how drop dead gorgeous!
Couscous or salad dressing...it was probably shellfish.
Miss St. Augustine seeks state title
Flagler College student represents Nation's Oldest City at pageant
LORY POUNDER
lory.pounder@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 07/08/06
MIAMI -- No matter what happens at the Miss Florida finals tonight, Miss St. Augustine made history and earned a title at the pageant.
However, it certainly was not the mark local contestant Sherri Leaf, 21, wanted to leave.
"She holds the title of the sickest of the sick," said Barbara Whitehead, executive director of Coastal Scholarship Foundation Inc. who runs the Miss St. Augustine pageant.
The night before Leaf, a graphic design student at Flagler College, was scheduled to dazzle the audience in the preliminary competition, paramedics rushed her to the hospital. She kicked off the 10 hours of throwing up with eight other contestants and two chaperones following suit -- all likely suffering from food poisoning.
Thirty-six hours later and still in pain, Leaf made her stage entrance sparkling and on her game. Only those who knew could see that she had not fully recuperated from the terrifying night.
"Whatever you throw at this girl, she can handle it," Whitehead said. "That is her talent."
The illness set in about 5 p.m. on the Fourth of July and continued through 6 a.m. the next morning. She was scheduled to perform that evening, but because of the circumstances, she and the others who were in the same predicament were rescheduled for Thursday.
Rumors of various food culprits circulated through the pageant. Everything from couscous to salad dressing became suspects. Currently, the health department is inspecting the incident."I know we're going down in the history books for this event," Leaf said Thursday afternoon during rehearsals at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium.
At the time, Leaf's stomach was still not back to normal, but she was determined to push through. She said she felt like she had survived the worst so nerves were not even a concern.
"I'm hoping that my bad luck has run out," she added.
Later that night, Leaf gave a well-crafted answer to her on-stage interview question. She walked flawlessly across the stage in her swimsuit and evening wear and performed her talent of painting an abstract flower in two minutes while educating and entertaining the audience.
Fitting in fitness
Leaf's desire to make a difference is part of what drew her to pageantry. In addition to scholarship money, her incentive for dedicating countless hours to perfecting her act is so she can educate others about the importance of health. Her platform is "Fitting in fitness," and it is something she speaks passionately about.
"Everybody has to have health, fitness and nutrition as a priority in their lives," Leaf said.
Hearing statistics about the ever-increasing number of obese children and people suffering from diseases related to obesity caused Leaf to want to incite change.
"It's sad because we're not taking our health seriously," she said.
Leaf works as a weight management facilitator at Curves on Anastasia Island, teaching a class about health. And since she earned the Miss St. Augustine title in February, she has spoken to Girl Scout troops and put together a walk-a-thon for them as well as informed teens at First Coast Technical Institute about the dangers of fast food.
Winning a Miss Florida crown would mean being able to promote her health platform nationally.
The competitors choose a platform they feel strongly about. Leaf decided on health because it is universal and so important, she said.
Some of the other topics contestants chose include breast cancer, mentoring, abuse and ethics.
So to anyone who scoffs at pageants Leaf's response would be, "You have to be an open-minded person. You have to see that these girls, these young women, really make a difference."
Leaf's parents
Leaf's parents, Larry and Tonya Leaf, of Jacksonville Beach, certainly do not fit the image many people have of pageant parents. Down to earth and genuine would be the way to describe them.
Both were shocked when their daughter told them she wanted to compete. In fact, her mom was a bit nervous about it and her dad didn't have a good impression of pageants at the time.
Larry Leaf, who is retired from the U.S. Navy, knew his daughter as an intense athlete who played every sport she could. He said his reply to the news was, "What the heck are you talking about?"
However, despite their initial confusion, they support their daughter's involvement and come to all her performances. They said they love to see her face when she makes the top 10.
"When she sets her mind to something she goes for it and goes all the way," Tonya Leaf said. "She is very competitive anyway and a natural beauty and so outgoing."
Leaf's first pageant was in high school and later she went on to compete in Miss Florida USA where she placed third runner up in 2005. So far, pageants have earned her $1,500 in scholarships.
And while Leaf is the picture of beauty on stage, she is also not afraid to get her hands dirty, her dad said.
She helps him paint, remodel and do maintenance work he picks up as a side job. Larry Leaf also made sure his daughters know how to change a tire and the oil in her car.
Recently, Sherri helped her dad paint the bathroom of a doctor's office.
The owner couldn't believe it.
"He said, 'Look here I've got Miss St. Augustine painting my bathroom,'" Larry Leaf said with a smile.
Pageant preliminaries
The 40 young women competing for the state crown are split into two days of preliminary competition and are judged on talent, swimsuit, evening wear and an on and off stage interview.
The on-stage interview questions tackled topics ranging from abortion, gay marriage and immigration to health, philosophy and the legalization of marijuana.
The answers also ranged from well thought-out to not grasping the topic.
During the swimsuit competition the host revealed telling tidbits about the women. One of the title holders can kick a 20-yard field goal. Another owns more than 60 pairs of shoes. Yet another has a cousin who is Brittany Spears manager.
Mishaps the first night, Wednesday, were as contagious as the food poisoning. This group's talent included singing, dancing, one baton twirler and two piano players. For some of those, singing and dancing television shows like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance will not be their next stop.
In contrast on Thursday, the talent portion could not have been more competitive. Amazed faces filled the audience, especially during unique performances by Elisa Tumaneng, Miss Seminole County, who did a Tahitian dance; Andrea Apple, Miss Orange Blossom, who clogged; and Danielle Marino, Miss Ocala/ Marion County, who performed a musical monologue.
The second night was so heavily weighted with talent because of the last-minute rearrangements caused by the food poisoning, Whitehead said.
"Tonight has turned into a talent contest," she added after Thursday's production.
"It's just the luck of the draw, and this is the luck of the food poisoning."
The contestants will be back on stage this evening and the judges will name the top 10. Those young women will then compete for the Miss Florida title, crown and $20,000 in scholarships that will be announced at the end of the event.
"I thought Sherri looked phenomenal in her gown," Whitehead said at the preliminaries. "She looked beautiful. She's stunning."
Miss St. Augustine seeks state title
Flagler College student represents Nation's Oldest City at pageant
LORY POUNDER
lory.pounder@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 07/08/06
MIAMI -- No matter what happens at the Miss Florida finals tonight, Miss St. Augustine made history and earned a title at the pageant.
However, it certainly was not the mark local contestant Sherri Leaf, 21, wanted to leave.
"She holds the title of the sickest of the sick," said Barbara Whitehead, executive director of Coastal Scholarship Foundation Inc. who runs the Miss St. Augustine pageant.
The night before Leaf, a graphic design student at Flagler College, was scheduled to dazzle the audience in the preliminary competition, paramedics rushed her to the hospital. She kicked off the 10 hours of throwing up with eight other contestants and two chaperones following suit -- all likely suffering from food poisoning.
Thirty-six hours later and still in pain, Leaf made her stage entrance sparkling and on her game. Only those who knew could see that she had not fully recuperated from the terrifying night.
"Whatever you throw at this girl, she can handle it," Whitehead said. "That is her talent."
The illness set in about 5 p.m. on the Fourth of July and continued through 6 a.m. the next morning. She was scheduled to perform that evening, but because of the circumstances, she and the others who were in the same predicament were rescheduled for Thursday.
Rumors of various food culprits circulated through the pageant. Everything from couscous to salad dressing became suspects. Currently, the health department is inspecting the incident."I know we're going down in the history books for this event," Leaf said Thursday afternoon during rehearsals at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium.
At the time, Leaf's stomach was still not back to normal, but she was determined to push through. She said she felt like she had survived the worst so nerves were not even a concern.
"I'm hoping that my bad luck has run out," she added.
Later that night, Leaf gave a well-crafted answer to her on-stage interview question. She walked flawlessly across the stage in her swimsuit and evening wear and performed her talent of painting an abstract flower in two minutes while educating and entertaining the audience.
Fitting in fitness
Leaf's desire to make a difference is part of what drew her to pageantry. In addition to scholarship money, her incentive for dedicating countless hours to perfecting her act is so she can educate others about the importance of health. Her platform is "Fitting in fitness," and it is something she speaks passionately about.
"Everybody has to have health, fitness and nutrition as a priority in their lives," Leaf said.
Hearing statistics about the ever-increasing number of obese children and people suffering from diseases related to obesity caused Leaf to want to incite change.
"It's sad because we're not taking our health seriously," she said.
Leaf works as a weight management facilitator at Curves on Anastasia Island, teaching a class about health. And since she earned the Miss St. Augustine title in February, she has spoken to Girl Scout troops and put together a walk-a-thon for them as well as informed teens at First Coast Technical Institute about the dangers of fast food.
Winning a Miss Florida crown would mean being able to promote her health platform nationally.
The competitors choose a platform they feel strongly about. Leaf decided on health because it is universal and so important, she said.
Some of the other topics contestants chose include breast cancer, mentoring, abuse and ethics.
So to anyone who scoffs at pageants Leaf's response would be, "You have to be an open-minded person. You have to see that these girls, these young women, really make a difference."
Leaf's parents
Leaf's parents, Larry and Tonya Leaf, of Jacksonville Beach, certainly do not fit the image many people have of pageant parents. Down to earth and genuine would be the way to describe them.
Both were shocked when their daughter told them she wanted to compete. In fact, her mom was a bit nervous about it and her dad didn't have a good impression of pageants at the time.
Larry Leaf, who is retired from the U.S. Navy, knew his daughter as an intense athlete who played every sport she could. He said his reply to the news was, "What the heck are you talking about?"
However, despite their initial confusion, they support their daughter's involvement and come to all her performances. They said they love to see her face when she makes the top 10.
"When she sets her mind to something she goes for it and goes all the way," Tonya Leaf said. "She is very competitive anyway and a natural beauty and so outgoing."
Leaf's first pageant was in high school and later she went on to compete in Miss Florida USA where she placed third runner up in 2005. So far, pageants have earned her $1,500 in scholarships.
And while Leaf is the picture of beauty on stage, she is also not afraid to get her hands dirty, her dad said.
She helps him paint, remodel and do maintenance work he picks up as a side job. Larry Leaf also made sure his daughters know how to change a tire and the oil in her car.
Recently, Sherri helped her dad paint the bathroom of a doctor's office.
The owner couldn't believe it.
"He said, 'Look here I've got Miss St. Augustine painting my bathroom,'" Larry Leaf said with a smile.
Pageant preliminaries
The 40 young women competing for the state crown are split into two days of preliminary competition and are judged on talent, swimsuit, evening wear and an on and off stage interview.
The on-stage interview questions tackled topics ranging from abortion, gay marriage and immigration to health, philosophy and the legalization of marijuana.
The answers also ranged from well thought-out to not grasping the topic.
During the swimsuit competition the host revealed telling tidbits about the women. One of the title holders can kick a 20-yard field goal. Another owns more than 60 pairs of shoes. Yet another has a cousin who is Brittany Spears manager.
Mishaps the first night, Wednesday, were as contagious as the food poisoning. This group's talent included singing, dancing, one baton twirler and two piano players. For some of those, singing and dancing television shows like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance will not be their next stop.
In contrast on Thursday, the talent portion could not have been more competitive. Amazed faces filled the audience, especially during unique performances by Elisa Tumaneng, Miss Seminole County, who did a Tahitian dance; Andrea Apple, Miss Orange Blossom, who clogged; and Danielle Marino, Miss Ocala/ Marion County, who performed a musical monologue.
The second night was so heavily weighted with talent because of the last-minute rearrangements caused by the food poisoning, Whitehead said.
"Tonight has turned into a talent contest," she added after Thursday's production.
"It's just the luck of the draw, and this is the luck of the food poisoning."
The contestants will be back on stage this evening and the judges will name the top 10. Those young women will then compete for the Miss Florida title, crown and $20,000 in scholarships that will be announced at the end of the event.
"I thought Sherri looked phenomenal in her gown," Whitehead said at the preliminaries. "She looked beautiful. She's stunning."