| Related Links: | Articles on pageantry |
| Letters Menu | Archival Menu |
The concept was great. But the Miss Guyana/Universe pageant committee missed its target by inches in the attempt to produce a phenomenal affair for the swimsuit segment of the competition at the Splashmin's Fun Park & Resort on Sunday.
Sunday's event acted as a curtain raiser for what is to come on Saturday evening when the pageant will be staged. The 20 delegates paraded on a beautifully decorated floating barge. Kudos must be given to Lennox John, the owner of Splashmin's, who conceptualized the stage and decor. The stage setting was done with plants, stuffed animals and fruits and the greenery of the forest completed with gold satin and dark brown tie-dye materials, which gave the stage a rich and elegant look. It was easily the best seen in a long time and raises expectations of what the National Cultural Centre stage would be transformed into on Saturday night.
The event got off to a late start and the first glimpse of the contestants was in a motorboat waving to fans as they were motored out to the temporary stage.
The Miss Guyana/Universe delegates on stage at the Splashmin's Fun Park & Resort (specially created on a floating barge) on Sunday during the swimsuit competition.(Clairmonte Marcus photo)
Because of the limited sitting arrangement at the resort, chairs were placed in the sand just in front of the stage and those who were forced to use them had a battle with the sun as there were no overhead tents or umbrellas.
The ten judges were not spared this discomfort as their table was also placed in the sun. The judges of that segment were Miss Universe 2001, Mpule Kwelagobe from Botswana; first runner-up of the Miss America 2001, Liane Angus who is a Guyanese; media personalities, Andrea Teekasingh and Kathy Hughes; journalists
Julia Johnson and Linda Rutherford; Minister of Public Service, Dr Jennifer Westford; Basil Joseph; Amanda Pierre; and Beverly Johnson. The girls were judged on confidence, manner of walk, body shape and overall physical condition, but the results were not made public.
In an effort to repair the glitch of placing the judges to sit in the sun the committee members attempted to place umbrellas over the judges' tables, but this did not go down will those patrons whose view was blocked by the umbrellas. In the end, only Kwelagobe and Angus had the benefit of umbrellas.
The contestants made their first appearance in identical see-through wraps, which covered shorts and were worn with matching tank tops in hues of pink, blue, green, gold and yellow. During this period they introduced themselves and their sponsors and platforms. But, because of a defect in the sound system, some of what the contestants said remained a secret.
Hosts of the proceedings, Lester Rauseo and Charlene Benjamin might have been carrying on a private conversation, because most of what they said was inaudible.
After their first appearance, the contestants left the stage and were motored to the shore where they donned their official bathing suits.
In the interim, a fashion show was held in the passageway of the resort, but this was only visible to some patrons as those who had been standing there were reluctant to remove to facilitate this process.
The delegates then returned to the stage having donned identical one-piece gold swimsuits with black wraps and gold high-heeled sandals. After they left the stage for the final time, the models were motored out to the stage for another segment of the fashion show.
Last year's first runner-up for the Miss Guyana Talented Teen pageant, Marissa Primo, next appeared on stage in a high black boots, skimpy shorts and a midriff top dancing suggestively to a dub tune. The Mingles Sound Machine band entertained the crowd at the end of the competition.
The 20 contestants in this year's pageant are: Miss VIKAB, Lourianne Pluck; Miss Rayon House of Fashion, Juanita Collins; Miss Shortt & Friends, Sissel Moore; Miss American International School of Medcine, Anita McPherson; Miss Bascom & Wilson Enterprise, Candacy Evelyn; Miss Grace Kennedy, Petal DeSantos; Miss Infinity Boutique, Shammane Joseph; Miss Sheraton Services, Angelica Fredricks; Miss Guyana Telephone & Telegraph, Mia Rahaman; Miss Howard & Friends, Jonelle David; Miss Adzer Win-Doors Inc, Heera Raghubir; Miss Executive Cabs, Sheneze Galloway; Miss Classical Developers, Tandika Singh; Miss York/Horizontal, Darda Harmon-Lewis; Miss Guyana Television Station, Tamara Rodney; Miss Roberts Enterprise, Thandi Mc Allister; Miss Golden Coast/Milex, Olivia Browne; Miss Brandsville Apartments, Asha Pieters; Miss Sybil's West Indian Restaurant, Bibi Farroon; and Miss Hinds Associates, Cephanna Glasgow.