Happy Holidays!

I hope that everyone had a very happy holiday, along with a fun and safe new year! It has been so nice to be off school the past couple weeks and spend time with my family. I spent Christmas Eve with my family from my Dad's side at my house. I truly have the most amazing family and it is so exciting to be with my aunts, uncles, and cousins that I don't get to see everyday. The next morning I woke up to the best Christmas I have ever experienced. Santa was certainly very good to me this year! After opening presents, laughing, and sharing Christmas memories together, my family packed up the presents and went off to my Pap's house. My Mom's side of the family was all there which is always a treat. Everyone brought their specialty dish and my Pap cooked up a delicious turkey! The food was almost too good to be true! I am lucky to be a part of a family with so many wonderful cooks! Following lunch, it was time for presents again! My aunts and uncles were very generous and I received a plethora of wonderful gifts. Christmas isn't just about the presents, it really is about being with your family and spreading good to everyone around you. I learned that I can't take my family for granted because without them, I really don't know how I would survive! Christmas shouldn't be just for one day, it should be all year round! We should be continuously loving, caring, and sharing all that we are blessed with. That's what I love the most about Christmas!

Throughout my holiday break, I have still kept extremely busy with dance. There are basketball games almost every other day! The University of Akron dance team works very hard to make every performance memorable. We practice everyday we do not have a game and sometimes we even practice when we do have games! I have had so much fun being a part of such a wonderful team and I am looking forward to the rest of our year together.

The U of A dance team performed a Holiday special
dance to spread the Christmas cheer! We had a blast
choreographing a fun and upbeat dance to all of our favorite
Christmas songs! We also picked out some pretty cute outfits
for the halftime show as well :)

New Year's Eve was SO much fun! Every year, I Irish dance at "First Night." This is a night full of performances, activities, fireworks, and family fun. This family-friendly celebration of the New Year through the arts brings the community together to experience a brief moment in time while creating lasting New Year's Eve memories. The entertainment and fun featuring music, dance, theatre, visual and interactive arts delight everyone for the Holidays! It is located in downtown Akron and is always a blast! This year, I was asked to be an emcee for the night as Miss Ohio Teen! I arrived in downtown Akron at 4:30 to learn my scripts and introduce some very talented acts. It was so much fun to watch other performers! This was the first year I had the opportunity to do that because usually I am getting ready to perform myself! I was planning on performing with my dance school, but unfortunately, I was double booked! I was supposed to be an emcee at one stage and performing on another at the same time! I rushed to my performance stage, but they were all ready and about to go on stage. Instead of dancing, I went ahead and came on stage to talk to the audience! I greeted them with a Happy New Year and informed them that they were certainly in for a treat. I told them that the next act was one that was very close to my heart for I have been Irish dancing with this dance school for 15 years now and have loved every second of it. I told them what a phenomenal group of dancers they were and how sad I was that I didn't have time to change and get ready to perform with them! As I finished up, one of the Dad's of another dancer came out and took the microphone! He went on to introduce me and tell the audience what a treat it was to have me there and introduce the dancers. He told them that I was a six time World Qualifier and have won numerous competitions. He went on to them about some of my accomplishments and ended with that I am the 2010 Miss Ohio Teen USA. His words were so touching and it meant the world to me that he said all he did. I had to emcee a few more acts, then I was free for the night to talk to children, take pictures with them, and sign autographs! It was a blast to be there and I am very happy I got to be there as Miss Ohio Teen!

Kendall and Ashley are two of my favorite little
dancers! They both dance in my beginner class
and are VERY talented! This picture was taken right
before they went on to stage to perform. This was their
first big show and they were so excited! They did an awesome
job and I am very proud of them!

I had SO much fun being an emcee at First Night this
year! I love being in front of people and speaking
especially when I'm introducing a group I have grown
up with. Here, I was just finishing up my last words
as Glade Pauley, whom is a father of one of the dancers,
came on stage to say a few kind words about me and
the O'Hare school of Irish Dance.


These three beautiful girls are some of the most
wonderful dancers! The pretty blonde is Caroline!
I have mentioned Caroline before on her success
becoming a World Qualifier this year! I have trained
with Caroline for the past couple years and have had the
pleasure of watching her grow as a dancer. She is truly
amazing and I know she will blow the judges away this year
in Scotland at the World Championships! The other adorable
dancers are McKenna and Tauri! They are outstanding as well
and all three of the girls put on a fantastic show! :)

As 2009 came to an end, I can look back at all of the accomplishments I made, all of the wonderful memories I have created, and most importantly see how fortunate I truly am. I have a had such an exciting year! 2009 was the year that I became a leader of my high school. I was a senior and held countless responsibilities. I was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Spanish Club, "Girls of Green", and Varsity G club. I served as a captain of my varsity cheerleading squad, dance team, and track team. Throughout high school, I remained very involved with my school and community. I participated in numerous walks and runs for Relay For Life, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I was also a team leader for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I participated in Kick for the Cure and Volley for the Cure every year and had a blast! I modeled in a charity runway show for the Battered Women's Shelter which was so inspiring. After sharing the news with the women about our success with the show, they were so grateful and to see their happy faces meant the world to me! Every year, I have been very involved with Toys for Tots. This is an amazing charity and I am so happy I have the opportunity to help make a difference in so many children's lives. Helping my school and community have been two major aspects that have made 2009 such a memorable year. Another great success was when my dance team was named State champions and then went on to become National champions! I was also a dedicated performer to Musical Theatre all throughout high school and my senior year, we reinvented the classic musical, "Crazy For You." I played the leading show girl by the name of Patsy. I had so much fun with this role. I was "the ditzy show girl" and really got to showcase my dance ability. I even got to spotlight my Irish dancing skills! Speaking of Irish dance, I qualified for the World Championships the following weekend! I was then voted Homecoming Queen by my fellow students which was a tremendous honor. I always strive to treat everyone the way that I would want to be treated. I was very welcoming to all freshman and new students and tried to make everyone's day brighter. To know that my friends and other students of Green High School saw that, means the world to me! My school was then chosen to have a rally for the McCain/Palin campaign! We found out only two days before that a Presidential campaign was going to be at our stadium! I was called down to the office to be told that I was chosen as a student news reporter and journalist!! My major is Broadcast Journalism, so this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me! I was so excited and it was thrilling to be apart of such a huge event! I got to interview reporters from other countries and even talk to the security and secret service of McCain and Palin. After interviewing, taking photos, and reporting, my dance team got to perform at the rally in front of ten's of thousand's of people! It was exhilarating and a moment I will never forget. After performing, John McCain, Sarah Palin, and their families arrived! We made a spirit tunnel for them and each of them shook our hands and took pictures with us! This is something I will remember forever and can show my grandchildren! Later on that year, I was named a member of the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Court. I was a goodwill ambassador for the city of Canton and participated in numerous charitable events. I worked with charities like Habitat for Humanity, the Hammer and Nails foundation, the Turnaround Community Outreach Center, Mercy Medical Peace Camp, and many, many more. This was an experience I will never forget. Again, helping people make their dreams come true and by even just brightening up their day in a small way is one of the biggest accomplishments I can receive. I had the honor of escorting Bruce Smith as he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame! Following this exciting experience, I was chosen to be a model in the Henri's Cloud Nine Coolbook magazine! I auditioned along with hundreds and hundreds of girls in Columbus. I was thrilled to even be chosen in the top ten! There was not a girl in there that wasn't drop dead gorgeous! I was shocked to hear my name called! We each tried on one of the dresses that would be appearing in the magazine and the photographer took ten snap shots of us. The number was then narrowed to five of us! When they said that I had been chosen to appear in this year's Coolbook Magazine, I flipped! I was beyond excited! The photoshoot was a couple months later at a beautiful resort, Nemocolin Woodlands. It was a week long shoot and I had the time of my life. Everyone involved was amazing in their own way. The make up artists were so much fun and I became very close with them. Paul Innis an Tanya Dejesus traveled from New York City and made the week so memorable for me. The hair stylists were equally talented. We would sing and dance together every morning to help wake everyone up for a long day of shooting! I still keep in contact with the hair stylist and he even calls me to do run way shows for him which is great! Then there's the owner, managers, and other workers for the Henri's Cloud Nine store. They are so inspiring in all of the hard work they put into the store. The magazine actually just came out a couple weeks ago and it turned out great!

These are a few of the many photos that appeared
in the 2010 Henri's Cloud Nine Coolbook magazine!

After that unbelievable opportunity, I auditioned and earned a spot on the University of Akron dance team! That was a decision that I will never regret! I honestly don't know what I would do if I didn't get the chance to meet such an amazing group of girls. They have become my best friends and I know I can count on them for anything. Then, to top off such a successful year, I became Miss Ohio Teen USA 2010!! Words can't even describe what this title means to me. I am so honored to represent Ohio! It was a dream come true and the happiest moment of my life. Ohio, I promise to make you proud!

So here's to 2009! Thank you for providing me with a supportive family who loves me unconditionally, for blessing me with countless opportunities, for sharing some of the most precious gifts, and most importantly for helping me grow as an individual and letting me share my blessings with others. I can't wait to see what 2010 brings for me! I am looking forward to an unforgettable year! :)

SO Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving! I have been blessed with an amazing family and I am so thankful to have them in my life. Every year on Thanksgiving weekend, I am traveling to compete in the Midwest Championships for Irish dance. This is an extremely important competition because this is the qualifying competition for the World Championships. I spend all summer preparing for this weekend and hope all my hard work pays off. Now that I am in college and on a collegiate dance team, I didn't have the time to be fully prepared for this competition. Instead of competing, I have been teaching at my dance studio. I helped other young dancers prepare in hopes to make their dreams come true. It was so nice to finally be home for Thanksgiving day! My whole family went over to my grandpa's, "Pap", and had a delicious feast! I woke up VERY early the next morning and traveled to Columbus to support the dancers I had been training. It was a very different experience going to the competition as an instructor rather than a competitor. I did miss dancing, but I also enjoyed the stress free weekend! I watched my own age group compete and supported all of my friends I made through competing in past years. They all danced amazing and I was very proud of them! I have been working with a 13 year old dancer for the past couple years and I have grown to become very close with her and her family. They are like another family to me! She has worked so hard and she made it her goal to qualify for the World Championship competition which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland in April. After watching her compete, I knew she danced to the best of her ability and I could not have been any more proud of her! I told her it didn't matter what the results were because she gave it her all and that was a huge accomplishment in itself. When it finally came to results that night, I heard the good news that she is now a world qualifier!! It was a very successful weekend and I had a blast! After the competing is all over, there is a dinner dance for all of the dancers, instructors, and judges. This is my favorite part of the weekend because all of the stressing is over and we can all go just relax and have fun dancing with our friends. This year's theme was "A Night in Las Vegas." I was pretty excited to find the perfect dress for the event and I must admit, I think I found it! It was so much fun just getting all dressed up with my friends and taking pictures together before the night began. We danced the night away to an amazing live band and had a delicious dinner too! It was a great way to end such an awesome weekend. Irish dance will always be a major aspect in my life. It truly has made me who I am today and I have a huge passion for it. One of the main reasons I love Irish dance so much is because of my dance teacher, Tim O'Hare. Tim O’Hare has taught me so much not only in dance, but about these true life lessons that I will carry on with me forever. Tim will always be one of my favorite people in this world and he will tell you himself how much I love him! I never leave a practice without telling him! I am so grateful to have him in my life. I am so thrilled that I started to be an assistant teacher with Tim. I have found that I enjoy teaching much like I enjoy dancing myself. When I see my students reach their goals and see the smiles on their faces, I feel I accomplished a goal myself. Tim gave me this amazing opportunity and I could not thank him enough.

My wonderful siblings!
I love Tara and Sean so much! I honestly don't
know what I would do without them in my life. We
joked about how we all matched on Thanksgiving!
We honestly didn't even plan this! We must think
alike :) We thought it was definitely picture worthy!

This is one of my great friend's, Veronica! She
lives in Chicago and I grew up dancing with her.
She is extremely talented and a very accomplished
dancer. This picture was taken after she was all finished
competing! Don't you just love the curly wigs we Irish
dancers get to wear? Haha!

This is the best Irish dance teacher in the world,
Tim O'Hare! This was taken right before the dinner
dance! How do you like my Las Vegas theme dress?
I fell in LOVE with it when I saw it in the store! I also truly love
Tim with all my heart! He was SO excited when he heard I
won Miss Ohio Teen USA! He not only supports me in dance,
but in everything I do. He is even coming to watch me at the
Miss Teen USA pageant this summer! I can't wait! :)

My First Appearance!

I made my first appearance as Miss Ohio Teen USA! My sister, Tara is a third grade teacher at Cornerstone Academy in Columbus, Ohio. I am extremely close with my sister and it is hard on me not being able see her all the time. Tara has been my role model and my best friend. She is one of my biggest supporters and is so proud of me. She shared with her colleagues at work that I was Miss Ohio Teen USA. When the principal of Tara's school heard my good news, she invited me to visit the school as a guest speaker to the children. I was thrilled and so excited for this opportunity! One of my goals as Miss Ohio Teen USA is to visit schools across Ohio and encourage children to become aware of their inner beauty and promote a positive self-image. I want to inspire children to believe in themselves and realize that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. One of my life ambitions is to ALWAYS stay true to myself. I think it is very important for children to learn this at a young age and develop self-confidence.

I traveled to Columbus November 23rd and spent the night with my sister. I woke up early the next morning and went to school with her. This was the last day of school for the students before Thanksgiving break. The students in Tara's class were adorable and they truly made me feel like a celebrity! They were so excited to see me and I was just as thrilled to see them. My day was broken up into assemblies by grades. I began with the children in kindergarten and ended speaking to the seventh graders. The students were well behaved and treated me with respect. I truly had a blast talking to the children and answering their questions! After the assemblies were over, I visited a number of classrooms. The first graders had a Thanksgiving feast and invited me to come and share it with them. They made me an Indian hat and the cutest Happy Thanksgiving cards. Each student wrote about how thankful they were that I came to visit. They truly made my day! The students asked if I would come back to visit them and I think I just might do that! I took a countless number of pictures and signed just as many autographs. It is my hope to be a positive influence on children and young adults. I felt that I accomplished my goal and brightened the day for these students. I know they certainly brightened my day!

This is my sister's classroom bright and early
in the morning before the children arrived!

Here are some of the adorable first graders that
invited me to their Thanksgiving feast. They were
so sweet! They wrote me the nicest cards that I will
keep forever! I will never forget them! :)

After speaking to all of the classes, I spent the remainder of
the day with my sister's 3rd graders. They were the cutest!
I helped them with their math homework and then had a
free day the rest of the time! We watched "The Lion King"
together and danced to Michael Jackson haha!
I had a blast with them!

GO ZIPS!

Wow! November has flown by so quickly! This was a very exciting month for me! I am a member of the University of Akron's dance team and I love it so much! Dance has been apart of my life ever since I was a little girl. I was thrilled when I found out I had made a college dance team! I have made so many wonderful friendships with the girls on the team that I will cherish for a lifetime. I have spent countless hours with them and they have grown to become like a family. We have been practicing since July! We have been working very hard to make our season the best it can be! Although we don't dance at the football games, we are still a part of all the football excitement! We are there at the games promoting the University of Akron, usually throwing out t-shirts or passing out fliers. We also serve as ambassadors for the University at various functions, fundraisers, and charitable events. Now that the football season has come to an end, it is finally time for the basketball season to begin! We danced at our first basketball game November 10th which was a blast! The Akron Zips men's basketball team faced off Mount Union in an exhibition game and we won with a score of 88 to 38!! The dance team and cheerleaders cheered them on to an exciting win! Our primary mission is to interact with the crowd to generate enthusiasm and spirit during the game. The dance team performs at all of the time outs, usually with our fantastic band, to keep the crowd involved and entertained. At halftime, we really get to showcase our talent with a choreographed dance. This is my favorite part of the game! I love all of the dances and it is so much fun to perform them in front of a large crowd! Dance team definitely has kept me busy and I'm honored to be a part of such a wonderful team!

The beautiful U of A dance team! This group of girls have become
like a family to me. I am so fortunate to have them in my life!
We recently took this team photo along with individual photos and
the photographer decided to use this flier as her advertisement! :)

Posing with my good friends Cassi and Danielle prior to performing
at a wheelchair basketball game! This was a charity event for disabled
children and adults that are wheelchair bound. It was so wonderful to
be a part of this event and to see these individuals participate in a sport
they love so much! We had a blast dancing and cheering the athletes on!

This is my best friend Cassi! I met Cassi in the summer at our first
dance team practice. We immediately clicked and have grown to
become best friends! We are inseparable! We do everything together!
We always joke about how we ever lived without each other! She supports
me in everything I do and will hopefully be coming to the Miss Teen USA
pageant this summer to cheer me on! She's the best! :)

A Dream Come True

Hi everyone!! My name is Bridget Linton and I am proud to announce that I am the new Miss Ohio Teen USA 2010! The weekend of October 9th and 10th was the greatest experience of my life and a dream come true. The weekend began early Friday morning with registration. Immediately following check-in, a full day of rehearsal began for the pageant. Kent and Lindsey were SO helpful throughout the entire rehearsal and made every minute of it fun and exciting. Throughout the day, I had the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing young ladies. The camaraderie was unbelievable and everyone was so willing to reach out and lend a helping hand. I miss them all so much! The preliminary pageant was held Friday evening. Every contestant competed in the swimsuit and evening gown category.

Early the next morning, the interviews were held with the judges. You might think that this would be the most difficult and nerve wrecking part of the pageant, but in reality, it was a ton of fun! The judges made me feel so comfortable. It was like having a conversation with some new friends. Following the interview, all of the contestants were able to leave the hotel and spend some time with their families before returning to yet another full day of rehearsal. I was so happy to see my family and thoroughly enjoyed eating breakfast with them at Bob Evan's! My family is the greatest! You won’t find a better or more loving support group. My family has been my number one fan and they are proud of me no matter what the undertaking may be. As my family and I said good bye, I knew I would see and hear them cheering me on later that evening.

The big night finally arrived! All the contestants were able to participate in the opening number that Kent had choreographed to the hit song “I Gotta Feeling That Tonight‘s Gonna Be a Good Night.” I think the Black Eyed Peas prediction was correct! It was definitely a good night! The night flew by so quickly! It felt like I was there for only five minutes and then it was time for awards. People always say "time flies when you are having fun." I can honestly say this experience proved that to be right! Being backstage with the Miss Ohio and Miss Ohio Teen contestants, helping each other with make-up and hair, dancing and laughing together, it made me realize I wasn't going to worry about the outcome because this was already one the of most exciting nights of my life! I was thrilled to hear my name called out as one of the top15! I then competed once again in the swim suit and evening gown category. The judges deliberated and before I knew it, the top five names were called. When I heard my name called again, I was beyond excited! Each of the finalists pulled a question out of the fish bowl and answered it. Moments later, it was time for awards! Throughout the entire weekend, I was not nervous for one minute. I was beginning to think there something wrong with me! I truly think it was because I was surrounded by such wonderful people that made every second of this experience amazing. As the names of the runners-up were called, I could not believe I was still standing there. When my name was announced as Miss Ohio Teen USA 2010, my dream turned into a reality. I cried tears of joy and no one could wipe the smile off of my face!

The moment my dream came true!

My new big sister Amanda, Miss Ohio USA 2010!
Words can't describe how excited I am to spend this
incredible year with her! I am so fortunate to have
been blessed with such a caring and beautiful friend
that I get to spend my year with. :)

Words are too inadequate to convey my sincere thanks to all of the people that made this weekend possible! Your hard work and commitment made the Miss Ohio Teen USA and Miss Ohio USA pageant possible. Thank you to all of my supporters and especially my family. I love you with all my heart and you know I could not have done this without your loving support! I promise to represent the beautiful State of Ohio, the heart of it all, as Miss Ohio Teen USA 2010 to the best of my ability!! :)

Love Always,
Bridget <3