Miss Wimbledon

Our first aim with the contest
is to educate the world about
Wimbledon. Our second aim is to
throw one hell of a show

Mark McGough, Creator of Miss Wimbledon

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Hartfield Rd, Wimbledon
London SW19 3TA

Schedule
Tuesday 1st June 2010

19.00 - Arrivals
20.00 - Intro
20.10 - Starters
20.20 - First group of girls
20.40 - Main Course
21.00 - Second group of girls
21.20 - Desert
21.40 - Results
22.00 - Finishes

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Interview with Miss Wimbledon 2009 in Wimbledon Decoded Magazine

Meeting Miss Wimbledon
Decoded editor Maria Realf caught up with beauty queen Alanna Thomas and Miss Wimbledon creator Mark McGough to talk about pageants, promoting the town and, er, Pamela Anderson… Photos: Memory Gate Photographic (www.memorygate.co.uk)

On the morning I’m meant to meet the Miss Wimbledon duo, the weather’s so bad I’m actually afraid to step outside my own front door. It’s windy, rainy and bitingly cold – exactly the kind of climate that makes me want to run back to bed and hide beneath the covers. In a feeble attempt to protect myself from the elements, I whip out my trusty umbrella, only to end up being swept along the pavement at high speed. By the time
I arrive for our coffee shop meet, my brolly is broken, my nose is red and my hair seems to be doing a Jedward impersonation.

My ego’s already feeling fragile, but it’s about to take another beating as I’m introduced to current Miss Wimbledon Alanna Thomas (pictured left, in the centre) who looks like she’s just stepped out of a photo shoot. Her long blonde hair is wavy and perfectly coiffed; her immaculate make-up clearly immune to the wet weather. I’ve never met a beauty queen before, but she’s almost exactly as I expected. Pretty? Yep. Tall and slim? Yep. Bubbly? Yep. Perfect pageant material, in fact.

Also joining us for a chat is Mark McGough (below), the local entrepreneur who created the contest in 2007. “Our first aim is to educate the world about Wimbledon,” he says. “Our second is to throw one hell of a show!”

So which part of town does the reigning champ hail from? “I’m from Woking,” she says. Eh? “We were targeting contestants outside the area as well,” explains Mark. “The girls who want to enter have to be enthusiastic about Wimbledon – they don’t necessarily have to be from Wimbledon, but they have to want to let people know that there’s more to the town than just the tennis. We were looking for contestants who were excited about the area and could reach a wider audience.”

“I heard about it on a website called Star Now,” adds Alanna, a student and part-time model. “There was an advert on there so I took a chance and did it – and here I am now with the title! I think Wimbledon’s beautiful. It’s the sort of area I would like to move to later on in life”

Last year’s event attracted around 50 contestants, who were then whittled down to a shortlist of just six finalists prior to the show at Shanghai Blues restaurant in Holborn on 25 June. “We talked about ourselves and what we do, we had a multiple-choice round where we had to answer questions about Wimbledon, and we had a talent round (below right), where I sang I’m Not That Girl from the musical Wicked,” explains Alanna, 18.

Other talents on display at the show ranged from a Kendo sword demonstration to hypnotism. “One of the girls hypnotised me backstage,” reveals Alanna. “It did actually work. I can’t even describe it – I’ve got a memory of it, but
I don’t remember what she said or how she was doing it!”

In the face of some stiff competition, Alanna adds that she was surprised and delighted to lift the 2009 crown. “When they read out the results, I didn’t think I would win it,” she admits. “I actually had two other girls in mind.”

But win it she did, bagging herself some great prizes in the process. “I won two complimentary tickets to Shanghai Blues restaurant where the event was held, plus a recording session with Elation Records who I’m doing a test with now, and a photo shoot. I also got invited to the tennis after-party at Deuce Bar in Wimbledon Village, where I saw Serena and Venus Williams!”

Following her success in the contest, Alanna – who has also since scooped the title of Miss Intercontinental Great Britain 2009/2010 – will be returning to the 2010 Miss Wimbledon event as a judge, having recently judged another pageant in Kensington. Could she see herself getting more used to the opposite side of the stage? “I like both,” she grins. “I enjoy modelling and showing myself off, but then I also like being on the other side. I get nervous for the girls when I’m sitting there as a judge though!”

So what are her top tips for this year’s contenders? “Girls should just be themselves,” she says. “When I go to pageants, I’m natural, I’m not fake and I’m not trying to be someone else. Be yourself and do what you do, rather than looking at what other people are doing.”

The next Miss Wimbledon event is likely to take place in late spring, but full details of the contest – including the prizes on offer in 2010 – are yet to be confirmed. We’ll be bringing you more updates in Decoded as we get them.

In the meantime, Mark says his new mission is to try to get a picture of Alanna together with international star Pamela Anderson, who’ll be appearing in Aladdin at New Wimbledon Theatre for two weeks this December. What, a kind of Miss Wimbledon meets Ms Baywatch photo shoot? “Yeah, both in bikinis,” he jokes.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed for him, but I think I’ll have to give that shoot a miss if he ever manages to set it up. I really don’t think my poor ego could take it.

©2009 Mark McGough.

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