Melissa Middleton keeps the crown she won at
this past April’s Georgia Miss Amazing pageant on a table in the living room of
her home.
“So all my friends can see it,” Middleton said.
But the 31-year-old Forsyth County resident
could add another crown to her collection soon when she competes in the 2018
National Miss Amazing event, a pageant for girls and women with disabilities in
its sixth year that will be held in Chicago from Aug. 3-6.
Over the event’s four days, Middleton will go up
against nearly 150 competitors in the traditional pageant format. She’ll
perform a talent, undergo an interview and done her gown, sash and crown for a
beauty walk.
Middleton’s win this past April was the first
since she began participating in pageants in 2013. She was ecstatic by the
result, but Middleton can already feel a heightened sense of anticipation as
the event draws near.
“I’ll probably be more excited,” Middleton said.
But Middleton isn’t a stranger to an event of
this magnitude. In 2011, she qualified for the Parapan American Games in
Guadalajara, Mexico in table tennis. That was a milestone trip; Middleton and
her mother, Angela, had never traveled by airplane until they went to Colorado
Springs, Colorado for a week of training at the United States’ Olympic Training
Center. Then they flew to Mexico, where Middleton won a bronze medal.
Pageants have since replaced table tennis as
Middleton’s passion, and the allure, at least in part, is simple.
“I get to wear a pretty dress,” Middleton said.
But Middleton is also committed. Shortly after
her Olympic experience, Middleton took up piano, which is her talent at pageants.
She plays “Alouette,” the classic French children’s tune, and the familiar
lullaby “Are You Sleeping?” Every other Wednesday she takes one-hour lessons
from Tricia Wester, but everyday she finds time to practice on her keyboard at
home. Middleton’s mother will ask her random questions to prepare for the
interview portion of the pageant, and Middleton makes time to perform the walk
she must do in front of judges, being particularly cognizant of her wave. Every
night before bed, Middleton does her entire routine. Sometimes she does it in
the morning too.
Guiding her through much of this are volunteers,
like Van LeBlanc, with Gentle Souls, a program for those with disabilities and
special needs ages 16 and up at Cumming First United Methodist Church. Middleton
was among the first participants when the ministry began almost six years ago.
They are helping to raise funds for Middleton’s travel and lodging expenses for
the National Miss Amazing event, which are expected to be around $2,500.
Much about the event excites Middleton. It will
be a chance to meet new people, and it will be her first time visiting Chicago,
where her mother grew up.
And when Middleton is introduced before the
National Miss Amazing audience, they will say she is from Cumming, Georgia.
“She’s pretty proud of that,” LeBlanc said.
“It feels like I’m a queen,” Middleton said.
One local resident hopes to capture pageant national crown

