An Oxford Middle School student will be competing in the Nationals? 2008 Miss Junior Teen Royal Oak pageant, which will take place on Nov. 1.
Kymber Nelson, 13, learned of her acceptance into the pageant when Nationals, Inc., announced their selections Oct. 6. ‘I was really excited,? said Kymber, upon learning of her selection. ‘I think it will definitely be fun.?
Kymber is the daughter of Fred and Teresa Nelson from Oxford. Mrs. Nelson said that she thinks her daughter will enjoy the experience. ‘I thought it would be something new for her and it would be good experience for her to be in front of people,? she said.
Kymber is looking to secure sponsorship for the pageant. She needs to collect a $500 sponsorship fee, half of which was due Oct. 18 when she goes for her training day. There’s also a photogenic competition, which will cost another $125, along with another $150 for a photo CD. ‘It’s a lot of money to do it, but if she can get sponsors and do it all, I support her,? Mrs. Nelson said.
The pageant will have four divisions of competition for young ladies ages 7 through 19. Personality is the number one criteria by which each contestant will be judged.
Kymber said she doesn’t have sponsorship yet but that she will be going out to meet with people and explain was she’s doing. While her mother jokes about her getting up in front of people, Kymber said that represents an area she needs to work on.
‘I probably have to work on public speaking,? she said. ‘I’m really bad at that.?
How does Mom think her daughter will do? ‘To perform well, she’ll need to secure sponsors and get out and talk to people,? Mrs. Nelson said. ‘One lady at a training session told us she needs to be herself and be honest. Don’t give padded answers. She’s good at speaking from her heart. I think she’ll be alright.?
The Miss Junior Teen pageant consists of a casual wear competition, a personal interview and a formal wear competition. There also will be a lot of scholarship money available. That’s encouraging news for Kymber, who loves band, language arts and plays french horn, violin and piano.
She’s interested in majoring or minoring in music at either U-M or Michigan State.
If Kymber wins the Miss Junior Teen Oak title, she would represent Royal Oak and the surrounding communities at the Cities of America National Competition that will take place in Orlando, Fla. More than $60,000 in prizes and awards will be presented at the national competition in the Sunshine State.
To sponsor Kymber Nelson, contact her pageant coordinator, Patty Neidert, at 1-800-569-2487.