A Whirlwind of Life

My life has been so crazy lately that sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going.  It sometimes even may seem as if I have no direction of what I'm actually trying to accomplish with my life right now, but there's certainly reason for all that I do.  I still have big goals that I want to achieve, but sometimes I don't even know in what way to approach reaching them.  All I want to do is put myself out there and TRY, and sometimes I may be trying at a multiple things at one time. 

It's a whirlwind of things I'm involved with.  My every day life at my normal job at the day care center.  Babysitting jobs that I love to do for some of the families from the center.  Going out to swing dancing particularly when I have a fortunate enough night where I get to see my boyfriend, Dan (as he's so busy with his own life).  Getting odd sewing projects done that I get from random people I'm connected with.  Having the privilege of meeting, working with, and modeling for some amazing photographers I've met along my way.  Competing in unique beauty pageants.  All the while trying to sprinkle Mary Kay in with all of the different aspects of my life.

I just think that life is too short to just pick one thing and stick with it.  You just never know what could happen and what things could lead to.  Everything happens for a reason, and even if at the time it seems to not go as good as you had hoped or planned for it to go, there still might be something great that can come from it - even if it's just what you learned and would change to do even better for the next time.

I'm learning that I have a variety of different interests and most of them are very unique and ones that allow me to use my creative and artistic abilities.  I'm also learning what I'm better at than others and what I'm a natural at, what my niche is, which I'd consider to be my pinup and retro style.

So long as I'm happy, which I very much am right now, that's what matters the most to me.

No more 'Miss Heartland Swing' (soon)

Welcome back ... sort of ... to the blog. 

There hasn't really been a lot going on here lately and there's a good reason for that.  Having won the title of Miss Heartland Swing in March of 2012, I thought I would be eventually replaced by a new winner in 2013. 

As it came closer to the event, I learned that the Heartland Swing Festival decided to not continue the competition in the year 2013. 

The question then arose as to what to do with all the Miss Heartland Swing pages, which were established with the much help and support of Dan Pfeifer and Molly Maka. 

After much thought and deliberation, I realized that I had positive feedback about many of the posts and particularly the links that were made that I had so often got questions about where I got my clothes or how I did my hair, etc. and I really do want to continue posting things that I continue to find and new things that I continue to learn.  I've also done various photo shoots since then that included pinup, Roaring 20's, and even more modern looks that I would enjoy sharing on the page. 

As a result, I've decided to keep and continue the page, but it will undergo some renovation with some minor updates and revamping to a more general fan page that will focus on my current interests as a model, makeup artist, and tips for living a retro/vintage lifestyle! 

I still have many large goals that I have for my life that I intend to continue and pursue.  I appreciate everyone's support and encouragement, and hope that you will continue to watch and follow the process along my journey as I continue to learn and grow. Watch for some changes soon as I complete a transformation from Miss Heartland Swing ... to Pinup Pam ...

My Camp Hollywood Experience

This year has really been a breakthrough for me personally.  When I look at my interests in swing dancing and vintage fashion, taking them to another level is something I had always dreamed of pursuing, but never thought would become a reality. 

I've always had a slight obsession with research and studying all things vintage.  I'm serious about "getting it right" — the intricate details, the look, glamour, and even the persona.  The bombshells of the 40's and 50's were such shining stars and I love paying homage.  Plus, there were so many lesser-known but equally worthy men and women from that era who gave so much, which is part of the motivation for the volunteer work team member Molly Maka and I began doing with the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. 

The breakthrough, though, started back in early March when I competed for, and ultimately received, the title of Miss Heartland Swing 2012.  After actually earning the title, I knew a large door had opened for me to not only help to promote swing dancing and make everyone feel welcome, but to also help, guide, and encourage others to learn and achieve greatness in any of the many areas that I have so much developed knowledge about.  Such an accomplishment also led to the opportunity of challenging myself to compete in another, even bigger vintage swimsuit competition in Los Angeles, California at Camp Hollywood for the title of Miss Camp Hollywood 2012.  Camp Hollywood is one of the biggest swing dance events in all of the United States, pulling people from all around the world.  Knowing that this was such a large event, it put a lot more pressure on to really do my best, particularly since I knew that I was also representing the Heartland Swing Fest and the many people that would be cheering me on.  Being this my first time ever attending Camp Hollywood, I had heard a lot about the event from other dancers that had been there, but I don't think you completely understand it all until you actually experience it. 

David Frutos & Kim Cleaver

Laura Keat & Jeremy Otth

Friday, Dan and I attended classes with instructors David Frutos and Kim Cleaver (2 of my favorite professional dancers/instructors that we also took classes from at the Heartland Swing-Fest), another class with Laura Keat and Jeremy Otth, and lastly an aerial class again with David Frutos and Kim Cleaver.  Although there was one other class scheduled after the aerial class (which I had reluctantly agreed to go to), we opted out after we had been practicing a back flip during the class and I hadn't quite received enough height, landed quite closely to the ground, loosing my balance, and falling forward hitting my forehead above my left eye on the floor. 

We took many precautions by doing a lot of ice, taking some Advil, and even getting plenty of Vitamin C through a yummy Pineapple Mango Juice.  The fear set in both of us that I may have to compete with a large goose egg or being black and blue, but thankfully the fall could have been much worse and the area seemed to go down and wasn't quite noticeable after all.  I look at it as having a great story to tell, and it's bound to happen when learning an aerial - this time it just happened to be me. 


Dan knew how much I adore Marilyn Monroe, so he did an excellent job at trying to distract and lighten our worries of the fall by surprising me and driving down to Hollywood Blvd.  We were able to make a point to find Marilyn's hand prints in the cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, although I had wished to be a little bit better dressed and prepared for getting a picture.  He was so kind to even take me back when I was more put together.  We also drove up in the hills to get a picture with the Hollywood sign in the background before making our way back and getting ready for the dance that evening.

 The night's theme for the dance was 30's gangsters and flappers.  I was pleasantly surprised by the incredible participation that filled the large room full of people dancing from wall to wall on 3 separate dance floors to a live band.  With all of the people that were in attendance, it certainly made it very easy to find a partner to dance with and it was rare to actually not be dancing for a song, unless it was to get a drink of water.  The skill levels also seemed to be very diverse and it was wonderful to meet so many new people and dance with them for the first time.  One of the people that I knew of, but finally got to meet in person for the first time was B-House.  He's the official photographer for Camp Hollywood, whom I had been following his photos from the previous years.  He was very kind and offered to take some shots of me on Saturday if available.  As much fun as we were having, we still got some rest and decided to take some of Saturday for some sightseeing as it was both of our first times spending some time in LA.

Saturday we took things a bit easy and stress free by walking down Hollywood Blvd once again - and did I mention in a blue Mustang Convertible 2013 that Dan rented? ... heh, yeah.  This time we even took the time to go through The Hollywood Museum where we got to look at a number of Marilyn's personal things, including her limousine.  We also went back to find her hand prints in the cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and got a picture with my hands down to reenact the moment.  That was fascinating to me and something that I had always wanted to do! 

On our way back to the motel, we made one stop at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home of the Opening & Closing Ceremonies and Athletics events during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.  The day was filled with a lot of fun activities, but even more fun was to be had as we got back to the motel room and got ready for the Saturday night dance, this time the theme being Disney.  I had opted to wear my black with white polka-dot dress for the occasion to keep things simple, easy to introduce myself, and also easy to dance in while fitting in with the once again, very participatory crowd.  The dance floor was once again as packed as it had been the night before and just as many dances were to be had.  The night flew by, but I knew that we would have to make it a short night since I had decided on setting my hair with authentic pin curls for the swimsuit competition the next day.  We left the dance around 11:50 PM and when all was finally set and done with my hair, I finally made it to bed by 1:30 AM, hoping that would leave enough time for it to be dry by 10:00 in the morning to brush out and style it to be back by the pool by Noon on Sunday.  Needless to say, I spent much of the morning using my blow dryer with concentrator on it to make sure it was plenty dry.  As I took out the pin curl clips, I was pleased with the final results and perfect ringlets I had spent the extra time to create, and was able to achieve a very glamorous look after brushing it out. 
Now well into the day of the Miss Camp Hollywood competition, I finished the final details in getting dressed and we left to get a small bite to eat before meeting at the pool by Noon.  (I'd hate to start the competition on an empty stomach.)  Once we arrived, there was only 1 other competitor that I noticed that was already there, but I went to check in and had some time before we got things started.  Once all the girls checked in, we all gathered and took some pictures by the pool, much like some of those pictures you may have seen from that time period.



I was quite nervous going into the competition, mostly because of the multiple choice question that I knew I would have to answer, along with another question that I knew would require a more lengthy response in which they could see more of my personality.  I had been doing a lot of research online, like I do with most things, but on Camp Hollywood.  I found a short video on the Miss Camp Hollywood competition from the past 2 years, where I found out about the questions they might ask and to get a better grasp on what the contest would be like and what might all be expected of me.  I feel like finding out some of these things helped me prepare, on one hand, to know what to expect, but on the other, it also made me more and more nervous in the long run.  It got to be to the point that I started making a spreadsheet of past competitions and who won, but I soon became more confused and realized how much I was stressing over one question that I have no idea what will be even asked, or perhaps, even something that wasn't even in my notes.  So I quickly gave up on the studying, but was still very stressed about the moment. 

As the competition began, other girls were announced and I knew that this was about to be one of the scariest moments for me, but certainly a journey to remember.  Each girl began taking turns, answering questions themed on "Hollywood Style" and I knew that was a topic that I would not have had in my 'notes' had I continued to make them.  It was very difficult to understand the MC from behind the stage and the speakers from where we had to stand and wait for our turns, but for the most part, you could still make things out.  Some of the questions seemed a little bit easier than others, and I thought that it would just be all luck which question I might get and whether I would know it or make a lucky guess in getting it right.  After the multiple choice question, the general question was 'Why do you want to be Miss Camp Hollywood?"  I started running ideas in my mind that would hopefully be different from the other girls that were competing, and the only thing I knew I would be was the volunteer work that I do with the honor flights, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that in my answer some how. 

By the time it was my turn, I heard my name, I took a deep breath, and stepped off towards the stage.  I really didn't have much of a plan on what I wanted to do, but just tried to be myself, have fun, and I quickly responded to the positive reaction I was getting from the crowd.  I now had a general idea of what I wanted to say for the general question, "Why do you want to be Miss Camp Hollywood?' but I just hoped that I would answer it without stumbling upon words.  I really wanted to be clear, loud, confident, to the point, and speak with full statements - I really was thinking about a lot of the different things Dan would tell me to do if I had a real conversation with him over this all, and I knew I didn't have the chance for a small pep-talk, so I just tried to remember the things he had told me to do (or not do) when doing my Miss Heartland videos.

From here, for the most part you can see everything in action in the video that was taken and put together of the competition.  I did a LOT of smiling, some pinup poses, some peppy and flirty shoulder bounces, a twirl, and a bouncy model walk.  When my multiple choice question was asked "Who claimed the name 'Hollywood style' Lindy Hop?" I wasn't certain on the answer, but I did want to sound confident, even if I guessed wrong.  It turned out to be correct D) Sylvia Skylar and Erik Robinson, which made me a little more at ease going into the next question.  Everything went better than I had even anticipated.  I was extremely happy and proud of what I had just accomplished and it was even more exciting when I got to see Dan again and see how impressed and excited he was for me!  I was happy with what I had done and wouldn't have changed a thing.  It was definitely something that will remain in my memory for a lifetime and glad there's pictures and videos to look back on.  We even took more pictures after the contest was over.






 From here on out, the remainder of the trip was much more stress free and relaxing now that I had the competition behind me.  We went to the awards ceremony later that day, walking away with a pretty heart tiara, some flowers, and a small gift bag with red Besame lipsticks!  We had a fun time that evening enjoying and being mostly overwhelmed and overjoyed in the ambiance of the Cicada Club and being around the lovely Satin Dollz that I absolutely adore!  There were others there that we met at Camp Hollywood, as well, and it was fun seeing familiar faces and talking and getting to know them better as well!  So glad they were so open and friendly to both Dan and I.

Monday we spent at Six Flags Magic Mountain and enjoyed the many roller coasters that they have there - besides the Green Lantern, which I nearly cried screaming all the way down from being shot around like a ping-pong ball.  Finally, Tuesday was our day to travel home.  All in all, despite me hitting my head on the floor during the aerials class, a scary ride, missing our layover flight from Chicago back to Milwaukee from plane delays when leaving LA, and them leaving my luggage in Chicago, ALL was well worth it and I would definitely go back to Camp Hollywood again in the future - in fact, I can't wait!

How To (Nearly) Win A Beauty Pageant With A Black Eye

Andrew Bogut, then of the Milwaukee Bucks, injures himself
falling to the floor of the Bradley Center in Milwaukee during
a 2010 NBA game (AP/Jim Prisching)

I knew the sound all too well.  I've been working basketball games in one way or another, as a towel boy, stats guy or announcer, since I was a freshman in high school back in 1996.  When a person falls hard to a wood floor, it's a distinctive noise.  You can hear the difference between a soft landing and a hard one.

This was a hard landing.  You could hear bones hit as opposed to parts with cushioning. 

I don't think Pam ever had designs on being a basketball player, though, nor was this on a basketball court.  And when the biggest part of your trip is going to be a contest that will depend largely upon how Pam looks, you know bruises aren't good anywhere, much less on the face.

Problem is, that's where Pam landed.

I know a lot of blame that probably falls on my shoulders for the tumble Pam took in Camp Hollywood's Friday aerials class this year.  It probably starts with our ... er, my ... decision to take the class to begin with.

We had already done two classes that morning:  A quick refresher on Hollywood style with David Frutos and Kim Clever, as well as a class on "Lindy Bounce" with Jeremy Otth and Laura Keat.  After an amazing lunch at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport's Latitude 33 restaurant — seriously, if you can, eat there, best service we've ever had at a restaurant — we had choices for our third class.  The Intermediate class dealt with "rhythmic cliches," such as "shave and a haircut, two bits" and such.  While Pam was somewhat interested, I had a feeling the class was going to be a lot of patterns we would already be able to anticipate, given we've been dancing for over 15 years combined.  The Advanced class was with Frutos and Clever again, whom we love to death, but was about aerials.

Yuval Hod & Nathalie Gomes do an aerial
(ithacaswingdance.com)

Pam was nervous about aerials.  While Pam is beyond petite, I'm not the biggest or strongest guy in the world and the last thing Pam wanted was to get dropped.  Thing is, though, I have all of two aerials in my arsenal and have always wanted more.  With the couple I've learned, the key point has always been to make the aerial as simple as possible from the get-go, such that it's almost impossible for anything to go wrong.  Of course, the aerials I do are relatively easy, even if they do have a bit of a "wow" factor.  I'd like more "wow," though, and it's rare that we get the chance to learn anything new.  

Pam probably would have preferred the cliche class, but it just seemed ... cliche to me.  Somewhat begrudgingly, she agreed to the aerials class.

The first aerial taught was one of the two I already knew, a simple horizontal throw.  Frutos and Clever broke the move down perfectly, going even further in-depth than Maureen Majeski did when she taught me the move at the Jumpin' Jive Club, though Majeski did perfectly fine and I've never had trouble executing the throw. 

The next one, though, was a little more challenging:  A Knickerbocker.  Here's what it looks like done correctly:

We split into teams of six to do the move.  The team size was for a reason:  At all times, two people would be doing the aerial and, ideally, there would be one person to the left, right, front and back of the people doing the move in case someone came off-balance.

We all tried the move once.  The first couple to try had very few issues, however, it should be noted that while the follow might have been slightly taller and larger than Pam, the guy was very tall and well-built, so that probably aided the process.  The first time through, Pam and I were able to execute the move, but only with spotting.  For some reason, Pam was falling forward at the end of the move each time.  The third couple got it, but also with a lot of spotting help. 

It was in our second time trying the move that it happened.  The first couple, by now, basically had it down and was starting to make it look easy.  It might have lulled the spotters to sleep a bit.  Pam and I got up and tried it once.  We got Pam up in the air, but really struggled to get her over.  I was focusing on the idea that you really want to push the follow over more by the lower back than the legs, rather than just catching her by the legs like we had done in a build-up drill for the move.  Meanwhile, Pam was making a point to try and jump higher to ease the trip over.

With those things in mind, we went at the move one more time.  Needless to say, Pam did not get all the way over.

Somehow, Pam came out of the move horizontal to the ground, although tilted slightly such that her left side was where all contact happened.  It's hard to say which spotter even could have helped because of the way Pam came over, but she clearly didn't come out on her feet and no one remembers any spotter hands being accessible until it was all over.  Pam said she thought her feet were the first thing to hit, but she later discovered a bruise on her knee, leading her to believe she basically had a three-point landing:  Left toes, left knee and, worst of all, left head, right at the eyebrow.  As outlined above, the dull thud of skull against wood was cringe worthy. 

Pam quickly rolled over into a seated position and everyone rushed around her.  A dancer in another group who was a nurse flew over and did some quick tests on a somewhat dazed Pam, who was trembling a bit, to make sure she wasn't immediately showing signs of a concussion, something the three-point landing probably saved her from. 

Pam did not seem to be concussed, but the next thing on our minds, of course, was the big reason we were there:  Miss Camp Hollywood on Sunday.  Pam now had a red spot above her eye, which didn't take long to swell to the size of a large marble.

This would not have been a good look for Pam
(iStock.com/Rich Legg)

This was a problem.  A lot of preparation and money had gone into the trip, all basically for Pam to look her best on Sunday.  The bump was not Pam's best look, and Pam knew from experience with falls for her kids in her day job that bumps in that region could turn into a bigger problem:  A black eye.  In the minutes after the fall, the lump threatened to do a lot of damage to our biggest trip on the Miss Heartland Swing National Tour.

In its own unique way, this was our time for crisis management.  Pam was worried and not happy, but was prepared to do what it took to make things as good as they could be for Sunday.  I knew that acting quickly would be important.  In times like these, it's easy to get emotional and not do the right things to make the very unideal situation as ideal as possible. 

In the moments after the fall, someone quickly got a bag of ice for Pam and we stopped doing anything related to the class so that Pam could tend to her head.  There were two other class times scheduled for that day, but we decided to forgo them.  First things first, we went back to our hotel.

I hopped on the computer, as did Pam, to start looking up ways to keep a bump like that under control.  Twenty minutes on and 20 minutes off with ice seemed to be a common theme, at least for 48 hours.  That would keep the swelling down and reduce discoloration.  After 48 hours, heat would be key, but we weren't worried about that since the contest was less than two days away.  There was also a unique suggestion:  Vitamins.  Bruises are basically just broken blood vessels and vitamins, specifically Vitamin C, can help with healing.  Ibuprofen would help as well.

As for makeup coverups if the black eye would occur, Pam hadn't brought concealer and we read that using the same makeup you usually use to cover up such an eye will often mix poorly with the bruising, forcing you to use an overabundance of makeup or a bad mix and making the eye more noticeable.  Knowing the injury might force drastic measures, we figured the Mary Kay family could potentially be one we'd have to turn to and we did look up independent consultants around LAX, just in case. 

Ice in hand, Pam hopped in the convertible with me and we found a local market.  Some juice and some Advil later, we were back in the car.  With some time on our hands, we did head up to Hollywood Boulevard to take some pictures, but I chose to head up there as much because I knew it would take Pam's mind a little off the bump as much as anything else. 

Pam delicately applies makeup to her left eye on Friday night

How bad was the bump?  I'm not going to say it's like she took a baseball to the head, but anytime there's swelling and a lump, I think you have to be concerned.  Fortunately, I think our efforts, particularly the ice, made a big difference.  The picture you see at right of Pam applying makeup is from Friday night.  You can maybe pick up a little bit of swelling, but the redness went down and I don't think anyone who wasn't concentrating could see anything. She said she really didn't enjoy the process of applying the makeup and it still hurt, but she didn't think she looked out of the ordinary. 

We were intent with the ice and Pam also made a good point not to touch the bump, which also wouldn't have helped.  We stayed away from classes on Saturday for a few reasons:  The classes that interested most were on Friday, Pam didn't want to get hurt again, we both wanted to return to the Walk of Fame and we had also read that a good night's sleep with the head elevated was key to avoid eye blackening.  When Pam rolled off her two-pillow setup Saturday morning, it was well past the start time for the first class and Pam's eye didn't look all that bad.  We got through both the day and night and Pam worked hard at her pincurls after the dance.

Pam looked fine — very fine — on Sunday

Sunday morning rolled around soon enough.  That morning — no problems, not to mention that it was sunny enough for Pam to go with her retro-styled sunglasses and conceal most of anything anyone could see, anyway.  And no one can argue with the result. 

It is worth noting that, as we made our way to Six Flags Magic Mountain on Monday, a little bit of redness could be seen in Pam's eyelid, while she still said it was tender.  But, all in all, we had survived well.

There are a number of keys in crisis management and I think they're worth emphasizing one more time:

• Assess the situation quickly.  Do what needs to be done immediately first and handle what's most important, which is everyone's safety and well-being.  
• Then, assess what's most important and what the biggest problem could be.  
• Find out how to address it.  In the age of smartphones and Google, this is easier than ever.  
• Focus on actions.  Try to make the situation right.  
• Do what it takes to address it.  Walk away feeling like you did absolutely everything you could do.  
• Once you feel like you're handling that, handle the emotional part, too.  Usually, the actions help.  When you feel like you've done everything you can, it's hard to have regret.  

Speaking of regret, do I regret choosing the aerials class?  Not really.  If we would have known better what it would have entailed, then yes, I might feel worse, but we didn't know and it seemed like the reasoning for taking the class was solid.  I know I'll take crap about it for a while, but I take crap about a lot of things, so it's just add another item to the pile.  Do I feel at fault?  Probably more at fault than anyone else, yes, but there's enough things that went wrong that could theoretically fall into a variety of people's hands that I really think pointing fingers is kind of fruitless. 

It was an unfortunate circumstance, but things that are worthwhile usually involve overcoming some difficulty.  Lesson learned:  There's a reason Johnny Castle and Baby worked on their aerials in the water. 

For us, I think a mat is a minimum requirement from now on.  But hey -- at least we know Pam can even (nearly) win a beauty pageant with a (barely) black eye.  Not bad. 

Second Was Best (For Pam)

Pam Krajewski walks in front of the 2012
Miss Camp Hollywood judges (James Bennett)

There was a taunting song kids would sing when I was younger that had a line about how "second is the best."  The song was nonsensical and isn't worth more than the line of text I've already spent on it.  Nonetheless, in the case of Pam Krajewski's entry and winning of runner-up this year's Miss Camp Hollywood contest, it probably rings true.  Pam finishing second was probably the best result for her, the best result she could have gotten and the best thing for everyone.

Of course, one might see that last statement and think it a little ... odd.  Why wouldn't someone want to take first?  Wasn't Pam trying to win?  And, if Pam essentially took second ... who took first, anyway? 

The answer to the last question is Antonietta Smekal, a broadcast producer from the Los Angeles area.  We don't know a ton about her other than what we saw during the competition and what we can glean from her Facebook page.  She is clearly well-connected, with upwards of 1,000-plus Facebook friends, and she appears to have called Southern California home her entire life.

Antonietta Smekal, Miss Camp
Hollywood 2012 (Rusty Frank)

Antonietta did have a cigarette holder in one hand and what one can only imagine was an adult beverage, or an implied one, in the other throughout the competition.  Yes, this was counter to Pam's more wholesome style, but first off, Pam's wholesomeness was actually rather unique to the competition, as many of the girls engaged in various raucous activities to draw attention, so it's not like one should hold Antonietta in disregard for that.  Furthermore, vices are a large part of swing dancing, its music and its history.  Anyone who's seen Pam blues dance knows she can steam it up herself when she wants to, plus Pam likes a good glass of wine or a Cosmopolitan as much as the next girl, so let's not judge based on that difference. 

Putting that aside, I can reconcile the choice in a couple different ways. 

First off, while there was a formal scoring system for the contest, and we have a vague idea what that system was, the ultimate goal was to reward the girls with the most personality, whatever that personality may be.  While Pam and Antonietta clearly had different personas, they also clearly came across as confident and fully trusting of who they were.  Basically, it's more than fair to say that Pam and Antonietta each had a lot of personality, which is exactly what the judges were looking for.  That was key.  Based on having a lot of personality, both Pam and Antonietta belonged on the Camp Hollywood main ballroom stage that night as winners. 

Secondly, though, and more importantly, I think there's a practical thing that has to be kept in mind as well — and it's largely the reason Pam and I are very much at peace with runner-up. 

Yes, Miss Camp Hollywood, much like Miss Heartland Swing, is an honor.  But it's also a role.  In fact, it's probably moreso a role than it is an honor.  We know this first-hand from Pam's having been Miss Heartland Swing. 

Smekal, after winning Miss Camp
Hollywood 2012 (Facebook)

Everyone likes to focus on the honor.  Wearing the crown, getting the sash and the prizes are all parts of the honor.  But the role is the more important part.  The honor is sort of the "advance payment," if you will, on fulfilling the role.  And the role, for both Miss Camp Hollywood, is to help the Camp Hollywood event by promoting swing dancing and everything affiliated with it in California. 

Pam's done that in the Midwest for the Heartland Swing Festival as Miss Heartland Swing, of course.  We've gone to events upwards of 14 hours away, sometimes even if we could only make it for a few hours before returning home, attracted attention and made it clear the Festival we're representing is a big deal.  At Honor Flights, Pam will talk up swing dancing and even dance with me for the crowd to watch and admire.  It's certainly not the main reason she volunteers (honoring the troops), but it's a nice side benefit in a very visible place.  She knows her role and she's been filling it extremely well.

(As an aside, Pam kept her Miss Heartland Swing tiara and sash in the suitcase for Camp Hollywood because she didn't think being showy of a previous win would bode well in the contest.  We did have Miss Heartland Swing fliers out and Pam would often introduce herself to dance partners as Miss Heartland Swing, but she kept the more-visible accoutrements stored away).  

Krajewski answers a question from 2012
Miss Camp Hollywood emcee Tip West
(James Bennett)

Tip West, the Miss Camp Hollywood emcee, made it clear before the contest that the winner would not only be receiving passes to a number of California events, she would be expected to be at these events and involved as a judge at some level.  Miss Camp Hollywood was going to be expected to do a lot of the things Pam does as Miss Heartland Swing, just in California. 

In the time between the contest and the awards, Pam and I, knowing Pam did amazingly well, talked briefly about how she might possibly fill the role.  "We could maybe fly out here for an event or two," I said, "but we'd have to pick carefully."  I'm not going to get too deep into how much just this trip cost us, but it wasn't what I'd classify as "cheap".  Being Miss Camp Hollywood would have involved making a similar trip many times over, theoretically. 

Furthermore, for as much as we try and do in Milwaukee and occasionally Chicago for the Miss Heartland Swing effort, not being around regularly in California would have created a big disconnect for us from what it is we would have been trying to promote.  How are we supposed to talk up regular nights and venues in a place where we've never been to them? 

It just wouldn't have been practical for Pam to fill the role of Miss Camp Hollywood. 

One might ask, "Well, why even try then?"  Fact is, you don't know what the role involves until you go out and find out about it.  It's not that we didn't think the role would involve representing Camp Hollywood, but we didn't know where, what or how much that would involve.  Not to mention, there's still the honor.  Miss Camp Hollywood is a great honor and one worth shooting for — so much so that even runner-up is also a great honor, albeit one without any real role. 

Even with what little we know about Antonietta, she seems to have two things — the California connections and the proximity — that put her in a far better position to fill the role than Pam.  And, to be honest, if I were voting, I'd be thinking as much about the role as the honor.  I suspect Antonietta will fill the role well enough to warrant the honor. 

Adding all that up is why I feel like runner-up was the perfect thing for Pam in the end.  It's an honor, without a doubt, but really without a role, which is fine, considering Miss Heartland Swing is enough of a role itself.  It's something to take a lot of pride in and it made the whole trip worthwhile, without putting either us or Camp Hollywood into an awkward position.  It's a great thing. 

Krajewski in a vintage swimsuit (Danah
Zoulek/Danah Zoulek Photography)

Taking runner-up also sends a great message, too:  In the world of vintage fashion, as it relates to swing dancing, Pam's a powerhouse.  Much like how traveling competitive dancers don't always take first in every contest, the fact that certain dancers consistently make finals and place speaks to how they can say they're among the best.  Vintage fashion, like dancing but unlike sports where a distinct score is kept, is subjective.  One person might say one thing is better than something else, while someone else might see it the other way around.  But when a lot of people say, "Hey, you really pull that off well," then you can feel like you've reached an upper echelon.  Pam's clearly in that realm.  Wherever she goes, she's going to be recognized for what she does with her look, and with two "titles" under her belt in three attempts, it's basically official. 

So yeah.  In the end, runner-up was probably the best thing that could have happened.  We're happy, grateful and proud.  And we know Antonietta will do great ... in fact, if she wants to do any of the things we've been doing with the Miss Heartland Swing effort or would like to tap into Team Pam's resources for the folks on the West Coast, she's more than welcome.

To paraphrase Pam on stage, we just hope we're an inspiration and an example.  And, in L.A., Pam was exactly that.

Opening the Cornucopia of Blogs

"Life is for the living."

It's a mantra I've always lived by.  You don't get to do anything when your life is over, and there are certain things it's only easy to do when you're young.  If you don't do those things, though, you're going to spend your life wishing you did, particularly when you have opportunities that, literally, only come along once in a lifetime and are only for a select few people.  It was with all of that in mind that I somewhat talked Pam into taking advantage of her free pass to Camp Hollywood, despite the fact the trip would still cost us a pretty penny for all the other accoutrements (airfare, hotel, car rental, etc.).

Ultimately, Pam said it was worth it, and I believe it was, too.  There are so many reasons why, of course, and some of them are more worth covering than others.  I don't think there's much of a need to discuss the fact that we now have a new favorite roller coaster, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, nor do I think I need to explain the joys of having the top down on a 2013 Ford Mustang convertible as you cruise down the Pacific coastline.  However, there are a number of very interesting, swing-related things to discuss about the trip.

I have a tendency to be very, very verbose when I start to blog, so I'm making a point to try and split my thoughts up into a few different blogs over the next few days.  Pam will have her blogs, too, but I think there's some commentary that's important to come from me with an outsider's perspective rather than from Pam's voice.  Here's what I've got in mind:

• For The Best:  As great as out-and-out winning Miss Camp Hollywood would have been, second place might actually be the most ideal result for Pam in more ways than one
• The Leap:  How I've seen Pam transform as a person as a result of being Miss Heartland Swing, crystallized into two minutes on a poolside stage in Los Angeles
• Wingtips, Cicadas and All Things Smooth:  Having seen swing dancing in 15 other states, I assert that Los Angeles is still the capital of the vintage world, no matter what anyone anywhere else may think
• How to Win a Beauty Pageant With a Black Eye:  Crisis management, 3,000 miles away from home, and how we handled the situation after "the drop"
• What Now?  With the biggest dance event on the National Tour schedule behind us, where do we go with this whole Miss Heartland Swing thing from here? 

It's all on my mind and it's all worth discussing, so look for those thoughts in the coming days.

"Virtual" Tour Stops

Hi kids.  Dan Pfeifer here again, taking a break from our Camp Hollywood preparations to discuss "Virtual" Tour Stops. 

What's a "Virtual" Tour Stop, you ask? 

Well, it's really this simple:  Unfortunately, until human cloning becomes more practical or we can afford that "Holographic Tupac" technology, Miss Heartland Swing can only be in one place at a time.  On the weekend of September 15, Pam has been invited to be a part of two different, wonderful events that are extremely worthwhile and very much worth supporting. 

Pam can't be at either, though, because her only sibling, brother Michael Krajewski, will be getting married to his lovely fiancé, Katya Ouchakof, that day.  Such a large family event rightly trumps anything else, so Pam will stash the sash that weekend. 

Nonetheless, these events are worthwhile, so we've decided to promote them ahead of time much the way we would a regular tour stop — essentially making them "Virtual" Tour Stops, as if they were on equal footing with the other stops that ... you know ... involve us being there. 

Here's what they are: 

Miss Heartland Swing 2012-13 "Virtual" Tour Stops
Appearance	Location	Date(s)
Cowtown Jamborama 10	Omaha, Neb.	Sept. 14-16, 2012
Wisconsin Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Fall Homecoming #1	Milwaukee	Sept. 15, 2012

The tenth-anniversary Jamborama sounds like another wonderful event and we're a little heartbroken that we won't get to add Nebraska to the states we're visiting.  We're looking forward to helping inform others about it, though, and we here at Team Pam are hopeful that we can road trip to the event in one of our post-Miss Heartland years. 

Meanwhile, we know you're all aware how much the Honor Flights mean to us on Team Pam.  Molly Maka is due to give birth to her first child around that time as well gave birth to Henry John Francis Maka on Sept. 12, so we're not quite sure how the 40's Girls experience will be handled, but we encourage all of you who are closer to Milwaukee than to Omaha to come out and show love for some of the bravest men to serve America as they return to the airport that night. 

We've updated the tour schedule accordingly to include these events, and also remind you to check our previous blog entries for details on how you can add your event to the list, "Virtual" or in-person!