State Titles
KS State Petite Modeling & Glamour – 1989
KS State Young Model – 1994
KS State Teen Model & Talent – 1997
KS State Elegant Model & Talent 2001
National Titles
National Junior Glamour – 1991
National Young Miss Modeling – 1995
What is your favorite memory?
Winning my National Modeling title. My little sister Sami had won a National title the previous year and I saw what fun she had while being a National Queen. I decided I wanted that too, so I put in the work.
When it came to top 5, it was a first for all of the girls who made top 5 that year, none of us have ever been in top 5 so we were all just plain excited to have make it that far!
Then it came down to 1st runner up and queen and it was me and another Kansas girl. When Ms Paula announced Katrina as first runner up, I flew into the air. Then getting to see the picture. We held wrists so tight we were cutting off ciculation to our hands and I was flying into the air!
What is a takeaway from ODM that you use in your daily life?
Interview skills is the biggest takeaway. I am not an outgoing person and really do not like talking if I do not have to. But ODM has helped me improve my skills which helped me get college scholarships and get jobs!
How does it feel to be raising daughters in the same pageant organization that you did as a child?
It is truly the best. I have always said ODM is a family!
Getting to watch my girls build the same type of relationships I was lucky enough to build is amazing. The lifelong friendships that I have made and now my girls get to have is not something you can find with all activities. And getting to ad a third generation ODM girl with my granddaughter. Jo makes it that much sweeter.
I hope she gets to have the same experiences that her great Aunts Kim, Sami, and myself had. As well as her mom Cadence and her aunt Kyler have experienced.
What keeps you coming back to ODM?
The family and friends I have built with being a part of ODM is what brings me back each year. I could not imagine NOT attending state or nationals and seeing everyone. Who would not want to spend a week with their best friends!? Also the fact that my girls are trated as family is what keeps us coming back year after year.
What tips/advice do you have for new families coming into ODM?
Don’t give up!
It is not all about winning the crown. It is about so much more. It took me 13 years to win a national title. Biggest thing is I never gave up and I put in the work. But even without winning, I still brought home each year so much more. I brought home new friends and a sense of accomplishment for putting the best me out there.
State Titles
KS State Young Model
KS State Teen Model & Talent – 1998
KS State Elegant Model & Talent – 2000
National Titles
National Elegant Talent – 2000
What is your favorite memory?
The transition of dancing to singing and then winning National Elegant Miss Talent. I was one of Amanda Wheeler’s first students. It was such an amazing journey going from dancing to singing with her help.
That year I won, there were so many absolutely amazing contestants. I knew it had to be a “go big or go home” home. That is a life changing thought process that I have carried with me for so long when I know it is time to make a big decision in life if I want something bad enough.
What is a takeaway from ODM that you use in your daily life?
Interview, interview, interview with a whole lot of eye contact! In all of my job interviews as an adult, all have commented on my interviewing skills asking me what seperated me from the rest of the applicants before I even left the interview. Even in school, my teachers would ask my parents at conferences what they did with me that seperated me from everyone else.
Breallyn Mims
Where are you from? Russellville, AR
What titles did you win at ODM Nationals this summer? National Young Miss Model & Talent
What was your favorite moment at ODM Nationals? I look forward to Nationals all year. It is my favorite week of the year! Double crowning was a moment I will cherish forever. However, my favorite moment was my mom crying during my talent and having other people come up to me after and they said they also cried during my talent. Which is crazy because my talent is a jazz acro routine. It makes me so happy to know my hard work really paid off!
How does it feel to be raising a daughter in the same pageant organization that you did as a child?
I absolutely love that I can rause Kara in the same environment that brought me my best friend, Lesa! Lesa and I just wanted to compete and hang out together. Now Kara and Kyler get to compete as best friends just like Lesa and I did for so many years. It’s also an extra “excuse” to get to see each other!
What tips/advice you have for new families coming into ODM?
A famous quote from Ralph Waldo Emersyn says this: “It is not the destination, it’s the journey.”
It took me 10 years of competing to win a national title. Some people come in and win instantly and others have a longer journey. Both of these are okay and do not ever feel inadequate for having a longer journey. Enjoying the journey, ‘the getting there,’ is every big of important as arriving at the destination.
There is joy and leaning to be taken from every possible moment we live our lives.
What keeps you coming back to ODM?
The journey of it all. Just as I mentioned above, Lesa and I always planned on having girls of our own who could compete together and forge the lifelong friendship that we did.
While everyone wants to win, we also want to teach out girls about the entire journey of hard work, up and downs, not just the good days of winning.