HANAMA‘ULU — There she is, Pacific Island Princess Sadie Corpuz. At only 21 months old, she’s got the runway walk, the wave, the blowing of the kisses, down pat. She’s even got the paparazzi “duck-and-run” thing going on, putting on
HANAMA‘ULU — There she is, Pacific Island Princess Sadie Corpuz.
At only 21 months old, she’s got the runway walk, the wave, the blowing of the kisses, down pat.
She’s even got the paparazzi “duck-and-run” thing going on, putting on the dark glasses and waving the cameras away.
Between multiple fittings for her costumes and shopping for matching accessories, Sadie snacks on Goldfish crackers or string cheese to keep herself from acting up.
For the pageant, as she walks down the runway, the announcer declares that her favorite foods are chicken, fish and saimin, and her favorite toy is her “Dora The Explorer” doll.
Her normal day is as follows: wake up at 6 a.m., eat, play around, take a nap, and then do it all over again. Such is the life of a tiny pageant princess.
Today, she and her parents, Marie and Jonathan Corpuz, leave for Kona on the Big Island to compete in the statewide Pacific Island Princess pageant. She garnered the invitation when she won the Pacific Island Princess title for Kaua‘i back in February.
So far, she’s won a crown, a Pacific Island Princess sash, $500 in savings bonds, and an invitation to the state competition in the princess division, where she could win $1,000 in savings bonds.
From there, she would go to the Royal Ali‘i division, where she could win another $1,000 savings bond or a trip to Disneyland.
To win this weekend, Sadie will have to ace the interview in which the judges will chat with her and see how she interacts with others her age, the swimsuit and the aloha wear and gown competitions.
Sadie’s mom, Marie, said that Sadie was a natural when it came to learning her moves.
“I didn’t have to show her what to do. I would just say ‘throw kisses’ or ‘wave,’ and she would do it,” Marie said. “She wasn’t a challenge at all.” Win or lose, Marie said Sadie will continue to compete in these competitions until Sadie decides she doesn’t want to do them anymore. She’s got another pageant lined up for July.
“I’m looking up different pageants. I’ll hear from other pageant moms or find them out on the Internet, something like that,” Marie said. “Soon she’ll start to practice a talent, so she might start doing hula or something in the summer.” In the meantime, Sadie practices her walk, and throwing her kisses in front of the large mirror placed at her level in the hallway.
Sadie is the third daughter of Marie’s who has competed in pageants. First-born Tiana, who currently attends Kaua‘i High School, competed in the Carnation Baby contest, and second-child Tiera, at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, competed in the Tropical Baby Pageant, when they were younger.
Marie herself had wanted to compete in the pageants when she was younger.
All the prize money Sadie receives goes into her savings account that, Marie said, is untouchable until she reaches a certain age.
• Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
