Chilton County will be well represented during the 2018 Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen Pageant.

Lindsey Wood of Thorsby High School, Grayson Gann of Jemison High School and Sarah Beth Huntley of Chilton County High School will each take part in the competition, which will be held on March 3 and 4 at B.B. Comer High School in Sylacauga.

All three won preliminary pageants at various locations throughout the state in order to qualify for the event.

It is the first time that any of the girls will have the opportunity to compete for the top prize in the state.

The competition will consist of 50 contestants and will be broken down into different categories that will be judged.

Competing in the preliminaries has given each of them a glimpse into what the main event will be like.

Huntley’s preliminary had only five people in it, so there was very little time between phases to get ready.

According to Huntley, the frantic pace that she experienced in the preliminary actually helped prepare her for the hustle and bustle of the statewide pageant.

Time management and the experience of performing in front of an audience were two of the main aspects that all three said they took away from competing in the preliminaries.

Each competitor has their own part of the pageant that they feel most comfortable with and are confident that they can win over the judges in that segment of the event.

For Wood, it is the evening gown and on-stage question.

“I feel that with your evening gown you get to show a part of who you are with your fashion choices,” Wood said.

Gann and Huntley both look forward to the talent portion, where they can show the judges all the hard work and practice over the years, which have helped refine their specific talents.

According to Gann, both the talent and interview portions are where she can really demonstrate her personality.

“I get to be that fun, bubbly person that everyone loves to see,” Gann said.

Huntley plays the piano as her talent, and lets the sound capture the judges.

One of the primary goals throughout the pageant for any participant is to show the judges who they are.

There is no better way to do that than during the on-stage interview, which allows any contestant the opportunity to open up and introduce the judges to their platform.

“I don’t want to try to be like someone else,” Wood said. “I just want to stay true to who I am and work on perfecting every part of my performance.”