Raquel Beezley, Barstow’s hometown girl, aspiring entertainment broadcaster, and current Miss California USA 2008, is on her way to the biggest challenge in her career.

Beezley heads to Las Vegas on Tuesday for two and a half weeks of preparation for April 11, when Beezley will vie against 50 other young women for the title of Miss USA 2008.

Beezley, representing California, will be competing against women representing every state in the nation and the District of Columbia in on-stage interviews, evening wear and swimsuit competition.

The 21-year-old has been preparing for that moment since the age of 13, when she began competing in beauty pageants. Beezley won the title of Miss Barstow in 2004 and Teen Miss Barstow in 2001 before she took the Miss California USA title in November 2007.

Since then, Beezley said, her life has been a non-stop flurry of coaching sessions and red carpet appearances. If she comes out on top of the competition April 11, she will go on to represent the United States at the Miss Universe competition in Vietnam in July.

Before taking off, Beezley talked about her life as Miss California and her preparations for the next step.

Having gone through the Miss Barstow pageant and the Miss California pageant, what was the difference between
the two?
Beezley: I actually think that Miss Barstow was a bigger accomplishment for me because I had always aspired to be Miss Barstow. However, in my preparation and competition-wise, Miss California was much harder.

In Barstow, I think I competed against five girls for the title of Miss Barstow, and in Miss California I competed against 90 girls.

Tell me a little bit about the preparations you’re going to have to go through for Miss USA.
RB: I have a good workout regimen. I run four miles a day, and I do free weights, and I eat complex carbs, and I have a great diet. ...

I’ve always been the type to dye my own hair and highlight my own hair and do everything by myself, but now I have a great hair stylist out of Hollywood, and I get my eyebrows waxed in Beverly Hills.

It’s just insane to me. I have a speech coach, and I have done three or four mock interviews where it’s question and answer for an hour and a half, in three minute intervals. Then they critique you right there, and you’re like, “That was intense.” But I have a whole team behind me, so I have great support.

What are you going to be doing in Las Vegas [before the pageant]?
RB: We’ll be doing the typical sightseeing things of Las Vegas, everything from visiting the shark tank to going to a couple of dinner clubs and watching a few shows and having a lot of dinners with some of the sponsors for the Miss USA organization.

Then, of course, we’ll be having a lot of rehearsals for the actual show.

Is there a camaraderie between the women there?
RB: Oh yes. I’ve never experienced the bickering that people have the perception of pageants having. It is really a camaraderie. You exchange business information and cards, and you make lifelong friends because those women are women that are driven and successful.

What has been your favorite part of being Miss California so far?
RB: The whole thing is my favorite part, but I love doing red carpet events. I love the photographers screaming my name and saying, “Raquel, this way! Raquel, this way!” and being able to see movies before they’ve been released to the public, and you get to mingle with celebrities.

What’s your favorite part [of the competition]?
RB: I just love competing in general. I love being the only girl on-stage, and all eyes are on me. I love swimwear, I love evening wear.

I love that time, because, yes, they’re judging you and, yes, you’re being scored on your physical attributes, but I thrive off of it -- it’s like, “Yes, look at me. Watch me turn, and watch me strut.” It’s just so fun to me, so just being on stage in general is my favorite part. /desertdispatch.com