Girl answers call of beauty pageants
Brooklyn Bella is at ease on the stage.
Last year she had the lead role in Brookwood Elementary School's production of Alice in Wonderland, and she's performed at Augusta State University's Grover C. Maxwell Theatre in The Music Man. Her more recent appearance on stage, though, was for the Hawaiian Tropics Beauty Contest at Augusta Mall, where she was crowned grand supreme winner in her age category.
"That was really cool," said Brooklyn, 11, who on Wednesday starts sixth grade at Columbia Middle School. "I had a really good time up there and performing."
Brooklyn's interest in the contest was piqued when she and her grandmother Gerry Bella were shopping at Augusta Mall one day. When her grandmother saw a poster announcing the contest, she told her granddaughter she should enter.
"She said, 'You'd be perfect for that, Brooklyn,'" said the daughter of Tim Bella, of Evans, and Tony and Sandra Goddard, of Grovetown.
Brooklyn's first foray into pageantry was when she was an infant. Her second pageant experience was when she was 5. In addition to the latest contest, she has been in three pageants, winning in her age group each time.
Brooklyn Bella, 11, of Evans, is the newly crowned winner of the Hawaiian Tropics Beauty Contest for her age group.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Now that she holds the grand supreme title from the local contest, Brooklyn will compete in a national pageant to be announced at a later date. For winning the competition, a portion of her national pageant fees will be paid.
In addition to pageantry, Brooklyn enjoys singing and dancing, swimming, playing tennis and cheerleading.
"Me and my dad just play tennis every so often," she said, adding that she plans to join the Columbia Middle School tennis team.
She also has been to cheerleading camps and enjoys cheering in her spare time.
As a big sister - baby sister Brailyn Goddard was born three weeks ago, and brother Byron Goddard is 4 - Brooklyn is working very hard to be a role model and a good older sibling.
"I love her," she said of her baby sister. "She's so sweet."
Brooklyn is sure to entertain her siblings with lots of singing and dancing. She's born to be a performer, off stage and on.