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01/06/2021
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Updated Jun 01, 2:30 PM; Posted May 31, 7:32 AM
From the left, Madison L'Insalata, Miss Staten Island and Alexa Nicole Moley, Miss Richmond County. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
By Carol Ann Benanti
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — We have a brand new Miss New York and her name is Sydney Park, the former Miss Five Boroughs, who was selected from a field of 21 contestants during a live stage production that also celebrated the pageant’s centennial, Sunday evening at the Paramount Hudson Valley theater in Peekskill, N.Y.
Staten Islanders were prominent in Sunday’s pageant, including honors for the late Jim Smith, a long-time and beloved member of the pageant community and co-founder of the Miss Staten Island pageant. He died in July 2020 due to complications of COVID-19.
Sloane Lewis, the Miss New York State executive director announced that the state pageant will present a Volunteer of the Year Award annually and this year’s was being presented to Smith, “a person who has given many years of volunteer service to the Miss America Organization at the local, state and national levels.”
A firm supporter of the Miss America Organization ideals, Smith eventually assumed the role of local executive director. He would go on to judge a number of pageants throughout the country including the Ms. Senior America Pageant for the last five years of his life.
1987: Eileen Greene, a former Miss Staten Island, and Jim Smith. (Staten Island Advance)Staten Island Advance
Lewis asked Carmine DeBetta, pageant president, to take the stage and accept the award in memory of Smith. DeBetta is a long time friend of Smith and currently serving as the acting director.
“As I accepted the award I looked up to heaven and said Jim this is for you and you would be so happy and proud of this honor,” said DeBetta.
An award is also named for Smith -- the Jim Smith Overall Red Carpet Award -- which went on Sunday to the Miss New York first runner up Taryn Smith, Miss City of New York.
From the left, Madison L'Insalata, Miss Staten Island and Angelica Santos Mroczek, Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
TOP WINNERS
In addition to Park and Taryn Smith, the top winners include the pageant’s second runner-up, Marisa Gomez, Miss Greater New York; the third, Natalie Ragazzo, Miss Liberty; and the fourth, Serena Exantus, Miss Finger Lakes.
Sydney Park, the new Miss New York State. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
Park’s win at the Miss America preliminary translates into her earning the right to wear the Miss New York banner and represent the Empire State at the legendary Miss America Pageant in December at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun.
A 25-year-old of Scottish-Korean descent, she is an advocate for increasing girls’ participation in sports as a youth soccer coach and volunteer for South Bronx United.
Parks graduated from Columbia University in 2018 with a degree in American Studies and currently works as a full-time law student entering her third year at Fordham and has had the opportunity to intern at the New York State Supreme Court in the chambers of Justice Andrew Borrok and Justice Joel Cohen.
Michael Herzenberg of NY1 served as pageant host along with Lauren Molella, last year’s Miss New York and Sarah Lawrence, Miss New York Outstanding Teen 2021.
Angelica Santos Mroczek, Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen, smiles for the camera outside the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill, N.Y., where the Miss New York State Pageant was held Sunday. (Courtesy/Dr. Gracelyn Santos) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
Alexa Nicole Moley, Miss Richmond County signs autographs. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
Victoria Montuori, Miss Richmond County's Outstanding Teen signs autographs. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
Taryn Smith was presented with the Miss New York Jim Smith Overall Red Carpet Award. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
Ashley Lawrence was third runner-up and won the People's Choice Award. (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hammel)
STATEN ISLAND FINALISTS
As they made personal introductions — and they could be seen over a giant screen — each contestant offered an intriguing fact about their respective region of New York — before the top 11 finalists and winner of the the People’s Choice Award was announced.
At the Staten Island Memorial Day Parade on Monday, are from the left, Angelica Santos Mroczek, Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen, Madison L'Insalata, Miss Staten Island, Alexa Nicole Moley, Miss Richmond County and Victoria Montouri, Miss Richmond County's Outstandfing Teen. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
Of those 11 finalists were Madison L’Insalata, Miss Staten Island and Alexa Nicole Moley, Miss Richmond County, who nabbed the People’s Choice Award.
Competing for the title of Miss New York State’s Outstanding Teen at the same theater were Staten Islanders Angelica Santos Mroczek, Miss Staten Island’s Outstanding Teen, Victoria Montuori, Miss Richmond County’s Outstanding Teen and Ashley Lawrence, Miss Five Boroughs, a contestant at large, who was third runner-up and won the People’s Choice Award.
“The Miss Staten Island and Miss Richmond County Scholarship Organization is very proud of the five young women who competed for the title of Miss New York and Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen,” said DeBetta. “They prepared diligently and we had outstanding results for Staten Island. And they rushed back to Staten Island to be part of the Memorial Day Parade.”
The winner of the Miss New York Outstanding Teen Pageant was Gianna Caetano, Miss Western New York.
The first runner-up was Deyaza Marie Peebles, Miss Finger Lakes; second runner-up, Olivia Price, Miss Broadway; third runner-up, the above-mentioned Ashley Lawrence, Miss Five Boroughs; and fourth runner-up Ana Spalding, Miss Pride of New York.
Each contestant were interviewed privately before the competition by a panel of five judges that included Susan Powell, Miss America 1991.
During the eight-minute session, that’s worth 30% of their overall score. Contestants are judged on poise, confidence, presentation of ideas and the ability to answer questions clearly and concisely.
Madison L'Insalata, Miss Staten Island models her evening gown. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
Alexa Nicole Moley in the evening gown portion of the conpetition. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
Felicia and Carmine DeBetta hold the Miss New York Jim Smith Volunteer of the Year Award 2021. (Courtesy/Carmine DeBetta) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance
The Miss New York Outstanding Teen production, in which 14 young women set out to test their mettle, opened with the Fitness and Wellness category designed to see how well candidates maintain a lifestyle of good physical health and possess the self assurance to be a title holder. This segment of the competition is performed in active wear and worth 10% of the score.
The talent competition constitutes 40% of the overall score.
The last phase of the Teen Competition was the Red Carpet & On Stage Question worth 20%.
“It’s about the young woman in the gown and not the gown she’s wearing,” said DeBetta. “The questions range from current events to the job of titleholders.”
Mroczek performed a beautifully executed, enlivening Tahitian dance in colorful attire.
Montuori danced an uplifting jazz solo to “42nd Street” in a sparkly red and black sequined ensemble.
And Lawrence treated the audience to a hilarious stand-up comedy routine expressing herself by saying “I’m not short, I’m vertically challenged.” She added even today she can’t go on a rollercoaster because she still can’t measure up to the required stick at the gate.
PAGEANT STATS
The Miss America Organization is the nation’s leading scholarship provider for women, awarding more than $45 million annually.
Miss New York has won the Miss America crown seven times and is the first state to produce winners three years in a row: Bess Myerson (1945, first Jewish American Miss America, competed as Miss New York City), Tawny Godin (1976), Vanessa Williams (1984, first African American Miss America), Mallory Hagan (2013), Nina Davuluri (2014, first Indian American Miss America), Kira Kazantsev (2015) and Nia Franklin (2019).
Five Staten Islanders have held the title of Miss New York: Kari Pedersen Cynar in 1967; Lezley Braun in 1977; Alice Knisely in 1987; Deana Herrera Walker in 1998 and Jamie Lynn Macchia in 2015.
The prestigious Miss America Pageant – an annual event that’s become as legendary as apple pie – is steeped in history and rich in tradition.
Back in September of 1920 they called it a Fall Frolic in Atlantic City when a league of businessmen brainstormed an idea to propose a bathing beauty contest that would hopefully extend the tourist season along the boardwalk. It did. And when thousands attended, they reprised the competition, brought the winner back the following year, draped her in the American flag and called her “Miss America.”
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