Neither Addison Hicks nor Ariana Ruiz are strangers to competing in pageants.
After winning both Miss Clarendon Hall and Miss Iris Festival in 2014, Hicks decided to take a crack at the Miss Clarendon Teen Pageant in October 2014.
“I really didn’t expect to win,” said Hicks, 17, a rising senior at Waccamaw High School in Murrells Inlet who formerly attended Clarendon Hall and Laurence Manning Academy. “I don’t really do it to win. I just like how your friends compete with you and you get to dress up. Pageants are supposed to be fun. That’s what it’s all about for me, anyway.”
Ruiz, 18, a recent graduate of Manning High School, wasn’t sure about entering the Miss Clarendon Pageant until the last minute.
“I wasn’t going to run at first,” she said “But my mother and I sat back and talked about it, and she talked about the benefits of being part of the Miss South Carolina organization. She talked about my sister’s experiences of competing in large pageants and being on the state stage would just be an experience not many girls could say they’d had. You know, if I won Miss Clarendon.”
Ruiz is the third Miss Clarendon, and Hicks the third Miss Clarendon Teen since the Junior Ambassadors restarted the scholarship pageant in 2012. Both will leave Friday for the state pageant, after more than nine months of preparation for a weeklong process of interviews, appearances and preliminary competitions in evening gown, fitness and talent.
For talent, Hicks will play the piano. She said whittling down her piece – a classical Spanish song – was more difficult than the song itself. Music must be no longer than 90 seconds.
“Cutting it down was really hard,” she said. “There were certain parts that I really liked, but they just didn’t work within the framework of the piece when it’s cut down that short.”
Aside from classical piano and pageant preparation, Hicks has spent some time with her school’s swim team this year. She also became a certified life guard and certified in CPR in early April.
“I don’t remember not being able to play the piano or being able to swim,” she said. “I just love it. My brother is a swimmer. My parents are swimmers. It’s in our blood.”
Ruiz said Miss Clarendon has taken up a lot of her senior year as well, although she did spend a lot of time with the Manning High FFA, where she serves as vice-president.
“I’m also the senior class president, so I was in charge of all the senior activities, like the senior cookout and all the practices for graduation and senior awards night,” she said.
She said she’s excitedly nervous about walking across the state stage later this month. She will also be on live TV during the final night of competition, which will be broadcast 8 p.m. June 27 on WACH-Fox TV.
“I’m striving for Top 16,” she said. “And I would love a preliminary award, mainly in swimsuit or talent. Every girl wants to win, but if that doesn’t happen, I’d like for those other things to happen.”
Ruiz said her mother, Kayana Rosa, is most nervous. Ruiz’s sister, Tatiana, is competing at the same time for Miss International as Miss South Carolina Latina.
“My mother is a little overwhelmed to say the least,” Ruiz said. “But it’s something she loves. My mom could seriously make a career out of being a pageant mom.”
Ruiz herself is no stranger to winning. She won Miss Manning High School in her freshman year, beating her older sister, a previous title holder in that pageant.
“We kept getting a lot of funny jokes about how I beat her, how the little sister won the whole pageant and not here,” Ruiz said. “My mom just wants us to do our best. And my sister and I have a competitive mindset, even between the two of us. One thing I love about being in the pageants is that I’m not in it alone. Even if she’s not competing in that pageant, I know I’m not the only one going through this process. Tatiana knows what it’s like. It’s something we can share.”
Ruiz said for the state pageant that she’s had the most trouble preparing for public speaking. She has made as many appearances as she could to get more confidence.
Ruiz recently spoke to the Manning Rotary Club, and was asked a barrage of questions on current events.
“That was a bit nerve-wracking, but it’s stuff like that that gets me ready for the pageant,” she said.
Co-Local Executive Directors Ericka Sexton Floyd and Carrie Trebil have also been working with Hicks on public speaking.
“She’s great with speaking her mind and talking with people,” Floyd said. “But when it comes time to interview, they expect you to be able to answer a question on jut about anything. That means being knowledgeable of current events and thinking on your feet.”
Floyd said the committee lined up group interviews for Hicks, putting her in as many public places as possible to help.
“As for anything else, she’s got all that in place,” Floyd said. “She’s very self-disciplined, so she knows what she has to do.”
Both young women said they’re nervous about the state pageant, but they’re excited to have Miss Clarendon Pre-teen Eaddy Osteen coming along with them. Eaddy will not compete at the state level. The Junior Ambassadors started Pre-teen in 2014 to get more interest in the Teen and Miss portions of the pageant.
“I’m there to help them in any way they need,” Eaddy said. “I’m kind of the laid back one of the three of us, I think. Specifically, I’m Ariana’s princess, but I will help Addy if she needs it, too.”
Manninglive.com will have updates on the #MissClarendonCrew throughout the week of competition.
