbelievable food and it was great to get one last bonding time in before we all separated to our homes. The weekend was definitely a success and I can't tell you how excited it got me for Miss USA and Teen USA! Rima and Amanda couldn't be more ready. They are both drop dead gorgeous with amazing bodies and hearts of gold. They have been such great role models to me and I look to them for anything I need. They are kind, caring, and genuine individuals. They are going to shine at Miss USA and I can't wait to be there cheering them on every step of the way! I love you both with all my heart!

My beautiful sister queens with past judges :)

The GORGEOUS Miss Ohio & myself :)
I love Amanda so much! I don't know what
I would do without her!

Amanda & I with one of the judges from the
Ohio state pageant!

Hahaha! The beautiful queen, CHESTER!
He is absolutely hilarious! He always makes
everything entertaining :)
I can't put into words how much these 3 girls mean
to me! We have had so much fun together throughout
this entire year! We get along so well & they will be life
long sisters to me. LOVE OHIO & MICHIGAN <3

Dance Team NATIONALS!

The University of Akron cheerleading squad and dance team traveled to Daytona, Florida to compete in the NCA/NDA collegiate national competition. This was the first year that the dance team has ever competed so we were all entering an entire new experience. We worked so hard months before leaving to compete and were so excited to create history being the first ever dance team from Akron to compete in a collegiate national competition. Our routine was very difficult, but so much fun at the same time. The music was great and I think it was a very entertaining performance. We rode a bus ALL the way to Daytona two days before competing and were there for another three days post competition. The bus ride was torture trying to sleep and get comfortable, but we had so much fun together bonding and joking around the whole time. I truly love my team and I couldn't have asked for a better group of ladies to be on a team with doing what I love. We help each other not only in dance, but we are there for each other in any situation. They are true friends to me as I am to them and I don't know how I would survive without them! We made the bus ride as much fun as we could, but it was definitely nice to finally arrive in sunny Florida! We spent the day relaxing and shopping until practice later on that night. It was unbelievable how many cheer and dance teams were there. There were teams from all over the nation and they were all extremely talented. There were cheerleaders and dancers everywhere you looked. I felt like I was in the movie "Bring It On" haha! We woke up early the next morning to compete in the Preliminary competition. We are in Division 1 which is the hardest division and with it being our first time competing, it was very intimidating to compete against such amazing teams. We just told ourselves we were going to go out there and give it all we had, but most importantly to have fun! We definitely had a blast performing and we danced to the best of our ability. We wanted to make a name for the University of Akron which I think we did. After we competed, we went and supported our cheerleaders. They did an awesome job and we were really proud of them. We spent the day watching other teams while we anxiously waited for results. After a long stressful day, we found out we made it to the Championship Cup! This isn't the highest round to make it to, but we were so excited to have made it that far. We finished 4th in the cup and 9th overall. We were very proud of ourselves to be ranked in the nation in the hardest college division! The rest of the time in Daytona was spent at the beach soaking up the sun! We all had so much fun together and will be a week none of us will ever forget!

Cassi & I right when we arrived in DAYTONA! :)

Having fun & being our crazy selves on the beach
after a long night of practice!My beautiful team and coach right before competing
in the Preliminary Competition!

Soaking up the sun after a long day of competition!

Before our night out on the town!

UA Dance <3>

This was not taken in Daytona, but yes this is the
2005 Miss Teen USA herself, Miss Allie LaForce!! I
ran into Allie while dancing at the Ohio University/Akron
game! She was there broadcasting the game! This was an
amazing surprise and I couldn't have been more excited to meet her!
She is just as beautiful inside as she is the out! I am so lucky
to have met such an incredible young lady :)

Designing my DREAM dress :)

It's finally time that I got to pick out my gown for Miss Teen USA! I met Tony Bowl at Catan's to design my dream dress. Tony is incredible. There aren't enough positive things to say about him. He took the time to pick out different colors and styles of dresses to have me try on to decide what looked best and felt best on me. I tried on numerous gorgeous dresses that I loved! His pageant line is amazing and I really couldn't have gone wrong with any of the dresses. After testing different colors, beading patterns, and styles of dresses, I figured out exactly what I wanted. I liked the top of one dress, the beading on another, the fit of a different one, and the color of another. Tony sketched up a dress for me of exactly what I wanted from each dress and I cannot tell you how excited how I am to wear this at Teen USA! Although it is not made and I don't have it yet, I am absolutely in love with it and I can't wait to grace the stage with this gorgeous gown. I don't want to give TOO much away so you'll have to wait and see! After spending the day with Tony, he asked me to model for him at the Atlanta Market in the summer!! This is a huge opportunity for me and I am really looking forward to working with Tony again!

After my successful day with Tony, I rushed off to my sister's baby shower. My sister lives in Columbus so it makes it hard not seeing her all the time. I miss her more than anything and I can't wait to be an aunt! My family found out the news that Tara was pregnant the same night as I was crowned Miss Ohio Teen USA! She shared the good news with my family at dinner before the pageant and then told me right after. It was an amazing night for my family and a night none of us will ever forget. She has had a very healthy pregnancy and is very blessed to have an incredible husband and family behind her. Her baby shower was beautiful and she received a lot of thoughtful gifts. Her baby is already spoiled and isn't even born yet! The shower was so much fun and now it's time for my new niece or nephew to be born so I can call myself an aunt! Overall, I had a fun filled weekend and I am looking forward to all of the exciting events coming up!

HAPPY ST.PATRICK'S DAY!

St.Patrick's day is my all time favorite holiday! I am very Irish and I love to celebrate my heritage. As you know, I have been Irish dancing since I was four years old and I absolutely love to perform! Every year, Akron has a big Irish parade the Saturday before St.Patrick's day and I always walk and dance with my dance school. This year I was asked to make an appearance in the parade as Miss Ohio Teen USA! They had a convertible for me with signs on it that said my name! I was so excited! When it came time for the parade, it started pouring down rain. The luck of the Irish wasn't with us when it came to the weather! Because of the rain, I didn't get to ride in the convertible because I didn't want to ruin the interior of the car. I decided I would just walk in the parade, and that way I could walk up to the children and actually interact with them. Even though the rain put a damper on the day, I still had so much fun. It was amazing to see so many people there still all decked out in their Irish and green clothes even in the rain! They made me feel so special too. I had people asking for my autograph and pictures with me! I truly felt like a celebrity! After the parade ended, there was an after party at the Barely House which is an Irish restaurant and bar. The University of Akron band also participated in the parade. It was so nice to see the talented band that I get to dance with at every Akron game! They came into the Barely House and played a few Irish tunes and ended with the Akron fight song as Akron got ready for the MAC tournament! I felt proud to be a Zip after listening to them play. My uncle is in an Irish band and they were playing at the Barely House all day after the parade. My uncle invited me in and called me on stage and introduced me to the crowd. The crowd gave me so much support and will continue to on my journey to Miss Teen USA!Look!! It's a real leprechaun! Haha I love this holiday!

About to walk in the cold & rain with my high heels
& skirt on! It wasn't too bad, I survived :)

The University of Akron's fabulous band director!
He taught the band "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"
which is my favorite Irish song for me! They did an
amazing job as always!

This is one of my best friend's, Megan! I have grown
up with Megan and have Irish danced with her throughout
my entire life. I love her!

The Callahan & O'Connor Irish band taking a break to
introduce me! :)

Some adorable little girls that just may be future
Miss Teen USA's!

Early morning on March 17th, my family began the Irish festivities! I woke up and put on all of my Irish clothing and decorations to celebrate St.Patrick's day! My family and I enjoyed a delicious Irish breakfast with all of our fellow Irish friends whom I've grown up with over the years. After breakfast, we went to Rockne's which is an Irish restaurant and we listened to my Uncle's band again. They are an amazing band and bring so much fun to St.Patrick's Day. Following Rockne's, we were off to the Barely House again. Another Irish band was playing there and they have been very close family friends to me my entire life. I dance with them every year and I did once again this year. I had a blast dancing with my friends and with such a talented group of musicians. Overall, St.Patrick's Day is a day I look forward to every year and it never fails to be one of the best days!

One happy Irish family! This is my cousin Katie, our Pap,
and my 7 month pregnant sister all ready to
celebrate St.Patrick's Day!
I love my Pap so much! I am so blessed to have the
best grandpa in the entire world :)

Haha I love my best friends so much! These are
two of my closest friends Leann and Liz! I have also
grown up with them and I don't know what I would
do without them in my life! <3

Pittsburgh Training Weekend :)

Training has officially begun!! I spent the weekend at the Pittsburgh Hyatt with an incredible group of people. Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, and the Pennsylvania state titleholders were all lucky enough to spend the weekend with our wonderful directors Randy Sanders and Melissa Pitchford along with Melissa's sister, Kim Proctor. I am so fortunate to have these amazing individuals helping me through my journey to Miss Teen USA. Friday night when I arrived, Randy and Melissa gave us helpful tips that we will carry on with us to Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. We watched past pageant videos and discussed how the pageant is going to work at the national level. Their encouraging words and important tips really motivated me for Miss Teen USA! I honestly can't wait! I woke up Saturday morning for my photo shoot with Carter Studios. I had a blast with Jonathan and Heather! Heather did an amazing job on my hair and make up and she was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. We had so much fun together. Jonathan is a phenomenal photographer and he made the shoot such an amazing experience. He had the BEST music on his ipod too haha! He was laughing at me the whole day because I kept coming back while the other title holders were shooting just so I could dance to his music! I had such a great time getting to know both of them and I hope to see them again soon! I also can't wait to see the pictures! After my shoot, I spent some time with the best director, Melissa! We went over what I need to work on and what to expect at Miss Teen USA. She really has my best interest and I am so lucky to have her. Rima, Amanda, and I met Melissa later in the day for some walking training. We put on our bathing suits and walked for her....in the lobby of the hotel!! We were all laughing saying how we could be a reality show on TV for MADE or something! I have to admit, it did prepare me to walk in my bathing suit in front of people with confidence though! We spent the remainder of the day bonding and going over more hints to help us be the best we can be at the national level. I had such an incredible time throughout the entire weekend and I am so blessed to have the best sister queens and director. Rima, Amanda, and I grew to become so much closer and I love them both to death. We certainly missed Catherine though! She was at home sick :( Pictures to come soon!

Photoshoot With Deb Knoske!

Shooting with Deb was a BLAST!! I traveled to Cincinnati very early in the morning all ready to get my hair and make up done and to have an exciting day of shooting! I was so excited to see Melissa, Deb, and my beautiful big sister, Amanda again! I was even MORE excited to experience my first photo shoot as Miss Ohio Teen USA! Right when I arrived, Deb and Melissa started picking out my fabulous outfits for the shoot. I envy Deb for all of her amazing jewelry too! After we figured out what I was going to wear, it was time to get beautified! Thank you Salon Bastille for making my hair and make up look fabulous! As soon as I was ready, it was time to get to shooting! Deb made me feel so beautiful and confident. I loved every second of the shoot even when Amanda and I froze outside! Even though it was a bit painful out in the snow, we still made it fun and got some great shots! I wore a short white cocktail dress which happens to be the same one I wore for my opening number at the Ohio Teen State pageant! Deb and Melissa made it fabulous with some fantastic jewelry to match the dress too. Amanda wore a beautiful white dress with gorgeous jewelry as well. The white dresses and ice jewels in the winter wonderland made us look like ice princesses!

Here is a sneak peak of one of the shots out in the
snow with my GORGEOUS sister, Amanda! I can't
wait to see the rest of them! Thank you Deb! :)

After shooting outside, we took individual pictures and head shots. I loved all of the outfits Melissa picked out for me and I felt awesome in them. I am so anxious to see all of the pictures! I will make sure I post them as soon as I get them! I can't thank Deb Knoske, Salon Bastille, and Melissa enough for making my first photo shoot as Miss Ohio Teen USA such an unforgettable experience. Deb is a phenomenal photographer and might I add she is one of the nicest people and hilarious too! I also want to thank Amanda for being so generous, kind, inspirational, and the best pageant big sister anyone could wish for. She is constantly giving me that extra boost of confidence and she makes every experience so much fun and memorable. Overall, I had such an amazing time and I CAN'T WAIT to see the photos!!

The FANTASTIC make up and hair stylists! As you
can see, Amanda is looking beautiful and all ready to
work the camera!

My new best friend and sister. Words can't
explain how much I love her!

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!