Gilroy
– The anxiety of competing on stage may be over, but the young
ladies who make up the 2005 Garlic Queen court are far from
finished with their responsibilities as representatives of the
city’s premier event.
Gilroy – The anxiety of competing on stage may be over, but the young ladies who make up the 2005 Garlic Queen court are far from finished with their responsibilities as representatives of the city’s premier event.
In coming weeks, Garlic Queen Aisha Zaza and Trisha Motter and Stephanie Orth, the runners up in the May 7 pageant, will appear at a number of events, at times performing the talent routines that helped earn them top finishes at this year’s competition, according to pageant chairperson Kim Lemos.
“The purpose of Garlic Queen is being a goodwill ambassador for the local community of Gilroy and the surrounding areas,” Lemos said.
A few places residents will spot the trio will be at the Memorial Day parade, Fourth of July festivities in Morgan Hill and the Gilroy Garlic Run, a car show held in July.
In addition to those events, all the pageant contestants will be on hand for the three days of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, which takes place July 29 to 31. The list of fellow contestants includes Elissa Archuleta, Marliz Copado, Cherise Gowan, Noelle Huerta, and Argyrie Vazquez.
Together, the girls shared nearly $4,000 in scholarship money from more than 12 local businesses and individuals.
But it wasn’t about the scholarships, according to Trisha Motter, a senior at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill. Motter, 18, was second runner-up.
More than anything, she looked forward to spending time with fellow contestants.
For a month, the eight girls spent three hours each Tuesday and Saturday practicing their talent routines and garlic speech, a playful garlic-themed skit.
The pageant is judged 40 percent on an interview with judges earlier in the day, and 20 percent each for talent, garlic speech and evening gown competitions.
“The girls rehearsed for about four weeks leading into the pageant,” Lemos said. “The difference between this pageant and other pageants is that we’re still all together. A couple of the girls came up to me on Tuesday and said ‘We don’t know what to do tonight. We don’t have any rehearsal.’ ”
Motter said a hectic schedule and a little onstage anxiety were a small price to pay for the reward.
“I met these wonderful girls that I’ll always be friends with,” she said. “It made me appreciate the bond between women a lot more. You don’t find that very often. … I was going into (the pageant) to have an experience of a lifetime. And that’s exactly what it was.”
