Peter, after Miss T&T cops the local title, how long does it take to thoroughly prepare her for an international pageant?

There’s never been enough time…in other words, the more time we have makes for an even more ready delegate. One year ideally is good. We have fi ve months to prepare Valene, however her experiences in the last year have contributed tremendously to her development today.

We often see interviews with past and present beauty contestants who talk about their paltry food intake, various diets, and exercise regimes. What sort of fi tness routine does a Miss T&T undergo?

Fitness is crucial. Without a perfectly fi t body, one should not participate in this level of international competition. It’s one of the preliminary levels of judging. Everybody is unique, but being toned and having cardiovascular fi tness is the goal. We have personal trainers to assist and guide the daily routine for training and development.

Surely she needs training for poise and elegance too…how is this done with our Caribbean contestants?

Alyson Brown is fantastic with stage performance development. Sessions with Calvin French (international photographer) allow for a sense of knowing how to work the camera. The combination of these two facilitators is great exposure in this area.

Are motivational experts and personal development coaches accessible to the girls?

There’s a wide range of facilitators that the delegates are exposed to…the girls are trained in stage performance, hair styling, make-up techniques, dining etiquette…it all depends on the particular girl and the areas that she needs to strengthen.

In some pageants, the interview part carries the most credit. Is this so for the Miss T&T and Miss World competitions? The interview is important; but so are many other aspects such as beauty, stage performance, and charm.

When training a delegate, do you work to enhance her personality or is it ‘reinvented’ to fit a certain ideal?

Other than overseeing the entire process, I assist in developing the look or personal style of the delegate with the hope of creating a unique expression that best represents who she is. Part of our success has always been highlighting the individual and not reinventing her to fit a specific ideal. When a delegate is happy, confident, light-on-her-feet, and at ease with herself…she’s at her best and will perform at her best. If one is contrived and conscious of trying to be what’s not natural…it becomes transparent…don’t you agree?!

Of course! What strategies are used to prepare her for answering spontaneous questions?

Adrian Raymond’s role is to develop a delegate’s personality. He’s very detailed in his approach, which begins in knowledge and understanding of herself…her likes and dislikes. He then expands to incorporate all possible subjects, encouraging her to have opinions on them, and enabling her to get the confidence to comment on situations even if they touch on unfamiliar ground.

Secrets from ‘behind the scenes’ often make their way into the public! In your experience, how have the girls behaved with each other before and during pageants?

We generally only hear of good and bonding friendships from our delegates.

Are the girls always nice and ‘smiley’ backstage as they are when they’re on stage?

That’s one way of looking at it…we look at it as being the best one can be. These are human beings competing… and so there are some up and down times; often fellow delegates cheer up those who are not feeling their best. It really is a fascinating opportunity to witness these pageants; if only people of the world could follow suit.

Ok, so during a pageant, what’s really going through the mind of a contestant?

Fear, hope, being the best performer one can be, knowing you’re giving your very best with the hope of bringing pride to your country or your Mother…shall I go on?

But Peter, how do you handle all this responsibility for the pageant?

With great respect. These are people’s daughters we work with, and we recognise this awesome responsibility. I also look to women as being one of our most important resources, which makes the nationalistic link even more meaningful. With the constant struggle to raise appropriate funding, this also makes the responsibility burdensome and sometimes unbearable.

Finally, why did you think that Valene Maharaj would be the best Miss T&T?

It’s hard to compare each Miss T&T and to qualify who is or will be the best. We love each for her ways. Valene is special, and we’ve already fallen for her. She’s sweet, innocent, and endearing…immediately one gets a sense that a loving and nurturing family surrounds her. She has bright light emanating…this shows her enthusiasm, earnestness, ambition and love for this aspect of her life. She’s strikingly beautiful and very photogenic and takes direction easily…many of the facilitators have already concurred. I look forward to the road ahead, and if this time is an indication of what lays ahead…it may be possible to say that Valene can be the best Miss T&T.

Valene Maharaj will represent Trinidad and Tobago at the upcoming Miss World pageant. She will grace our cover in the month of September; so readers, you’ll definitely have an opportunity to learn why the judges chose this amazing woman.