Sadie crowned Miss Diamond Ireland winner.
What a little lady Sadie is!
At just two years old, the Lurgan girlfriend won the title of Tiny Miss Diamond Ireland and it’s clear that a bright future in the world of sports lies ahead.
Little Sadie Dixon-Wilson’s success has left the whole family “incredibly proud”.
And, as Chloe Wilson said Armagh Iit’s very much a family affair when it comes to competitions and all they stand for.
Keen to dispel old myths about what competition is all about, Chloe said sportspeople are confidence builders and would encourage anyone to “give it”.
Sunday’s success means Sadie now reigns nationally and represents County Armagh.
Two-year-old Sadie, with mum Chloe and sister Eliza (7).
But unfortunately, due to being “too young”, he cannot compete in the next stage in Las Vegas.
Hopefully though, that will change and one day Sadie will be on her way to the US of A!
A young girl’s victory at the Diamond Ireland Pageants was a coincidence.
Chloe said: “We had just seen on Facebook girls who had done Miss Great Britain and stuff, so I was really looking into it for my older daughter, Eliza.
“We thought we’d just try Sadie, so we tried her last September. There was a little charity competition and she won it, so we stuck with it.
“Then his sister started with him, and his aunt also started with him, so it’s still busy.
“I think before we started we had the same mindset that a lot of people have, where it’s just girls going to hang out and it looks really cool and I didn’t know if that was something I wanted to get them into.
“But I’ve talked to a few girls here who have done big competitions and they say, no, it really builds their confidence and things like that.
“My daughter Eliza has ADHD and her aunt, my 10-year-old sister Elsie, has autism, so I think we’ll stick with them and see if there’s anything that can help them with their confidence.
They have only been in it for six months, and their confidence has completely changed.
“The first time Elsie didn’t even want to go out, now she’s happy enough to go.
Sadie and her aunt, 10-year-old Elsie.
“It’s about giving all the girls confidence.” Even the community and friendship of all of them is nice, because now they have made friends who are now best friends.
The first charity game the family went to was at the community center in Newtownabbey and that was a way to get involved and get on with it.
Now it’s off to Sadie to make a little history.
“From pageants, the aim is to support charities and a little bit to raise money for the girls who are holding it.
“The competition that Sadie was in at the weekend, last Sunday, was the Diamond Ireland competition and she won it.
“She won Tiny Miss Diamond Ireland and she is the first here to win it because they had not finished her years yet.
“All the seniors, from four years old and up, who win it go to America to represent their counties here and Ireland in general, but because Sadie is so young, she’s only here because they don’t do her age right there.”
Not one to let age restrictions dampen their enthusiasm and dampen their ambition, Chloe revealed how they intend to move forward in the future.
All those crowned in Diamond Ireland will go on to represent Ireland in America.
“The hope is that next year he will go and do the same Diamond Ireland tournament and he will wear the crown for his age,” he said. But after next year, he will move up to the senior division, to the Mini Division, so if he wins it he can move on to America.
To say Sadie’s family is very proud is putting it mildly. But the good thing is that the participants who do not take crowns or top places are still happy who do.
That only has to do with what the competition helps instill in the competitors.
“It’s great to see the girls’ photos from the weekend, even the older ones who didn’t win it, where one of the other girls in their group won it but everyone was happy for them,” added Chloe. “Everyone is happy for whoever wins. Obviously you want to win it too but everyone is happy for each other.
“For Sadie, we’re really excited too because she’s only two and there’s a lot to take in. Even her sister and brother watching were so proud of her and her sister can’t wait to do it next year. It’s great for kids or adults to get involved – there’s an amazing man doing it so it’s great for everyone to get involved!”
Most pageants are promoted on the Diamond Ireland Pageants Facebook page, where announcements of events, whether for charity or otherwise, are made in advance.
And those who win at any level are there to help lift others up, follow them and inspire them.
“Whenever the girls win the Diamond Ireland Awards, they usually make a little appearance with their bracelets and crowns,” explained Chloe. “So it’s nice for them to go and support other girls doing their sports.”
In fact, it is like a family, a real community, with more popular competitions than ever before.
For anyone with doubts about getting involved, the best advice and words of encouragement come from the mother of a Lurgan national champion…
Chloe insists: “If anyone wants to build confidence, pageants are a good way to do that. “It’s more focused on confidence and even its community now, than its appearance as it was years ago.
“So, basically, I’m a thinker, give it a go. Anyway, everyone’s going to enjoy them.”
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