(Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a special five-part series.The five Queen and their Little Miss Spat contestant duo profiles are being featured weekly in the Sentinel. The 2022 Queen and Little Miss Spat will be crowned on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Urbanna firehouse at 4 p.m.)
Urbanna Oyster Festival Queen contestant Abigail Smiley and her Little Miss Spat co-contestants, Lucy Myers and Olivia Payne, conducted fundraising events to benefit Middlesex County Little League, the Parks and Recreation vDepartment and Middlesex Gymnastics Center. The money raised through their events and GoFundMe will benefit the community by providing scholarships for registration fees for sports and activities in the county. They also collected sports equipment to donate to the various programs to distribute as needed to teams.
Urbanna Oyster Festival Queen contestant Abigail Smiley and her Little Miss spat co-contestants Lucy Myers and Olivia Payne have worked hard to make it possible for all children to have all the same opportunities to play the sports they love.
Smiley decided to ask to partner with the Middlesex County Parks and Recreation Department, Little League baseball and softball, and Middlesex Gymnastics Center. She chose these foundations because she, her brothers’, and her spats’ families have participated in different sports these different programs offer. Abigail’s inspiration for her project came from her and her brothers’ love for sports.
“I think that sports build our community and bring people together,” she said. “Sports have always been an important part of my life and have helped me make many connections.”
Abigail raised money to create scholarships for children who cannot afford to pay the fees required for sports. She also collected used sports equipment to donate to the several organizations that she was raising money for. Her Little Miss Spat co-contestants Lucy and Olivia helped with the fundraisers they conducted — a fun run, gymnastics open gym, and a basketball open gym. “We had many fun mornings making cupcakes, signs, and playing on the playground,” Abigail said. “This was a great opportunity to help the community that I grew up in.”
The trio raised a total of $1,235 to go towards creating scholarships for sports fees in Middlesex County. They hope their project goes on to help many children get to participate in the sports they love. All children should get the opportunity to participate and build their community.
During her middle school years at St. Clare Walker, she participated in clubs such as Kiwanis Key Club and running club. Her seventh grade year she joined the soccer team at St. Clare Walker, her eighth grade year she joined the junior varsity soccer team at Middlesex High School. She has enjoyed being involved on a team and different clubs and carried her enthusiasm for sports and her community into her high school career at Christchurch School (CCS).
Smiley has been a part of the volleyball and soccer teams all four years she has attended CCS. She has also participated in her school’s aquaculture and oyster program. She is going to continue to rebuild the oyster farm at her school during her senior year. She has made dean’s list multiple times throughout her high school career.
She plans to attend college and go on to be a nurse. Abigail is the daughter of Will Smiley of Irvington and Mollie Brumfield of Urbanna. She has two younger brothers, Owen and Walker Smiley. Her Little Miss Spat Lucy Myers is the daughter of Ashley and D. Myers of Urbanna. Lucy has an older sister, Chloe Myers.
She is the grandchild of Billy and Gail Wilkinson of Middlesex and Darrell Myers Sr. of Middlesex. Lucy is a first grader at Middlesex Elementary School.
Abigail’s other Little Miss Spat co-contestant, Olivia Payne, is the daughter of Pamela Sickal and Bradley Payne of Middlesex. She has an older brother, Brayden. She is the granddaughter of Alma and Dean Sickal of Middlesex and Emma and Eddie Payne of Middlesex. Olivia is a first grade student at Middlesex Elementary School.
