Jan. 21, 2010
GAINESVILLE, FL.
It’s pageant season in Gainesville, and Miss Gainesville Scholarship Pageant Inc. is offering a new crown.
Women and girls in the area have the opportunity to compete in one pageant for a variety of titles, including Miss Gainesville, Miss Lake City, Miss Gainesville’s Outstanding Teen or Miss Lake City’s Outstanding Teen and now Miss Florida Gator.
This is the first year Miss Gainesville Scholarship Pageant, Inc., a nonprofit organization, will offer the title of Miss Florida Gator, a title previously bestowed by the University of Florida, according to Executive Director Merissa Amkraut.
After being asked to administer the crown, the organization stepped up to the plate to give another woman the opportunity to increase her scholastic earnings, Amkraut said.
The application deadline for each category is Jan. 31. The event, an official preliminary for the Miss America pageant, will crown all five titles on March 6.
Winners will earn cash scholarships, prizes and the opportunity to participate in the next Miss Florida and Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen pageants. Amkraut said the event has awarded more than $6,000 in the past two years, and prizes include a media contract with Cox Communications, hair care, manicures, pedicures and tanning.
Contestants at the local level will be judged on a private interview, physical fitness, onstage question, talent and evening wear. All judges are certified Miss America judges.
Winners of the various titles will advance to the state level, where they have the opportunity to increase their scholarship winnings. The Miss America Organization is the largest scholarship provider for young women in the world, giving more than $45 million each year, she said. All money received must be used for educational expenses.
In order to participate, contestants must raise money for Miss America’s partner, Children’s Miracle Network. Winners take tours of Shands Children’s Hospital at UF and participate in Dance Marathon at UF, according to Amkraut.
She said the Miss Gainesville pageant has consistently been the top fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network in the state, raising more than $12,000 since 2008.
The contestants get a lot out of the pageant, she said, and it is rewarding to see the girls and women compete and learn about themselves.
Laura Beard, the current Miss Gainesville, is a student at UF pursuing her Master of Science in management after graduating in December with a degree in piano performance. As Miss Gainesville, Beard won more than $2,000 in scholarship money in 2009.
Beard said the most important thing to remember when applying is that most individuals already possess the skills to compete, and there should be no excuse to not participate.
“Don’t let yourself be your biggest competition,” Beard said. “This is an opportunity for success and it can only be positive.”
Being Miss Gainesville has been an incredible growth experience for Beard. She placed in the top 15 at Miss Florida and won a non-finalist talent award for her piano performance.
Myrrhanda Jones, Miss Gainesville’s Outstanding Teen 2009, advanced to win the title of Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen 2009. She then won second runner-up at the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant.
The application is available on the organization’s Web site, http://www.missgainesville.com.
The pageant will be held on March 6 at Oak Hall School at 8009 SW 14th Ave. The event starts at 6 p.m., and tickets can be purchased in advance for $10. They are $15 at the door.
