Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you are in the world. It’s Dr. Jan Fortman with Relationship Matters TV. We have a very, very, very, very, very, very—I have to say that again—very exciting show this evening. You are going to meet some awesome women that I met just a few weeks ago. They are Queens, Queens in all of the Realms. They are Queens. I’m going to bring them in shortly, but first, I want to talk to you about Courageous Leadership Academy. If you have worries, if you have fears, if you have doubts and you want to transform them, you want to transform yourself, you want to be a better person, you want to take some action, go to CourageousLeadershipAcademy.com and find all that good information for you. Well, you know, usually I’m on my soapbox, and I got off of my COVID soapbox, and uh, so I’m not going to be on a soapbox this evening. I’m just gonna go right into my guest. So let me tell you a little bit about them before I bring them on. First, we have Dr. Linda Sutik, and she is Miss Senior Florida America 2022. With diverse interest in volunteering, education, and work experience, Linda presents herself with a full immersion honoring her education and life. She has a doctorate degree in educational leadership, and I just found out we went to the same university and we have the same doctorate. She was both an educator and school principal. Linda is also licensed in real estate and insurance. Guess what, Linda? So I’m licensed in insurance, not real estate, and she is a former city councilwoman in Rhode Island. Linda loves ballroom dancing, acting, singing, and plays pickleball. Is that something new I’ve been hearing about? Her favorite saying is, “Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble. Be with me, Lord, I pray.” And then there is Miss Senior Maryland America, Janice Thomas. She has such a beautiful name. Janice discovered her lifelong passion for education at an early age, and she decided to dedicate her life to making schools a safe harbor. She dedicated 45 years of service to the public school system. I only did 34. Yeah, it’s too amazing. And she created the new student game, which helps students integrate into a new environment, and it’s sold by Marco Products. Since losing her mother to heart disease in 1993, it is her goal to serve as an inspiration for women of color to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And we know that heart disease is one of the major health issues with women of color. Uh, let’s see what else. Her platform is youth empowering seniors through mentorship. Then we have Joyce Graham, Miss Senior Missouri America 2022. She’s originally from Davenport, Iowa, and was blessed to make an incredible career move that I’m going to find out what that is to St. Louis. She is now retired and devotes her gifts and time to better her community. She has two sons. She’s married to a wonderful husband who is writing a book about her. Turn to my husband, and her favorite quote is, “God is faithful.” So I want to bring to you all of the Queens: Dr. Linda Sutik, hi, Janice Thomas, welcome, and Joyce Graham.

Dr. Linda Sutik
Good evening.

Joyce Graham
Good evening.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And what’s the weather like in Florida, Linda?

Dr. Linda Sutik
It’s been above 90 almost every day. It’s hot and humid. I spend most of my time indoors enjoying the sunlight from the inside looking out.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Like I wanted to hear that, right? Because it went from 80 to 50 here. And Miss Missouri, what is it like there?

Joyce Graham
It’s beautiful. It was today. It cooled off. We were glad to have 90-degree-less weather. It was 98 yesterday, wow, 90 today, and so because it went to about 75 this evening, that’s beautiful.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
What happened? I don’t know why I asked. What about where you are, Janice?

Janice Thomas
Well, it’s warm during the day, and then in the evening, you need to put on a jacket. It chills down a little bit, but this is my favorite time of the year, so I love every bit of it.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, so let’s get down to it. We were all—we met at the Miss Senior America 2022 pageant, and I met these ladies, and I thought, you know what, I really want to continue a wonderful relationship that we have established, and I just—I’m just so happy to have you all with me this evening. So let’s get it down to it. This is what I want to know, and some questions I had before when I was telling different people who I was going to have, and the question to them and to me was, what made you want to be in a pageant? Anybody can answer it. So, Dr. Linda, what made you want to be in a pageant?

Dr. Linda Sutik
Well, I hadn’t really thought much about competing in a pageant. I was approached—I live in The Villages, Florida, it’s an over-55 community—and I was approached by a woman who knew who I was by some of the things that I do and asked if I’d be interested. And I said, let me hear more about it. When I heard it was for over 60 years old, and the mission statement was looking for women that are in the age of elegance and looking for women who were accomplished—most of us are accomplished before 60—but what do we do after 60? You know, where there’s life, there’s hope. And they were looking for women who are accomplished after 60 years old, and I thought that might be something interesting as to be an inspiration to younger women or to other women in The Villages that there’s life after 60. And that’s what initially got me interested.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and what about you, Joyce?

Joyce Graham
Well, actually, my husband signed me up.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right.

Joyce Graham
We actually went online and located the pageant, and he signed me up. I’m very grateful he did because I may not have—no, I’m sure I would not have done that myself.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wow.

Joyce Graham
But I’m very honored that he thought enough of his Queen to enter me in, and it has been something to behold every step of the way. I’m so grateful, and I’m honored that he chose me as his Queen, and he made sure that he was supportive every step of the way, all the way through Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah, all righty, that’s great. And what about you, Janice?

Janice Thomas
Well, I’ve liked pageants ever since I was a little girl, but I was always the person behind the scenes. My friends did pageants, my cousins did pageants, and then I had a daughter, and she did pageants from like 8 to 28. But then she got married, and she’s, “Mom, you really love pageants, so let’s find something for you.” So she actually found it for me, and then the rest is history because now I, at age 60 plus, wanted to be in a pageant because I never did it before, and it was so much fun. So that’s kind of like my history. Like Joyce got there with her husband, I got there with my daughter.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
This is beautiful. So is this your first pageant, Janice, or you actually—

Janice Thomas
No, I was actually in that pageant last year when they did virtual, but it was really hard because you had to do everything on your own. So I said, I want to do a real pageant, so that’s why I went back this year.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, so, well, I know Joyce, this is your first one. Well, what about you, Linda? Is this your first one?

Dr. Linda Sutik
No, no, it’s not. I was in a lot of pageants in Rhode Island in high school, and then there was a hiatus during college, getting involved in that. And then when I got married, I ran for Mrs. Rhode Island. I was first runner-up. And then there was another hiatus until this one this year. So I’ve had some pageant experience over the years, but it’s been spread out over a lifetime, and I found it very—I love the people that I meet. It’s very interesting. It’s exciting, a lot of self-growth, and yeah, I’ve enjoyed my trip.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So how do you prepare to be in a pageant anyway? How do you prepare, Linda?

Dr. Linda Sutik
This particular pageant, I mean, there’s a talent competition, there is an interview, and there is a philosophy of life, and then there’s the gown. The talent and the interview are worth 30 points each. That’s very, very heavy there. And then from there, you factor in all the others. So my fiancé—I just got engaged last night to be married, so I’m very excited—my fiancé is, in fact, that’s how we met. So he coached me on a song that we had chosen. That was one way to prepare. That was my biggest preparation, that was for the talent. Then I purchased a couple of beautiful gowns. I went up to Gainesville to David’s Bridal, bought two beautiful gowns. Philosophy of life took some thinking, some introspective thinking, and those are really the main, the major aspects of it. And it’s over a period of time you formulate all of those. Your talent gets better, your philosophy of life becomes solidified, you take care of your wardrobe, and it’s all about a pathway journey. It’s a journey of the process to the actual pageant.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, what about you, Joyce?

Joyce Graham
My talent is something that I’m constantly doing. I’m a dancer, so I’m in rehearsals on a regular basis, and I minister dance throughout the country and doing dance workshops and performing. The philosophy of life, basically, as we have become more seasoned, we always tend to lend information or advice, if you will. So it was, I guess, sharing what I always share with people throughout my career and throughout my classes as I have taught through the years. So preparation for wardrobe, I will say a lot of clothes because I’ve been in corporate for many years, so it was kind of there. But it did help when my husband said, you know, you’re probably going to need some new clothes, you know, for the pageant. You know, you’re probably right. So it allowed me to go and do some shopping, and he was tickled pink that he had an opportunity, since it was all his idea, to go with me and help choose some gowns and outfits. So it worked out really good. I’m not a big shopper, but it was fun picking out clothes, the wardrobe, if you will, as a whole. And shoes is something that I probably got problems with anyway, so shoes were there regardless. I loved it. Every step of the way was fun, it was exciting, and it was a lot of things that I didn’t realize was necessary. Those little small things—I’m not one, well, I won’t say small—I’m not a makeup-wearing person, and I learned that makeup matters with pageant sometimes, but I had to learn to wear some makeup.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and what about you, Janice?

Janice Thomas
Actually, I had a few friends that had done pageants before, and they’ve done Senior America, and they said, well, you should do it. So I love to dance too, as well, and I like country music, something just like different. And I said, well, it’s time to make a new routine, it’s time to go out and shop. And I had gowns, something, where are you going to wear these gowns? I was actually getting ready to get rid of them, and then I’m thinking, okay, now here’s Senior America. So then I wore some of the gowns I had, I talked to a lot of people, but the most fun for me was working on my talent. So it kind of brought back my dancing skills, so to speak, because I was dancing on my own all through the pandemic, and I said, well, you know, I used my YouTube, and I’m like, so I put it all together. Philosophy, it was the way I live, so I didn’t have to make that up. So I enjoyed it so much, and I said, well, I’m gonna do this, and I dug my feet in and dug my heels in, I said, I’m gonna go, and it was amazing. So I’m glad I made that decision.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So I wanna, I want, well, one of my viewers said, let me put it down here, she says, love the word seasoned, love that word, absolutely, because we are never old, we’re only seasoned. Some of us are just a little more seasoned than others, and then some of us are a little more spicy, some are sweet, but we’re never, ever old, and that’s just part of my philosophy. Okay, so Joyce, how old are you?

Joyce Graham
I will be 65 May 14th.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right, and Linda?

Dr. Linda Sutik
I’m 72.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And Janice?

Janice Thomas
I’m 72.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Joyce, you’re such a baby, 72. Wow, ladies, excellent. And of course, I’m the senior in the bunch. So Denise Kaizel says, hello, ladies.

All
Hi Denise!

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Thank you. So did any of your friends or colleagues or acquaintances say to you, you know, like, why would you, why do you want to enter a pageant at your age? Did you get any of that negative feedback?

Dr. Linda Sutik
I didn’t get any negative feedback. Most people felt that they didn’t have the courage to do it, so they were admiring me for wanting to take that step, right? And they lived, but they lived vicariously through me throughout the entire process and were very, very supportive.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, what about you, Janice?

Janice Thomas
I’m very adventurous, so nobody was surprised when I decided to do a pageant because there she goes again. So I kind of jumped in, nobody’s ever surprised, but they always supported me to get me to what I wanted to do.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So now, Joyce said something about the wardrobe. You know what, I had never seen so much bling in all my life.

All
I know, right?

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah, I was telling my friends, I said, it was bling everywhere, in the hair, the ears, and the rings, the bracelets, the shoes, the everything. And I remember my director saying that, well, you know, there’ll be a lot of bling, but I didn’t know it was going to be that much bling. OMG. And I thought, God, all this bling I had here, I guess I could have just brought it all and just had it all up and down, you know? So now, what, okay, so we talked a little bit beforehand about the interview. Tell us, Janice, about the interview process, and did you have to practice for that, or, you know, were you ready for it, or what?

Janice Thomas
Well, you have to practice questions. You never know what they’re going to ask you, so you just have to be ready with an answer that hopefully the judges will like. But yes, you have to practice on your own. You have to have a wardrobe. You can’t just wear anything in there. You have to look polished when you go in, and then the judges will sit there. There were five of them, and you have five minutes, and they ask you, they fire off the questions, and you answer their questions, and it goes by really fast. You talk about this show going by fast, that goes by really, really fast.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yes, yes.

Janice Thomas
But I enjoyed the interview. I thought the judges did a great job, and because that’s what you’re going to be doing as Miss Senior America, you’re going to be talking to people every day, so you got to be ready because you never know what questions are going to come.

Dr. Linda Sutik
The interview is a job interview, and that’s how I felt when I went in. In fact, when I was crowned Miss Florida Senior, when the pageant was done, I had an opportunity to talk to some of the judges and to commend them on the sophistication of the questions that they asked. I felt it was a real sense of respect to the candidates that the questions were so complex, and I felt that that was really a way that they showed respect for all of us.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, what about you, Joyce?

Joyce Graham
I really love the interview process. Being in HR for over 30 years and interviewing and hiring so many different candidates, it was wonderful to be on the other side of the desk, if you will, and hear those questions being asked that are not necessarily work-related. It was all about life and what life really is about, and I was able to, in my opinion, answer honestly and totally with confidence how I live life and how I think life should be lived according to this years of this, if you will, age of elegance. And we’ve arrived there, and it’s just a privilege to be here. So when the questions were asked, they were certainly relevant, and they were very thorough, and each judge was clear and concise, and they waited respectfully for a full answer. And I was grateful that they heard the complete answer, and they responded, and I felt as though they were listening to me. So it was a very relaxing—

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Are you going to say that it, you know, you weren’t nervous, nervous, or—

Joyce Graham
I didn’t find myself nervous. I wasn’t nervous. I really was very excited over getting ready to get started and let’s share. I wanted to share information because I knew they had questions to ask, and I was eager and excited to share.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, okay. So now, there were so many, well, not so many women, but there were 41 women total, and we had to bring a small gift representative for, well, 40 women. So, Janice, what did you have in your—what did you bring?

Janice Thomas
Actually, boy, I had looked at a Netflix movie called The Secret, and they had a stone, and you take the stone and you carry it with you, and every time you touch it during the day, you’re grateful for something. So I found these little stones, and then I gave everybody one with a little blurb that says, I am so grateful to be in this pageant with you, and every time you touch this little stone, be grateful for something.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and Linda?

Dr. Linda Sutik
I decided to do postcards of the sunny state of Florida, and in the back of the postcard, I wrote a little note.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And Joyce?

Joyce Graham
I love St. Louis, and everyone got a keychain, either of the arch or something that’s the Cardinals, something St. Louis. So it was a keychain. I wanted something that they could also find useful and think about me, I mean, as they’re driving around.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, all right. Well, I had little pins. It said Illinois, and then I had my card, my kind of business card with my queen face, and then, but you know, I was doing a shameless plug, in other words. And so that was what I did, but I should have had yours with, because I have them here, and I thought they were so nice, you know, and I thought everyone, all of the contestants put thought into what they wanted to, you know, to give to all of the contestants. And at first, I thought, what? I don’t know. I was 21. Yeah. So another question, how did you pack your crown?

Dr. Linda Sutik
Oh, I have this decorative little hat box, and I put the crown in the hat box, but we were very fortunate. We drove 18 hours from Florida to Pennsylvania, so we packed everything in, and I didn’t have any problem keeping my crown stored separately. The issue we had was we had a gig on Saturday night back here in The Villages that we had contracted for way before the pageant, so we drove 18 hours straight from Friday afternoon all the way to Saturday afternoon to get home in time for the gig. So packing the crown was not our problem, not an issue for us.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So what about you, Janice?

Janice Thomas
Actually, I did the same thing. I had a crown box, but I bless you, girl, 18 hours, that’s a long ride. Mine was only two, but yeah, and I put it in the box, and it’s glass, you can see through it. So that’s how I travel with it. I put my sash in there, I have a couple pins in there, so that when I grab it, I have everything all in one spot.

Joyce Graham
And I purchased a special container to protect it, and we were flying, so I’m grateful I did, but it was well kept, and on the way back home, it made it safely.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Well, that’s wonderful. Well, I broke back one, and I wasn’t about to break the second one, so it is well protected.

Joyce Graham
Yes, because I wasn’t really used to wearing a crown, and so I put my head down and boom.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Oh, yeah.

Joyce Graham
You know, and so, but my girlfriend is an Eastern Star, and so she has a crown, so she gave me a really very nice crown box to carry my crown in, and I’m like, Joyce, I was determined when I get back, I am not breaking it. It’s gonna be safe. So I’m going to take a quick commercial, but when I come back, when we come back, I would like each of you to tell us your philosophy. What is your philosophy? So be ready. We’ll be right back.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, so we will be right back. Don’t go away, because I’m going to ask some more questions. You know, I’ve been getting these questions on my phone, and so I gotta ask some more questions about being Miss Senior Maryland, Florida, and Missouri.

[Commercial Break]

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Hi, we are back with our Queens. We are back with Dr. Linda Sutik, Miss Florida Senior America, and Janice Thomas, Miss Maryland Senior America, and Joyce Graham, Miss Missouri Senior America 2022. So before we left, I asked a question, and it was a question that came in on my text. They wanted to know about your philosophy and why did you have to say or come up with the philosophy. So let’s start with Janice.

Janice Thomas
Okay, do you want us to do our philosophers talk about our philosophy?

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
If you would do it.

Janice Thomas
Oh, okay, I got you. Hear it. All right, here we go. To the young and to the elegant, you’re never too young or too seasoned to have dreams and goals or to change those dreams and goals. Look at me, I’m 72 years old and a pageant wore sparkly earrings. That was not on my radar 10 years ago. Life will present itself. It’s up to us to step into those opportunities. I’d like to see the young and the elegant join forces. Let’s build dreams and goals together. We have a lot to learn from each other and get changed some perceptions in the world. So I have a question for everybody in the arena tonight and on our live stream. Who wants to join me in my vision? Thank you.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Thank you. And Linda?

Dr. Linda Sutik
Yes, the philosophy of life was a maximum of 35 seconds, so that becomes a very daunting task, how to include everything in that amount of time. So this is what I’ve decided to do. I started my philosophy by saying, you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. Thank you, Mae West. I get a lot of laughs on that one. I live every day as if it was my last. I love my family and friends. I cherish the forever imprint they have made on my heart. My brain-damaged daughter sees the world through rose-colored glasses. They protect her from harm. She sees her mom as being perfect. Who am I to argue with her? I want to live every day as if it’s a new adventure. And I said my last sentence was, I want to add the Miss Senior America Pageant to that list.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Good. So what about you, Joyce?

Joyce Graham
Well, it is a blessing to age. However, we’re never old, only seasoned. Some of us more seasoned than others. Some are sweet, others are spicy, but never old. And I found these words to be a source of encouragement to others. And as I’ve aged, I’ve learned that reaching out to help others has fueled my journey in becoming a well-seasoned woman.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right, all right. Your talent, what did you do? Because it was amazing to me. Oh, are you talking to me? That’s me, Janice.

Janice Thomas
Oh, okay, don’t worry. Well, it was a combination of clogging and tapping, and then I picked like a country song. I like the Dixie Chicks, the other chicks now, and that song just hit me. It probably only took me a couple days to choreograph that myself because I just felt the music, felt the song, found a great costume. I love orange, so I said, let’s just do the cowboy theme, cowgirl theme, and I just went for it. I had so much fun doing that on stage, and I wanted to be able to do it again. So maybe I will do some traveling, be able to do it again. But I actually love that routine. I would do it every day. I still do it now that I’m home. But yeah, so it’s kind of country clogging, tapping, if that makes sense.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
What is clogging?

Janice Thomas
Well, it’s similar to tap, but tap, you’re lat on the front of your foot. Clogging, you’re lat on the back of your foot. You’re clicking your heel. They’re kind of like a variation of each other, but don’t tell a tapper that they’re a clogger, and don’t tell a clogger that they’re a tapper. But I kind of put the two together, and then like different parts of the song, I was tapping, different parts of the song, I was clogging. So unless you know tapping and clogging, tapping and clogging, you probably didn’t even know the difference.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, all right. And Linda, you sang. What did you sing?

Dr. Linda Sutik
I did, and I didn’t get a chance to see any of you ladies, your talents, ladies. I’m so sorry. You know, we weren’t allowed to see it at one time, and then I just didn’t get a chance, so I apologize. I sang a song from the movie “Then Came You,” and it was the title from the song. But I had a very interesting experience during my talent competition. The song was restricted to two minutes and 45 seconds. That was one of the rules. So with a minute left, the track cut out. There was no track. The sound cut out. There was a technical difficulty. In my mind, I’m thinking, did I repeat a paragraph? Did I complete the song, and maybe I didn’t realize it? But I didn’t miss a beat, and I finished it a cappella. And then they graciously allowed me to redo the entire song at the end of the talent competition. So I thought that that was a very interesting experience because, unlike most of the other singers, I’m not a pro. I’m an amateur singer, so I was hoping that I would give me some brownie points, which not missing a beat, just continuing to sing as if nothing had happened. But everybody was looking like, what happened? The track went out. So that was a—I found that was very much a learning experience for me.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and Joyce?

Joyce Graham
My gift is a combination between modern jazz, ballet, and praise. And I say that because when I dance, I’m ministering, if you will. And so when I’m performing, I’m performing to an audience of one. And if anyone is around that is blessed or enjoy what I do, that to me is rich enough for me, and I’m grateful for that. And that’s how I approach everything I do when I utilize my gift, my talent that I have, because I love to dance. And I never had an actual formal class. I was, I think, a junior in college before I actually had a formal lesson. I didn’t know what first position was—it’s a ballet move—until a junior in college. And I learned from an incredible instructor, Juilliard instructor. She learned out of New York, and I came to know her because we were actually appeared on the same ticket at a place where I was dancing, and she was too. And she’s like, who is this dancer with all these legs? And she explained to me what she was doing, and she was a professor at the college that I went to. And from that point on, we started working together with the different ministries, different dance companies. I didn’t know ministry at the time, and it was three different dance companies before I knew it. And I had not had that training as others had had the training as children with the tap and the modern and the ballet. And I was a non-traditional student, a divorced mom raising boys, so I had no opportunity to actually take those lessons in class. And I’m looking forward to learning tap.

Janice Thomas
You’ll love it.

Joyce Graham
So I’m looking forward to that. And Linda, I saw where you took acting lessons in New York and you appeared in two Off-Broadway musicals.

Dr. Linda Sutik
I did. I was very, very fortunate. When I retired from being a college professor, I always wanted to act. I did community theater in Rhode Island, and I decided to go to theater school in New York City. So I rented a room in an all-woman’s dormitory, and with a backpack, I’d walk through Greenwich Village, and I went to HB Studios and studied theater. And I was fortunate to be cast in the ensemble of two Off-Broadway shows. One of them was “Hairspray,” and that was a lot of fun. And then I moved to The Villages, but I had a great experience in New York City. It was wonderful.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wow. So, wow. Did you want to continue your acting career?

Dr. Linda Sutik
Yes, I run a theater here called All About Theater. I put on four to five productions a year. In fact, I’m in the process right now. I’m in the rehearsal process. We’re doing “Harvey” the end of November. That’s based on the old Jimmy Stewart movie with the invisible rabbit. Right, he was using that show at the present time.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. And let’s see what else did I find out. Janice?

Janice Thomas
Yes.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right, now you’re qualifying for the National Senior Games in 2023. Now, what is that? What is all that about?

Janice Thomas
Well, after you are 60, you don’t want to give up being an athlete. So you have to be—I think they start at 50. But about two years ago, I started running again, started running the 5K. I started running a mile. So I didn’t even know they had these games until I was searching around on the internet. So I want to go and compete in the 5K, which is kind of like three miles. Then I want to do the mile. It kind of keeps me in shape. And everybody says, I can’t believe you’re out running in 72. Well, why not? I also found out that the oldest runner started running when he was 89 years old. He’s 110 right now, and he still runs.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wow.

Janice Thomas
It’s amazing.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah.

Janice Thomas
Wow.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So you run every day? You train? You have a trainer, or this is just, you know, what you do on your own?

Janice Thomas
I kind of run on my own, but my son used to run track, my daughter used to run track, so I kind of get tips from them. But I don’t run every day because the knees won’t take it. So I kind of run like two, three times a week, and it kind of keeps you in shape. But yeah, it’s fun. The first time I went running and I got a runner’s high, I’m thinking, well, you feel really good after you run and you sweat. So I kind of got hooked, and so now I’m running, I say, two or three times a week.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wow. And so do you get a trophy? I mean, do you have to get to the finish line first?

Janice Thomas
Yeah, it’s just like a regular track meet. Everybody competes, and it’s who’s the fastest. Oh yeah, they give really nice awards for first, second, and third. Now for our group, I think it’s the top eight, but you’d be surprised how many people show up at the games because I’ve been watching them and trying to decide all the times to beat, and some of those people are pretty darn fast for being 70 and 80. The oldest woman last year was like 83, and she won the 50-yard dash. It’s fun.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Amazing.

Janice Thomas
It is amazing.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
That is amazing. And let’s see, we have a comment here. Wow. And because we move so we can keep moving, right?

Joyce Graham
A big part of our, if you will, here with Missouri is we do our showcases, and we go into different facilities and encourage those who haven’t been moving around for a while, maybe due to COVID, if you will. But it’s so encouraging to be a part of the showcase and share with them that, yes, we can all move to some degree, even those who may be in a wheelchair or on their walker. And I’m loving the fact that I’m looking forward to choreographing for those who are on their walker and in their wheelchair and being able to share. You certainly can and work up a sweat.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah, you can still—

Joyce Graham
It’s called choreography, and you can still move. Just keep moving so you can keep moving.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
But that’s true. I work out three days a week, usually a couple of hours, and I know I won’t get my girlish figure back, but I can keep moving. And that’s the whole thing, you know, that you must keep moving. You must keep moving. So now tell me about your gowns.

Joyce Graham
I love my gown. It was beautiful, and I love the pink. I really—my gown for the chocolate ball, fabulous. And my husband was—his tux matched all mine. Oh, my gown was really great. He’s so fine. So he was doing so cool right there with me, and it was a fun gown because I love pockets, and my gown had pockets in it, so I could actually have my hands in my pockets when I moved around and just had fun. It was an easy, fun, fitted gown, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, and I felt like a princess.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right.

Joyce Graham
Gown walk, it was just—I just felt so special, and I just was in awe and so grateful to God for being right there, right then, and being a part of it all.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And Linda, tell me about your gown.

Dr. Linda Sutik
Yeah, I chose three different gowns. For the chocolate ball, I wanted to do the Audrey Hepburn look, so I bought a beautiful black gown that was all beaded, stoned at the waist, and as an accent, I wore hot pink gloves, opera gloves. I used that as my signature piece. I wore opera gloves for each of my outfits. Yeah, and my beautiful fiancé, who’s so handsome and so talented, a black tuxedo, and I put a hot pink handkerchief in his pocket to match my opera gloves. For my pageant dress, I bought a beautiful ecru color with a lot of sparkle to it with the shadow panel in the middle here, full Cinderella type. I have a small waist, and I’m bigger at the bottom, so that particular style flatters me. And then for the pageant competition, I bought a beautiful white gown, and I wore opera gloves with those too. But it was just, you know, it just feels like you’re being a princess. You don’t get a chance to dress like that very often. I’m a ballroom dancer. I used to dress like that a lot more often when I was doing active competitions, but now that I’m not, it was just so much fun to go shopping for all those outfits and feel like a princess, and that was a wonderful experience.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And Janice?

Janice Thomas
I chose green. I wanted to wear a color that I don’t normally wear, so I chose green. It had a big skirt to it, and I was flipping the skirt all over the place when I was modeling my dress. But I liked it because it sparkled from the top to the bottom, and I think when the light hit it, it really showed off the dress. So that’s what I did like. So the green was a different kind of green. A couple of the other girls had on green as well, but not that shade. So I was glad that I had chosen the dress that I had chosen. And for the ball, I just wore a plain with silver, plain, but it was kind of form-fitting, more form-fitting than my green dress, and it was easier to move in because it was more spandexy than my other dress. I know, like, when I was on the stage in the green dress, I had to be really, really careful because it was a little tighter, but the skirt was just everywhere, so I would wear that skirt. And what I like about that dress too is I can take the skirt off, so I can get a lot of wear out of it with the skirt on, with the skirt off. But I had a great time. As a matter of fact, my daughter, who helped me so much for this pageant, she actually was the one who picked that dress for me, so it kind of was like modeling for her and modeling it for myself.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Oh, that’s nice. Okay, so I have one last question here that just came in, actually. What is the best advice that you would give someone who may be thinking about entering the Miss Senior America pageant? I will start with Linda.

Dr. Linda Sutik
I think, and I’m getting those questions now because we’re recruiting for the Miss Florida Senior American Pageant 2023. I think what I would tell women is, are you looking for an experience? Are you looking for a growing experience? Do you want to learn some new things? Do you want to meet some new people? Do you want to explore your talent? Just prepare for a wonderful experience over 60 and be adventurous. You want to be adventurous, then I think you should go for it.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, Janice?

Janice Thomas
I would tell them, don’t think of it as a pageant. Think of it as something new you’re adding to your life. So maybe you’ve never done it before. You’re going to meet a lot of new people. Get out those gowns, get out those dresses, but make it a new experience because never say never. Some people say, I would never do a pageant, but don’t think of it as a pageant. Think of it as you’re adding something to your life.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Exactly. And Joyce?

Joyce Graham
And even more than that, I echo what they both shared. This is about you. This is about you and doing something that’s fulfilling for you in your life at this stage in life because you take ownership of it, and you embrace it. And it’s so important to enjoy every moment. Don’t stress, enjoy, because it really is a wonderful journey. It’s a wonderful journey. Go on your journey and enjoy it and make note of it so you can encourage someone else. As we become more seasoned, we can appreciate it even more every single day. Every day, you can appreciate this journey. So embrace it.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
I love it. I just have something to say here. So seasoned, are you spicy or sweet?

Joyce Graham
I’m the sweet one. I’m sweet.

Janice Thomas
I’m spicy. I’m gonna go for it, and everybody’s gonna know you’re there, and they’re gonna enjoy every minute of it, so I’m spicy.

Dr. Linda Sutik
Oh, I think I’m very spicy. Yeah, I think people would say that about me, yes.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and guess what? This person here, Maxine Walker, who says she loves the word seasoned, and then she said that, yes, you do feel like a princess in the gowns. She’s also a queen. She is Miss—so she’s Miss Midlothian, Illinois.

All
Okay.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And so we were together in the Miss Illinois pageant. Yes, so she knows all about being a queen. And Maxine, you should have come on, and you could have also been telling us about your journey as being a queen. So ladies, I have enjoyed this. I have enjoyed having you on, and just to get a chance to really talk with you because I know, well, I was sitting next to Joyce, so we could chit-chat, you know, in between changing clothes and changing shoes and putting on makeup. But it’s so wonderful. So now, Linda, you’re Miss Florida Senior America.

Dr. Linda Sutik
That’s correct.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
During that win in April?

Dr. Linda Sutik
In April. We’re doing the 2023 pageant in The Villages, Florida, in my hometown. I’m very excited about that.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and Janice, will you be doing Miss Maryland Senior?

Janice Thomas
We’re gonna try to do Miss Maryland in April as well, and I’m going to combine with Virginia and West Virginia, and then we’re going to try to do a really big pageant.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and Joyce, Missouri?

Joyce Graham
We’re going to actually have our pageant April the 30th, 2023.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right, well, I’ll be looking forward to all of the pageants, and I hope that actually I’ll be able to, not to compete, but to come and visit. But I want to thank you, ladies. Thank you, thank you so much.

All
Thank you so much. It’s been a plum-pleasing pleasure. Thank you.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Thank you. So in touch, ladies, keep in touch. So have a beautiful, blessed rest of your evening.

All
Right, thank you. Thanks so much. Thank you, everybody. Good night. Bye-bye.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wow, this has really, really been great. I just wanted you all to get a chance to really experience the ladies like I experienced. And if you are a senior, ladies, don’t sit back in your rocking chair and like, oh, I’m too old to do this, I’m too old to do that. You dance, you can clog, you can sing, you can act, you can do whatever you want to do. Pursue your dreams, pursue your goals, and just think, maybe, maybe there’s a good chance that you can be Miss Senior America. So I will see all of you next week, where we will have another show of exciting, informational, motivational, yes. Remember, there are all kinds of relationships, and there are all kinds of relationship matters, and all relationships do matter. So I will see you next week. And what do old people say? Uh, what is it? Something about if the creek don’t rise? I think that’s what they say. All righty, so I’m talking because I’m trying to find my closing, and I did. All righty, everyone, have a beautiful, blessed rest of your evening, and thank you all for tuning in. Bye-bye.