My name is Allison Nicole Lordbock and I am proud to be your Miss Coon Rapids 2010. Just a few weeks ago my journey as the new Miss Coon Rapids began on the Coon Rapids High School stage. As I stood on that stage alongside seven other incredible women my heart raced as the crowning moment got closer and closer. When my name was announced as Miss Coon Rapids everything inside of me jumped into the air as I saw my family and friends leap up from their seats screaming and cheering! Time has raced by since that night and my weeks have been filled with fantastic appearances around Coon Rapids getting to know this wonderful community.

                I am originally from the small Northern Minnesotan town of Brainerd, Minnesota. I grew up on my family’s horse ranch learning the value of hard work early on in life. Pageants were never part of my goals as a young girl; I was very content riding my horses into the sunset. However, much of what I learned growing up on our ranch has helped me become the strong young women that I am today. I learned that most people are capable of far more than they may at first believe. When there was a load of four hundred bales of hay to be stacked in the barn’s hay loft, it was easy for me to feel overwhelmed and defeated. However, working together as a family the task was completed, working one step at a time. I learned to have a strong positive work ethic and to never be afraid of hard work.

                After graduating with honors from Brainerd High School in 2005, I packed my bags and headed down to Fort Myers, Florida to attend the Fort Myers Florida Master’s Commission. I was nervous about leaving my family and moving so far away, but I was very excited to see where my journey was going to take me. Fort Myers Master’s Commission is an intense discipleship program for young adults who have a passion to serve. While taking correspondence college classes from North Central University in Minnesota, I began travelling throughout Fort Myers, the United States and finally internationally with motivational speaker Reggie Dabbs and Jason Maupin of Elevate Industries. I was part of a team leading Kids Club programs throughout the low income housing districts of Fort Myers. I also had the chance to work in local jails and women’s shelters. I travelled to Tennessee, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Washington D.C, and the Carolina’s, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and several other states in two short years. I also went into Holland and Belgium speaking in international schools and local churches.

                Currently I am completing my Associate of Arts degree at Central Lakes College and living in Brainerd, Minnesota. After graduating this spring I will be continuing my education with a focus on communications and youth ministry. I have a heart and a passion for working with young people. This passion will fuel my work as Miss Coon Rapids. My platform focuses on encouraging youth to set high standards for their lives, believe in their dreams and make positive choices in their daily lives. You cannot change what you have done, but you can change who you will become. Many times the choices of our past can become stumbling blocks that seem to hold us back in our lives, but they need to be stepping stones that we can learn and grow from.  I want to be a voice for my generation encouraging them to set high standards for their lives and more importantly to keep those high standards. 

                This coming June I will be competing for the title of Miss Minnesota. I am so excited to stand on that stage as Miss Coon Rapids with such an amazing committee and support team behind me. Coon Rapids has a strong legacy with the Miss Minnesota Organization and I have big shoes to fill in upholding that legacy, but I am excited for that challenge. I am so honored to have this opportunity to represent this community.  In just a few short weeks I feel as if I have been welcomed with open arms into your community, experiencing and enjoying the beauty that Coon Rapids has to offer. I am so blessed to be in this position and I am excited for my year to come. There will be parades, speaking opportunities and appearances with the lively Junior Royalty. However, most importantly I will have the opportunity to impact the lives of young adults in Coon Rapids and inspire them to believe in themselves and in their dreams. Thank you for welcoming me into your city as your new Miss Coon Rapids 2010.

          “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Eliot

                           Your Miss Coon Rapids 2010, Allison Lordbock