Relevance is in the Eyes of the Participant

In case you haven't heard, an organization that I love, and one that helped to shape me into the person I am today, is in trouble. It's being torn apart from within, ironically by one of our own. A "Forever Miss America" and her sidekick are making great strides in completely unraveling the Miss America Pageant, a nearly century old institution that I and thousands of volunteers call our own.

Many of you who have never been involved in this system probably think it's cheesy and all about the rhinestones and glitter - and "not relevant," a phrase I have come to completely loathe. Before I became involved I was a skeptic, too, and thought it was silly. But then, at 18 years old, I found out that talent counted (at that time) for 50% of the judges' total score, interview was 30%, and that the winners received college scholarships.

"Sign me up!" I thought. "Why not? I'll give this thing a try."

So I did. With very low expectations, I entered my first preliminary competition and placed first runner up, which was shocking because I didn't think of myself as the pageant type. But I could sing and was decently smart, and apparently that counted for a lot. So I tried again a year later and won my first preliminary title, Miss Bossier Parish. That was the beginning of a four-year journey that led me to eventually win the Miss Louisiana 1990 title and place as 4th runner up to Miss America 1991.

Being Miss Louisiana was a pretty cool deal, but it's what happened behind the scenes that has always made the biggest impact in my life. The scholarships paid for my undergraduate education. That alone is huge. But that wasn't the only thing I gained from those 4 years - it was just the tip of the iceberg.

I met a huge number of awesome people each year, some of whom remain close friends. I was treated like family by the volunteers who ran each preliminary - people who took me into their homes, fed me, encouraged and supported me. I was mentored and coached by experts (mostly volunteers) who taught me how to dress for my body type, how to properly apply and wear makeup, how to organize my thoughts and opinions and to speak, both in an interview situation and on a stage, eloquently. I was taught the value of kindness and the importance of volunteerism and being part of a community. And yes, preparing for the swimsuit competition taught me the importance of staying fit, making good meal choices and working out to strengthen my body, which in turn strengthened my mind. I never imagined, prior to the moment I said yes to the organization, that I would become so involved in it and that it would have such an impact on my life. Since finishing my term as Miss Louisiana I have stayed very involved, encouraging and coaching other contestants, entertaining, emceeing and volunteering for a span of 28 years now. And the experience and knowledge I gained not only helped me tremendously in my professional career, but also shaped who I am as an individual, giving me confidence and courage and the ability to eloquently defend my beliefs and opinions.

So for someone, ANYONE, to say that Miss America is not relevant is ridiculous to me. Maybe it's not relevant to YOU, but it is certainly relevant to me and to the thousands of volunteers and participants who give their hearts, sweat and tears to it each year. An analogy, if you will -- Let's talk about sports for a moment, soccer in particular... I don't watch soccer. I don't know any of the people who play the game, I know none of the rules, and I don't care. But just because it is not relevant in MY life doesn't mean that I can call it irrelevant. Why? Because there are thousands, maybe millions of people worldwide who love it, play it, participate in it. And good for them! That's awesome. Everybody has certain things they participate in and give their time to, and for them those particular things are very relevant to who they are, what they spend their time doing, what they believe. The Miss America Organization is relevant to the countless volunteers and the thousands of young women in America who, every year, participate in the program, win scholarship money and learn very valuable lessons and skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. It's not relevant in your life? Fine. Don't watch it and don't participate in it. And for heaven's sake, don't comment on it. Your comments are not relevant.

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Troubling commentary from our current Miss America, Cara Mund on the present leadership of the Miss A organization -
https://acprimetime.com/2018-miss-america-cara-mund-shares-disturbing-behind-the-scenes-treatment/

A letter and petition sent by former Miss Americas asking for the removal of Gretchen Carlson and Regina Hopper as leaders of the organization. I signed it the first day it was sent out. Please sign if you are so inclined.
https://www.change.org/p/statelicensees1-gmail-com-miss-america-needs-you?recruiter=893871894&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition