Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan joined Miss America 1958 Marilyn Van Derbur on April 23 to speak on a subject that has touched both of their lives. Together, they focused on this question: How do we prevent and stop child abuse?

Preparing for a pageant competition? There's a lot more to it than finding the perfect wardrobe. Heather Sumlin is the director of performance programs at Mental Management Systems, and she specializes in mental management training for pageants. Fourpoints talked with Heather to get her advice on the best way contestants could prepare themselves for competitions. This is the final article in our three-part series, which shares tips with you!

Click here to read part one.

Click here to read part two.

What is your advice to contestants as they prepare for the judges’ interview?  

Truly know who you are. People tell contestants all the time to just “be yourself.” But if you do not really know yourself, it is difficult to know how to “be yourself.” The toughest question for a contestant to answer, many times, is “Why should you win?” This question should be something you’re prepared to answer. You should know why this title is important to you, and what makes you a good candidate for the job you are working so hard to attain. Many times when I ask that question of a client, the response tells me why they WANT to win but not why they SHOULD. Why you want to win a pageant is completely different from why you should be awarded the title. Know what makes you unique, special, marketable, successful, and the best person to represent the title you seek. I think the reason this question is challenging for many contestants is because girls who seek a Miss America title are not usually self-serving people. These girls are dedicated to serving others and serving their community, and they focus a great deal of energy on building people around them. I find that they fear they will come across as arrogant or selfish if they focus too much on their strengths. I also find that many contestants seek perfection—and in seeking perfection they fail to find satisfaction, and frustration sets in. Spend some quality time with you. Know who you are now, who you want to become, and what you want to do with your future, and do your best to implement a plan to make your goals possible.

During the interview with the judges, how could contestants stay cool, calm, and collected?  

This is performer specific—what will work for one contestant may not work for another. In our training and products we talk a lot about mental rehearsal, developing a mental program, mental practice, and pressure-control strategies, all of which are beneficial to this question. A quick response, however, is to train as much as you can with people who know how to help bring out the best in you. Trust that training on competition day, and before you walk into the interview room, fake a YAWN. Yawning lowers your energy, which in many cases is beneficial before interview for those who are nervous. 

Source: Heather Sumlin, director of performance programs, specializes in Mental Management training for pageantry. Upbeat, motivated, fun, and encouraging, Heather could bring the best out in you! Not only will you learn the Mental Management system, but she will help you apply it to your pageant competition as well as other areas of your life. Heather is also offers interview training, resume and platform development, and creative workshop options, as well as personal instruction for contestants ages twelve and up. Click here to find out more about Mental Management Systems! 

Preparing for a pageant competition? There's a lot more to it than finding the perfect wardrobe. Heather Sumlin is the director of performance programs at Mental Management Systems, and she specializes in mental management training for pageants. Fourpoints talked with Heather to get her advice for the best way contestants could prepare themselves for competitions. For three weeks, we're sharing some of her tips with you! 

This is part two of three.

If this is a contestant’s first time competing, how could she prepare for competition—especially if she has never been in a situation like this? 

Find mentors. In life, no matter what goal you are pursuing, it is beneficial to find someone who has been there or who knows how to help you prepare for what is ahead of you. Mentors help to guide you and prepare you for the obstacles that you cannot see. Also, ask questions. Be willing to ask the director of the pageant questions. And if the director offers any workshop or optional orientation before the pageant, you should attend. It is difficult to know how to mentally prepare for a competition if you do not have guidance to help you know what to expect. The best advice I can give you, without talking with you directly, is to be a sponge the day of competition and use the time to learn. Also, do not wait until you know you can win to compete. Some of the best lessons can only be learned by competing.

How big of a role does confidence play during pageant competitions? 

HUGE! Confidence is instrumental in a contest where you are judged on your “likability,” not just your ability. Confident contestants focus on how to strengthen their performance in each phase of competition and trust their training when they compete.  They protect their self-image in preparation and on competition day. Contestants who lack confidence may be drawn to focus on the other contestants, measure themselves against the others, and worry about things outside of their control. A judge can tell if a girl lacks confidence; it will show in her body language, her volume of speech, her eye contact, and more. Confidence and consistency are the keys to being successful. 

How can contestants exemplify confidence and poise on the stage? 

The most common mental process that needs to be built, in most cases, is the self-image. When you are focused on building skill only, the self-image suffers. Self-image is built up or torn down by what we think. When we learn, we are not typically focused on protecting our self-image and many times we are our own worst critic; internally, the negative self-talk will actually keep the self-image from growing. You have to be in control of your thoughts and remain as positive as possible in preparation, even when things are challenging. You will perform as good as you think you can in competition, but not any better—even if you possess the skill. Competition day is all about trusting your training and having fun! The book With Winning in Mind, by Lanny Bassham, is the foundation of our program and includes a section dedicated to how to build self-image.

Click here to read part one

Source: Heather Sumlin, director of performance programs, specializes in Mental Management training for pageantry. Upbeat, motivated, fun, and encouraging, Heather can bring the best out in you! Not only will you learn the Mental Management system, but she will help you apply it to your pageant competition as well as other areas of your life. Heather is also offers interview training, resume and platform development, and creative workshop options as well as personal instruction for contestants ages 12 and up. Click here to find out more about Mental Management Systems! 

Giant inflatable balloons, marching bands, and performers burst down Constitution Avenue on Saturday in an energy-filled spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. 

During the parade, Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan sang "God Bless America," and Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2013 Rachel Wyatt danced in the parade's finale. The parade march traveled along Constitution Avenue between 7th and 17th Streets NW, passing the Washington Monument and the White House. 

Mallory and Rachel were among celebrities including Grammy award-winning artist Mya, Disney's Coco Jones, and American Idol's Elliott Yamin, who greeted more than one hundred thousand spectators. Loved by all ages, this parade is in its one hundred first year and celebrates the three thousand cherry trees in full bloom that were a gift to the people of Washington from Tokyo in 1912.

Sources: MAO and MAOTeen