This past Saturday (June 13), Lady of the Lake candidate Crystal Bell saw her months of training and preparation come to fruition as she was crowned Lake Cowichan’s top ambassador for 2015/2016, in front of the public upon the Saywell Park stage.
Along with Bell, Kirsten Mackie and Sidney Fothergill were named First and Second Princess, respectively. The crowns were passed on to the three girls from the now-former Lady of the Lake Lauren Frost, First Princess Madisyn Young and Second Princess Marigold Arbic, who took on their duties as Lake Cowichan’s ambassadors at Lake Days last year.
“When they said my name, all I could think was ‘wow, this is really happening!’” Bell said. “There was some shock at first, but I’m ready to go with it – I’m ready to begin my new journey.”
Bell said she felt encouraged to join the ambassadorship program after seeing her sister, Amber Bell, take part in the program after being named First Princess in 2011.
“I got to see her grow throughout the program,” Bell said. “It’s a really big thing in our town, it allows us to grow and have things that young people in other towns and cities don’t have; things like public speaking skills, creativity and more confidence.”
In preparation for entering the program, Bell and the other 11 Lady of the Lake candidates took part in weekly Toastmasters sessions to hone their public speaking skills, as well as constantly practicing their individual talents, which they displayed at the Opportunity Night last week. Bell chose poetry as her talent, and read aloud her own social commentary piece titled “Wake Up.”
“I learned a lot about myself during the past few months,” Bell said. “It pushed me out of my comfort zone, but in a good way. I could always speak in public, but now I’m up there with confidence.”
The candidates were also taught extensively about the area and its history.
The first order of business for Bell, Mackie and Fothergill will be to travel to Sidney to take part in the Canada Day parade aboard the Lake Cowichan float. The team will be heading to Mesachie Lake immediately following to take part in the area’s own Canada Day celebrations.
“I’m really excited to get an opportunity to travel and to talk about my town,” Bell said. “Some people don’t know about Lake Cowichan because it’s just a small town. I can tell everybody about it. I’m excited to do that with Sidney and Kirsten.”
Bell also said that she’s looking forward to being a larger part of the community and helping with fundraisers and other events.
