Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned. This rule appears to be especially true for disqualified beauty queens.
At last month’s NAD pageant in Palm Desert, Miss Deaf New Jersey was disqualified by the pageant committee (and apparently also by members of the NAD Board) for alleged violations and improprieties. Miss Raymonda Azrelyant was accused of various misdeeds, including hugging her boyfriend a bit too long, being cued during her talent performance (an Ukrainian dance) by her mother sitting in the audience, and being three minutes late.
It should be noted that Miss Azrelyant won the top platform, and was a very strong contender for the crown.
Last week, her mother, Irma Azrelyant, wrote an open letter to the NAD protesting this disqualification, and it was published on RidorLive.com. A few days ago, Miss Azrelyant created an exceptionally well-signed vlog detailing her experience.
Despite this disqualification occuring nearly two months ago, it’s created a quick little media story for us deaf masses. August is always a slow month, anyway. From their mother-daughter perspective, the NAD’s decision to disqualify Miss Azrelyant appears to be outrageous and lacking in common sense. I doubt we’d hear a response from NAD on this issue, but stranger things have happened.
But the greater issue of whether pageant should even continue has also cropped up, too. Rob and others have proposed an ambassador contest where two deserving young people, one male and one female, are chosen to represent the Deaf community. It’s very politically correct, but a Deaf Ambassador certainly lacks the allure and glitter of the Miss Deaf America title, and I, for one, would be a little sad to see it go (much like how I feel about the British royalty).
However, Miss Azrelyant’s outrage and subsequent media blitz reflects poorly on the pageant’s administration. Reforms certainly seem to be needed, if only to preserve the integrity of the pageant. That said, in this age of consumer-driven media, Miss Azrelyant’s disqualification might turn out to be the best thing to happen to her. I certainly can’t remember who the new Miss Deaf America is…do you?
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Your last comment is right on the money. We will remember Miss New Jersey a lot longer than we’ll remember whoever actually won. It’s like the hearing Miss America Pageant … the only winner most people remember now is Vanessa Williams, who had to give up the crown after naked pictures of her were published in a magazine. She used the controversy to go a lot farther than any other Miss America ever has — including cosmetics saleswoman Heather Whitestone.
what can we do to show our support for raymonda? I was captivated and disgusted by all these “politics” Is there a bias against all pageant contestants that aren’t from South Dakota? thats my initial impression after finding out who this year’s winner was and the last pageant winner as well.
Actually, having one state win twice in a row isn’t that uncommon for NAD. A look at their MDA page (it needs to be updated…doesn’t include Teruel, Wright, or Casler) will reveal that:
-Maryland won twice in a row, with Susan Davidoff in 1976 and Jacqueline Roth in 1978.
-New York: Mary Beth Barber in 1980 and Barbara Tubbs in 1982.
-California: Nancylynn Ward in 1990 and Stephanie Long in 1992.
-California: Amy Wong in 1998 and Lauren Teruel in 2000.
Lauren Teruel won for Illinois, not California. Miss Deaf California in 2000 was Lexi Marman.
Is it possible that she’s just a prima donna?
Yes, but Maryland, New York and California are all major states with a lot of people. South Dakota has a population of approximately 79 so it’s a little weird for them to have two Miss Deaf Americas in a row.
Yes, but South Dakota has a disproportionately large and well-knit deaf population in Sioux Falls by way of CSD, so those folks probably get to really cultivate some pretty good contestants. It’s hard to be a MDA contestant when you’re disconnected from the deaf community, and living in Sioux Falls is about as connected as you can get without going to a deaf college. That’s my guess.
It does (or should) make a difference if the judging panel is composed of at least one SD/CSD representative. Was that the case this recent year and/or two years before? NAD’s website didn’t have this particular information, so it’s probably somewhere in the program book.
I’ve searched rules/regulations on the google about hearing pageants BUT none for NAD’s rules/regulations. Can anyone help me out here so we can read it and see why they came up with these kinds of rules.
Jennifer Yost went to my high school, WT Woodson. She was a few years behind me but everyone knew her. Every boy knew her to be precise. Apparently she was very easy to get along with. And yes, that is a double meaning. This situation has her fingerprint all over it, Jennifer practically invented the crab theory.
You’re one to talk crab theory. Not only is your comment inappropriate, it’s irrelevant… you’re talking about Junior High from almost 20 years ago.
Ms. Yost was Miss Deaf America for a year, and wore the crown with grace. It’s no exaggeration to say she understands the expectations and obligations of the MDA better than anyone else.
Is this the same Glenn Lockhart who said the state of Arizona would be much better off “once we get all the spics out”?
Of course not.
wow that’s a pretty strong accusation, but yes i do believe politics are behind this disqualificatioin
People have said that Raymonda got what she deserved. Through her years at Gallaudet, people have called her arrogant, boorish, and self-centered. I was a high school classmate of hers and found her respectful of my friends.
Whether it was “deserving” for her to be disqualified, I do see the need for changes to be made to the MDA program.
Now, what about CoBo (College Bowl)? Do you all think changes need to be made? One NTIDer told me this summer after finding out Gallaudet won again “oh, they just feed you guys the answers,” tells me that people are tired of Gallaudet winning. I think it’s time to open up the CoBo competition to schools with deaf programs (ASU, Northeastern University, Boston University, etc.) and make it similar to the current Academic Bowl format (regional competitions, with top 1/2 coming for nationals).
Ho ho ho… I would love to see that, but do you really think the NAD has the resources to do that? You must be out of your mind.
“Gallaudet keeps winning”—I’m not a Gallaudet alumnus but I don’t feel there’s a bias in the name of this game. I agree, it’d be great to include other universities but their numbers of deaf students fluctuate yearly. Not all of them are of the CoBo caliber. It requires remarkable memory and quick critical thinking skills to be on the team.
As always, may the best team win. Gallaudet is like the Yankees, many of us will root for the underdogs if they’re capable of beating the bulldog. Until then, they’ll keep winning.
That would be a really nice move if CoBo could be opened up to more schools. I discussed that option with Yost when I worked at NAD as an intern a few years ago and the problem was always.., deaf students are often so spread out and few colleges have enough deaf students to put together a team of good caliber. It’s the same problem that plagued CNAD. There are a lot of intelligent deaf students out there, but it’s tough to find at least five to ten of them clustered at any one college. And then, once you find a school with enough deaf students… there’s the next hurdle of finding enough within that group interested enough to join the team.
Greetings! I hope you won’t mind my weighing in on the College Bowl competition. By way of introduction, I have coached the Gallaudet team in the last five College Bowl competitions
First, let me assure you that NO ONE feeds answers to Gallaudet or any other school. The competition is fair, and any team can win in any given year.
Second, NAD DOES plan to expand the College Bowl competition beyond the original three schools. There was a motion at the 2004 NAD conference mandating just that. Christian Wojnar, the current College Bowl committee chair, and his fellow committee members, working with NAD staff, developed draft guidelines for an expanded competition. I, and many other people, hope that this comes to fruition.
This situation happened in Michigan recently. Sad NAD didn’t learn the lessons from Michigan’s. The problem, as I see it, is that nobody wants to admit that we as a whole have a major elitism issue. Nobody wants to talk about the elephant standing in the room.
I think it’s time for a massive reform in the Deaf community. We have to become more transparent in our self-regulation. We have to make our politics more transparent. We have to make it so we can hold each other accountable in a legitimate way, instead of the usual back-stabbing. But that will require a serious look at ourselves individually and as a whole, but thus far, we haven’t been willing to step up and do that.
I know all about NAD. They still owe me a HUGE apology, which I know I will never get. A long, confidential story made short: they ripped me off, wasted my summer, and sent me home in emotional ruins.
There was an interesting comment on Ridor’s blog… it was reported that she wasn’t just 3 minutes late getting into her hotel room. She was seen at the hotel lobby 3 minutes past her curfew, so technically, she was more than just 3 minutes late.
Time will tell if she’s just a prima donna. I certainly got that impression while looking at her vlog. Oh, woe is me!
I knew her briefly - on a professional basis - and I have seen her on stage. She has the confidence, but hasn’t the grace and maturity to become a role model for the young deaf community. After viewing her video and reading her mother’s angry letter and all I could think of two words: Lindsay Lohan.
I haven’t viewed her video, but her mother’s letter, while angry, does raise some legitimate questions for me. If her mother’s allegations are true, then why weren’t the other contestants held to the same standards as Raymonda?
That’s a good question - I have no idea. I have heard plenty of stories about how a bunch of hypocrites the NAD folks are - especially Bloch and Yost who are nothing, but prima donnas. But, this is very common in the pageantry and the personal experiences among the contestants are frequently brutal.
It’s just that she should have appealed the Board’s decision in privacy and with dignity, you know? Not whining in a video making her look like a sore loser.
I’m inclined to agree with you Cloak, but on the other hand, I think the Deaf community has gotten caught up in this notion that if we air our dirty laundry, it’ll get clean.
Look at the Gally protests, the Rosie Swistras with the Michigan Deaf Association, Ryan Commerson and The Tactile Mind against Michigan School of the Deaf. All were wildly publicized. And none of them were a resounding success.
The Deaf community’s knee-jerk response now is to go to the media/internet and scream about it. Because it DOES work sometimes. It worked in the Cochlear Implant trial in Grand Rapids, MI. It worked for DPN of 1988.
So I dunno. What’s sad to me is that I’m not sure if appealing to NAD in private would’ve even worked or not. From what I’ve seen in the past year or so, it is my opinion that NAD needs massive reform. There’s far too much elitism going on. People are held to different standards. Things aren’t as transparent as it should be. So maybe this is a way to shake up NAD and have the Deaf community tell NAD, ‘Hey. You guys need to reform, or we’re leaving.’ Because you know, how things are done at NAD does affect the Deaf community at large. We take cues from them.
*shrugs*
I won’t speak to the actual MDA/NAD situation, but I do want to say that Raymonda’s vlog was very well done. She was well-spoken and presented herself quite well.
Check this out:
http://www.ridorlive.com/?p=1840
http://www.azrelyant.com
It’s more than the state a contestant represents. It’s also is the home state the contesstant hails from so Nancylynn Ward also hails from Maryland while representing California so that might had played a role especially if at least one judge is from Maryland. College Bowl and Academic Bowl is nothing really. Those colleges with strong services for deaf people has far better academics than that of Gallaudet University. You can’t measure true intelligence and prestige by means of playing trivial pursuit, scrabble and for a lack of better word College and Academic Bowl.
NAD Conference is outdated in many ways - NAD pageant (kinda sexist and illogical), the College Bowl (very junior stuff) and workshops to be scheduled at very last-minute.
We might never know the real “behind the scene” of what happened with Miss New Jersey and NAD pageant coordinators. I kinda sympathize with Miss NJ.
At least, people find the way to expose or publicly shame the establishment thru the use of vlog or open letters via e-correspondence. How interesting!
Hard to say if Miss Deaf NJ really a prima donna or not. I never meet her in person. I must admire this individual for her determination to get the general public to hear (read) her out what she have to say.
What about organizing the grassroot activism to upsurp the deaf community at large?
Look at the recent Gally protest! We are kinda outwitted, outmanuevered and underfinanced within the protest.
We really need the long-term grassroot activism trainings within the deaf community at large.
YLC did not produce the generations of effective and presentable deaf leaders so far.
NAD really did not seek the development of future deaf leaders equally among states. Many rural states like WV really lack the strong deaf leadership.
RLM
This is quite UNBELIEVEABLE. I am amazed at how QUICK people will jump in on this incident without really knowing what happened - wanted to believe the big bad organization invented what happened so as to ‘get’ one of the contestants… This is a VERY public event- the officials can NOT disqualify a contestant without AMPLY proof; that can be supported; of blanant breaking of the rules.
That mom sounds like a ‘whining stage mom’;living vicariously thru her daughter; who is making excuses for her ‘little princess’ that can do no wrong. Mom has laid it on THICK about not knowing the’who’ that reported her daughters violations. There were SEVERAL people who witnessed the violations. To have to take such strong steps as to dis-qualify someone in this public event- there must be (and is) proveable documentations of the actions.
This TRANTRUM of mom’s and finger pointing at others is childish. IF Raymonda really wanted to be MDA- she should stand on her own NOW and not let MOMMY fight this ‘battle’. How could she have been on her on as MDA -(I mean supposing she had actually FOLLOWED the rules and won??) - Would she have run to mommy if a challenge came up durig her reign? It seems that mom, instead of teaching her daughter that there are consequences for her actions - is teaching her - claim your wrong-doings aren’t as bad as others so that you shouldn’t be punished. WHEN are we going to start teaching this generation responsibilities for their own actions and life. Raymonda knew the rules, she chose to break several of them - it doesn’t matter if it was 3 minutes, 30 minutes or 3 days. It doesn’t matter if the hug was 2 seconds or 20 minutes, and mom cueing her;”I feel a strong kindship.. part of my native culture showing my enthusiasm” OH PLEASE!- integrity is integrity. Don’t you want a Miss Deaf America that proudly possesses integrity?? Not someone who cuts corners. Her mother’s childish excuses demonstrate that was NOT a value she felt important to teach.
I applaud the Miss Deaf America Pagent and NAD officials for upholding the finest qualities of the competition.
i don’t think that raymonda is letting her mother take care of her dirty work, she did post a vlog about her experience so she’s done her own part, i am aware that beauty pageants have stricit rules but honestly 3 minutes should only get a scolding at the worst, not a disqualification among others. i’ll be the first to admit i don’t know the full story of what happened here so i’d love to see the pageant director’s perspective on this “controversy” so that we can see it from both sides but i’m reluctant to think that it’d be truthful, “crab theory” does sort of apply here.
WOW…Debby sounds upset. I hope you read this Debby. You insult the Mom and Miss Deaf NJ. I can only see this as your personal failures in life. Maybe your mother did not show you enough love and treated you poorly during your childhood. That is why you bash the Mother. As for your insults to Miss Deaf NJ, you must be horrible looking, a failure in your career, disfunctional relationships, and definetly overweight with strecth marks… Instead of insulting people, work on yourself and one day you will be happy, you miserable excuse of a lady!!
Everyone seems to chime in and say their two cents. My question for you is were you there? Do you know exactly what happened? Chances are no. You all jump on the band wagon and support one side of what happened.
First of all the cueing factor is a huge thing in itself. In a regular hearing pagent if anyone assists you during your talent why should you not be DQ? Even if the mother says I was just trying to get her to go faster that is still help is it not?
Second huggling the b/f sounds a little funny for a reason but when contestants attend the pagent they teach them about professionalism during that time and prepare them for being in public and how long they should embrace a male figure such as if you were Miss Deaf America. It’s little things like this that piled up and really other people saw rules being broken and sorry honey you signed a contract which states if rules are broken they could result in DQ. Others may have done things yes and they were given warnings and never did anything but several warnings were given and the cueing was the final thing and if nothing was done how would that make the organization look? Easy like they can get away with whatever. A lot of work was put in to turn this organization around from when it started to slip down and hard work was applied.
MDA has no had issues like this severe ever and it’s not politics. Look at the Miss America Pageant for example. There are many times when one state wins twice or more in a row. Miss Mississippi won back to back years.
Rules are rules and not meant to be broken. If you can’t follow them to a T then don’t commit yourself to what you are joining.
Don’t finger point until you yourself know the 100 percent truth. We are a Deaf Community and I’m glad to see us standing up for our own but why are we fighting backstabbing our own.
*** My Letter to NAD ***
I finally sent my letter to NAD. Please check my xanga website: http://www.xanga.com/MissAzrelyant ~
Thank you.