The 74 Miss Florida USA contestants showed off the results of long hours in the gym Thursday as the preparations for Saturday's pageant continue.
The contestants put on their bikinis and headed to the pool at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood for a rehearsal and photo shoot -- and pool-goers didn't seem to mind.
Slideshow: Pool day
Slideshow: Contestants show off swimsuits
Special section: Miss Florida USA
"It was nice to see when I woke up this morning. It goes well with the coffee," said one man at the pool.
"Obviously a pleasant surprise to see them all here," said another.
The women showed that all their dance classes, cardio, squats and sit ups have paid off.
"It really hasn't hit us yet that we're competing, but today was the first day that it really felt like, 'Oh gosh, this is real,'" said Miss North Broward USA Kiley Coleman.
"We just kind of, like, pose and smile, and as long as we're having fun, I think that's all that matters," said Miss Lakeland USA Jossie Nikita.
Winning that tiara takes grit, talent and money. Some women spend up to $10,000 on one evening gown.
Miss Florida USA 2010 Megan Clementi said that when she was competing, she used autographed cards and brochures in the hope of drumming up sponsorships. The women in this year's competition are going a little more high-tech.
"I had all these people that were wanting to help me, but they didn't know how, so I made the page. I was able to link it up to Facebook and Twitter and was able to get all the money, so all my friends in Texas helped me out. It was great," said Miss Melbourne USA Jennifer Crocker.
Crocker set up an account online and raised $2,000 for travel expenses, interview coaching and a gym membership.
"I'm a poor college waitress, so this site helped me tremendously. I didn't have enough money on my own, so my friends and family really are the ones that helped me get here today," she said.
Miss South Beach USA Melissa Barragan pounded the pavement.
"My degree is business entrepreneurship, so this really allowed me to exercise those skills that I'm going to need in the future," Barragan said.
Although the fun in the sun Thursday morning ended earlier than expected because two contestants fell ill from the heat, the ladies returned to rehearsals and got ready for their interviews.
