Mom of Miss Universe delegate nervous
As I speak, eighty of the planet’s most attractive young women are gathered backstage in an auditorium in Quito, Ecuador. Thickly covered in makeup, balanced precariously on high heels, their heads crammed with memorized greetings, dance steps, and answers to questions they have yet to be asked, the participants in tonight’s Miss Universe pageant are justifiably nervous. And so are their mothers… as Patrick Jones found out this afternoon.
Anne Wade, Mother of Belize?s Delegate
“I am very anxious. I think I more anxious than Leilah possibly could be. She handles stress a lot better than I do.”
Patrick Jones, Reporting
When the fifty-third Annual Miss Universe competition kicks off tonight, all Belizean eyes will be focused on the telecast from Quito, Ecuador. One Belizean who will be watching with particular interest is Anne Wade, mother of Belize?s delegate Leilah Pandy. Wade says preparation for tonight?s pageant started virtually from the day Leilah was crowned Miss Belize.
Anne Wade
“She did a lot of physical training. She was prepared in that she was advised on what to eat, the kinds of stuff to eat, the fact that she needed to keep hydrated quite a bit, the fact that she needed to pace herself well and whenever she had a chance to rest, to rest.”
The last time Belize did well at the Miss Universe pageant was twenty-five years ago when Sarita Acosta made it to the semi finals. Wade says its time for a repeat performance.
Anne Wade
“We’re hoping that she would do quite as well if not better, but certainly Sarita Acosta did a great thing for Belize and herself when she came in the finals of Miss Universe in 1979, what we’re saying is that its time for Belize to shine again at that level. So were hoping that she will do as good or certainly get into the finals, but of the course the ultimate is the crown.”
But bringing the crown to Belize is not going to be easy, with seventy-nine other young ladies from across the globe competing on the same stage. Wade says twenty-three year old Leilah has what it takes to accomplish the feat.
Anne Wade
“What she brings is this absolute determination of a young lady who is very competitive, who is very smart, somebody who has a natural joy and a natural attitude, a natural positive attitude about her abilities, and a natural sense that she can do this and that she could represent Belize well. I think that is what will place her apart and at least got her noticed in the last two and a half weeks. Because I am convinced from all the reports that have come in that she has been very noticed at the Miss Universe stage in Quito.”
Patrick Jones for News 5.
The latest scandal to emerge from the pageant is the removal of one of the judges. Kwame Jackson, who achieved fame as runner up on the reality show “The Apprentice”, was ousted from the panel after unwittingly greeting some of the delegates in his hotel lobby. That interaction, however unintentional, is a violation of the rules. A replacement has not been named for Jackson, who has been invited to be a judge next year.
