LAS VEGAS _ Miss New York, also known as Elisabeth Baldanza of East Meredith, went shopping Wednesday _ sort of.
She and some other contestants in the Miss America pageant were at PH Stuff at the Planet Hollywood complex in Las Vegas and were filmed for a featurette for Saturday's telecast of the final contest.
The shopping trip was part of Baldanza's busy schedule this week that has included many rehearsals and activities tied to the pageant. After the filming, Baldanza spent part of the afternoon in a rehearsal for Wednesday's preliminary contest, when she was to answer an on-stage question.
The pageant finale, when 16 finalists will vie for the crown, will be at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Learning Channel, which in the Oneonta area is channel 58, will telecast Saturday's event. All competitions are in a 7,000-seat theater at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Miss America has to be quick on her feet to answer questions when she appears in public. At a media conference Wednesday, judges said Miss America must not only be informed about current events and issues but also have formed opinions about topics presented. The judges also consider how impassioned a contestant is about the issue she chose as a platform for advocacy and community service.
Baldanza, 24, was named Miss New York last year and is competing against 51 other women for the Miss America crown. Her platform is "Personal Worth: The Value of Character and Service.'' In her statement on the Miss New York website, she writes about her goal to motivate young women and encourage them to find joy and self-esteem through character, kindness, compassion and service to others.
"I would like to use my position as Miss New York, and eventually Miss America, to reach out to young women and connect them with mentors who would train them to mentor others and offer them opportunities to serve others in their community as well, stressing service to others and good character as the basis of a strong foundation for a successful life," Baldanza said in the prepared statement.
Contestants are divided into three groups for the competition _ Alpha, Sigma and Mu. Baldanza and others in the Alpha group will model evening gowns and swimsuits tonight. The preliminary talent competition was Tuesday night, and the preliminary winner in the group was Miss Iowa, Diana Reed, who performed a high-energy routine twirling batons to music.
On Tuesday night, some in the audience besides a boisterous Iowa contingent gave the baton-twirler a standing ovation. Judges said Wednesday they independently had put Miss Iowa at the top of the talent category.
In the preliminary contests, the question and interview categories together account for 30 percent of points in the Miss America competition. The interview is a session with the seven judges, and the question is an on-stage response to a query about the contestant's platform.
According to the Miss America Organization website, scoring for preliminary contests is a percentage for various categories, specifically:
ä Interview _ 25 percent
ä On-Stage Question _ 5 percent
ä Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit _ 15 percent
ä Evening Wear _ 20 percent
ä Talent _ 35 percent
On Wednesday, Baldanza's practice question referred to rock n' roll in life.
"I really love a variety of different types of music,'' Baldanza said.
Her iPod has music on shuffle so that she doesn't know what's coming next, she said.
Other practice questions during rehearsals pertained to the role of color in life, taking a day off and comfortable footwear. In a question about time-travel to the future, two contestants said they would go to Saturday night to find out who the next Miss America will be.
Through scoring this week, the judges will choose 15 finalists, and the 16th finalist will be chosen through a national voting sponsored by The Learning Channel. Votes for "America's Choice'' may be made online at www.tlc.com/missamerica until midnight Friday.
Scoring for the Miss America finals competition is weighted accordingly:
ä Composite Score _ 30 percent (top 16)
ä Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit _ 20 percent (top 16)
ä Evening Wear _ 20 percent (top 10)
ä Talent _ 30 percent (top 8)
ä On-Stage Question (top 8)
ä Final Ballot _ Each judge ranks the top 5 contestants in the order he or she believes each should finish. The outcome of the pageant is based solely on the point totals resulting from the final ballot.
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