The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Many of the aspiring models who strutted their stuff on the catwalk at Conestoga Mall last Saturday, discovered that modelling is an unforgiving business Only eight of the more than 140 boys and girls entered in Model Search 98. ranging in age from three to 19, won an allâ€"expenseâ€"paid trip to the Modelling Association of Canada (MAOC) convention in Toronto in February. But even a victory is no guarantee of sucâ€" cess. Of the seven winners who went to the convention last year, only four ended up winâ€" ning titles. Debbie Maronmk, president of the MAOC, said shes upfront with all the entrants belare the competition. She‘s quick to tell them that the odds aren‘t in their favor "There‘s no guarantee that anybody here today is going to be a model," she said just before starting the competition. "Basically it‘s to see if the potential is there. The most important thing is to have fun because not everyone can be a model." And its no secret that the judging is based on the entrants‘ physical attributes. "It‘s judged on how they play themselves to the audience," said Maronik. "It‘s their presenâ€" tation and presence." One of the success stories from last years P*0°"7 °* S L local competition was 13â€"yearâ€"old Elizabeth Conestoga Mall Walaszcyk, who went on to win the top child model competition at last years MAOC convention. That success translated into a contract with the Ford Agency in Toronto. Now, the only thing holding up a lucrative career is her age. She has to wait for her 16th birthday before she can get into adult modelling. "They wanted me to g'o to Milan but 1 was too small," she said. "So 1 have to wait a couple of years until I‘m 16 so 1 can model more." Model hopefuls vie in local competition Another winner from last years local competition, Amanda It‘s the BIG ONE It‘s the ONE they line up for! TWICE the SALE! TWICE the SAVINGS! ‘AND LASTS ALL mMONTH LONG SALE STARTS: Monday, February 2 10 am â€" 6 pm ALL FALL AND WINTER STOCK Bob Vrbanac Chromicle Staff 747â€"1199 SPRING BOOKINGS: Call February 15 SUMMER BOOKINGS: Call March 15, April 15 or May 15 Ashley Letwin, 12, competed Satâ€" urday in Model Search ‘98 at Conestoga Mall in Waterloo. * Except Jewellery, Sunglasses, Spring Arrivals and Tommy Hilfiger 50% OFF The Atrium 33 Erb St. W. Waterloo (above the Duke of Wellington) good time i ':I'fin;wg;ierid she had a good time," said Rhonda. "It was a good experience for her. She likes to be on stage. We thought she would enjoy it, she likes performing in front of people." aeol Th B WBE CN2 CC MR SR CC OO N200 n C cce aret en Li While Molly was all smiles, sixâ€"yearâ€"old Chery! Weiberg bit her lower lip as she fought back the tears. She might not have known why she lost to Molly, but she knew she wasn‘t the winner. She was just one of 132 others in the competition that day. Mallard, was a hule luckaer. She was 19 when she won the compeution. Since then she has modelled in Japan and France While she‘s enjoyed some success, she said it‘s coupled with the pressure to fit an image She‘s tmed to stay grounded "There‘s always that pressure about being thin and everything," she said. "I think that a person should just stay as they are and just be that way" While Mallard has made some money in modeling, most of the other contestants at the competition said modeling comes with a price tag Models with potential can take courses at an modelling agency hike Cameo in Kitchâ€" ener. The problem â€" a fiveâ€"session modelâ€" ling course can range in cost from $750 for preteens to $1,000 for adults. Angie Holowaty, the mother of identical twin models who just graduated from Cameo, said it takes a real financial commitâ€" ment "It‘s a lot of money, especially with two of them not just one," she said. "It‘s double the cost. If it just gets too financially burdensome then they have to stan prching in too." But the course does pay off. Fiveâ€"yearâ€"old Molly Patterson of Waterloo, the winner of the fourâ€" to eightâ€"yearâ€"old category, just gradâ€" uated from a program at the agency. Her mom, Rhonda Patterson, said she entered Molly in the competition at the urging of the agency. Her only hope was that she‘d have a 747â€"2552 excluding La Parka Coats and newly arrived Resort and Spring “‘%°' s1 N 4 lt _i T2 EPp SA«I,%C %.fi 3# Winter Clearance 17 Thy St. N. Kitchener. Ontaric N2H 245 * (519! 744â€"6906 iede OPEN Mon: 105. Tues thru Fn. 1046 Sat 15 307 LANCASTER ST. W., 373 BRIDGE ST., KITCHENER WATERLOO 744â€"1109 747â€"0320 POLLOCK AND WILLIAMS PHARMACY CoOoOmNVENIENCE y e y _ B T AW _2 50%+70°Off Free parking at the door‘! LINDA LUNDSTR@M SHOP Continues