Coulsey crowned

Miss Janesville 2022 Ava Appel had her last walk and made way for the new Miss Janesville, Sophia Coulsey at the pageant on Thursday, June 16. Coulsey’s first attendant is Abby Sobolik; second attendant is Lydia Huelsnitz. The fourth contestant, Ava McNair, was given the talent award.

The 2023 Little Miss Janesville Maya Olson was also presented at the pageant; Olson had earned her title at a separate pageant for Little Miss Janesville earlier in the year.

The four soon-to-be juniors showed off their formal wear, answered various questions from their interviews, and enjoyed a bit of fun dancing to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” in an ‘80s themed pageant in the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton school auditorium.

Emcees Kristin Ziemke and Brandon Johnson also provided a bit of entertainment, singing “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing and performing “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. When they weren’t singing, they were providing plenty of comedy between sets and helping set the stage for the contestants when needed.

Formal Wear and Questions

After the candidates presented themselves, the audience sat back for the formal wear portion of the pageant. As each of the  contestants showed off her dress, each was asked questions chosen at random from their interviews.

The first contestant, Abby Sobolik, was asked why she decided to run for Miss Janesville.

“I decided to run for Miss Janesville because I feel like I can help other people in the community and show little girls that it’s okay to be scared,” she responded

Coulsey’s question was, “How do you measure success?”

“That’s a great question,” she replied. “I measure success by the feeling I get after completing a task that is beneficial for me and my community.”

McNair was asked, “What topic do you consider yourself an expert on?

“The topic I consider myself an expert on is none,” she answered. “I don’t think you can really be an expert at anything until you are fully knowledgeable about everything.”

Lastly, Huelsnitz was asked, “What are you still learning or working on?”

Huelsnitz answered simply, “I’m still working on trying to talk in front of people.”

Talents

Each contestant had unique talents to share. Sobolik performed a few cheerleading routines while McNair shared a poem she wrote about living life to the fullest called “I Want to Live.” Coulsey painted a canvas painting of Elvis Presley upside down with the big reveal at the end. Lastly, Huelsnitz performed a dance to Shawn Mendes’s “Stitches.”

As scores were tallied, the emcees performed their bit. Miss Janesville 2022 Ava Appel and her attendant Ariana Aguilar also entertained with a duet of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Appel sang while Aguilar played the clarinet.

Farewells

Appel shared a few brief words for the residents of Janesville. “This past year of my reign of Miss Janesville has been truly amazing. I thoroughly enjoy all the little girls getting excited to see a princess. That really makes my day. I am so sad this has come to an end.”

She thanked her family for their support, especially for their trouble delivering her and her attendant to local parades and events. She then thanked Erin Borneke, who runs the Miss Janesville Organization and was Miss Janesville in 2017. She also thanked her attendant, Ariana Aguilar, for being by her side. “If not for you, I would get so lost.”

She ended her farewell speech thanking everyone in Janesville for their support. “You all were truly a big part of Miss Janesville,” she said.

Appel gave advice to the contestants. “Don’t be afraid to wear your sash and crown with pride,” she concluded.

Aguilar also shared a post via the Miss Janesville Organization Facebook page after the pageant. “I wanted to thank everyone for this wonderful experience of being a part of the Miss Janesville court,” she said. “It was a pleasure being able to help my best friend Ava Appel represent the town.”

She thanked Ziemke and Johnson for being great emcees the past few years, her grandparents for being her sponsor, and her mom for supporting her and being her number one fan.

“Lastly, I want to congratulate the new Miss Janesville court,” she said. “I cannot wait to see all you ladies thrive and represent this beautiful town. I know you will do a fantastic job.”

After that, the royalty was revealed. Coulsey won Miss Congeniality, an award voted on among the contestants based on who they all respected the most. McNair won the talent award for her poem.

Coulsey was then crowned Miss Janesville as well, with Sobolik and Huelsnitz as her attendants. Together with Little Miss Janesville 2023 Maya Olson, they make up the Miss Janesville 2023 royalty.

The new Miss Janesville royalty were very active throughout the weekend, attending the kids’ carnival and the turtle races at the Whispering Creek Nursing Home, playing a few rounds of lightning on the JWP outdoor basketball courts, and going on many of the rides at the Main Street carnival.