Miss Crawford County

Ten long years ago, at the end of August, I was crowned Miss Crawford County. That was really (or should have been) the culminating point of my pageant "career". I competed in pageants from the time my mom entered me into (and I won) a baby contest when I was around 1-2 years old until I was in my early 20s. I won the hometown pageants over the years and even a few pageants in neighboring communities. I never did the 'Young Miss American Princess of Royalty Photogenic' blah blah blah pageants as some of the girls I knew did. Those required entry fees and my parents didn't have the money to do it-- but I don't think I really ever asked. Most of my dresses were borrowed, bought on a really awesome sale, or bought from a second-hand store. I remember after prom season one time I got a pretty dress for around $10 that would have cost normally well over $100 because it was past the prom season and the dress had a little rip near the bottom of the dress (which we stitched up and you couldn't see unless you examined it very closely).

Being Miss Crawford County was a dream of mine for a very long time. I had gone to the pageant every year since I was about 8. My mom's friend was Miss Crawford County when I was very little and encouraged me to do it when I got old enough. I competed for the title in 1998 and didn't win. Looking back, my talent presentation was juvenile, my gown was ill-suited, my swimsuit was poorly chosen, and the best thing about my interview was probably the suit. After the dismal showing, I realized I was at the 'big game' and needed to step it up, so I traveled a lot that year between 1998-1999 competing in any open local pageant I could get to. I didn't win a single one, but I saw A LOT. I met girls who used laxatives to "clean" their systems the days before competing so they had no tummy bulge. I met girls who were on gummy bear and water diets for a week or two before competing. I met girls who used hemroid cream on their thighs and wrapped it in saran wrap to draw out an extra water weight that might make their legs jiggle in a swimsuit walk. I also met a lot of healthy girls who were very talented and well-spoken who did pageants the right way and I chose to emulate those competitors in my journey. So I worked out. I asked around and got my hair done (the news anchor cut was popular back then in pageants). I went for a make-up consultation. I tapped into a few of my fashion-forward friends for advice on wardrobe (picked a new swimsuit and a new gown, but was advised to keep the interview suit). Read the newspaper, watched the news, kept up on current events as well as entertainment gossip-- and talked to people about those current events to practice for interview. And I did my pageant research and developed a new talent with a new outfit designed by my mom and me. I did my homework and I came to win. And I did in late August of 1999, which was amazing because the slate of girls I was competing against was strong and they also (for the most part) wore their game faces too.

Pageants were a big deal for me. Through school I did them because they were fun-- I love to dress up and look 'pretty'. But I got a lot of flack for that, too. There were a lot of people I went to school with who made fun of me for my participation in pageants and hated me because I must have thought I was so much better than everyone else because I competed in pageants and *gasp* won. As I continued to compete through high school and college, I realized the valuable tools pageants gave me. I had self-confidence and those times when I maybe didn't feel the most confident, I was able to push through and do my best. I had a lot of experience developing my opinions and finding ways to eloquently express them. It was very important to me to stay true to myself in my opinions but I also had to recognize that not everyone would agree with me, so I had to find ways to let people know what I thought without being offensive. I had a lot experience with public speaking and interviewing. This has been probably the most important part for me. I have been complimented on my interview skills so often in job interviews, which has helped me get jobs. Also, public speaking isn't always my favorite thing to do, but I can get up and organize my thoughts and myself and address a group of people without feeling foolish because of my experiences. Winning Miss Crawford County and meeting so many people throughout my reign also made me many connections, which has been helpful in owning my own business. People, ten years later, still recognize me as MCC and will call me out on it.

This year, for the first time in the history of the Miss Crawford County pageant, the pageant will not take place at the Crawford County Fair. After some difficulties between the fair and the pageant boards, they decided to part ways. So tonight, my "ten year anniversary" of Miss Crawford County comes early by about two weeks. But with or without the fair, the pageant will still continue to provide a wonderful opportunity for many young women who compete in it to grow and mature and learn a lot about themselves through the process. And whomever wins the title tonight will have a year's worth of those opportunities to meet people, promote her platform, and represent Crawford County as a spokeswoman all the while growing through this tremendous experience. Good luck to all the girls. May you all gain much.