Editor's Notes: Pageants often provide injection of confidence

My cousin was a bigger nerd than “Ugly Betty” until her junior year in high school.

When she entered the local Junior Miss competition, we wondered what would be tougher to hide, her braces, stringy hair or lack of personality.

Even at the family dinner table, my cousin blended into the tablecloth pattern. She made perfect grades in school but rarely had anything to say. She never got into trouble, except one time when she was caught chewing gum. She wore uncool-looking clothes to school, buttoning blouses at the neckline and wearing dresses down to her ankles. She never gave a hint she would blossom into a beauty.

The transformation came before our eyes at the local scholarship pageant. The dentist removed my cousin’s braces. She worked with hometown experts on wardrobe and style. A speech coach helped her with public speaking and confidence. She and her mother prepared a song for the talent competition.

The judges turned in the top five. She made it, and minutes later, she and the prettiest, richest, blonde-haired girl in town were the only two girls left on stage. The suspense and disbelief were undeniable.

By now, you’ve guessed my cousin won, not the blonde girl. She went on to become Miss Tennessee and advanced to the America’s Junior Miss competition in Mobile, Ala. She did not win the national title, but when she returned home, she was swamped as a celebrity. Nerd was no longer the word to describe her.

Socially, my cousin moved from the outhouse to the penthouse. She was more popular than the student body president and football captain combined. Her five minutes of fame, highlighted by a 15-second walk across the America’s Junior Miss stage on national television, has lasted the rest of her life.

It all happened because she entered a scholarship pageant, a competition that fills young woman with pride and confidence and offers money for their education.

I told Miss Pima County Stephanie Brooks and Miss Arizona 2005 Audrey Sibley about my cousin last week at the Green Valley Mall Spring Market. It was my long-winded way of explaining how I support them 100 percent. Sibley is helping Brooks prepare for the Miss Arizona competition in June.

As I watched Brooks stand before hundreds with a tiara on her head, I thought about the courage and poise it takes to compete against other intelligent, talented and pretty women in Miss America preliminaries. I felt my admiration for Sibley grow. She’s like the handful of caring folks who helped my cousin go from ugly duckling to swan to success later in life.

“Pageant winners have been successful because the program focuses on personal development and opportunity,” Sibley said. “When I was Miss Arizona, I had hundreds of opportunities to speak in front of people on diverse topics. It helped me shape my understanding of myself and issues. Those skills last contestants a lifetime.”

The Miss America pageant, which originated in 1921, has been regaining its footing since leaving its Atlantic City, N.J., roots in 2004. It has gone from network television to a cable contract with Country Music Television, live from Las Vegas.

Women’s groups have railed against Miss America, saying it focuses too much on beauty. They’re wrong. Preliminary swimsuit and evening-gown competitions count for only 35 percent of the score in choosing the top 10. Talent and interviews choose Miss America, not bust size. Miss America is about young women trying to jump start their career. The winners adopt a cause and make a difference in their hundreds of charitable appearances.

“The public wants Miss America to be beautiful, intelligent and compassionate,” Sibley said.

I got to know Brooks and Sibley more last week when they returned to Green Valley for a heart lecture at the Canoa Hills Center. Brooks, 20, has an infectious smile and promotes a heart-healthy lifestyle. Sibley, 22, dedicated the early part of her adult life to protecting children from predators, a cause near to my heart because I have three kids.

In a fairy-tale world, compliments and winks of assurance would be all Brooks needed to win. In reality, the Miss Pima County organization suffered a setback earlier this year in its fund-raising efforts.

A former Miss Pima County, Kumari Fulbright, was arrested in a bizarre case involving the alleged kidnapping and torture of a boyfriend. Photos of Fulbright and accounts of the ordeal were so outrageous, they were the most-popular search on Yahoo at the height of the controversy.

Believe me. Stephanie Brooks is not Kumari Fulbright. But Brooks and Sibley are dealing with a negative perception at a critical time in their preparation for Miss Arizona. They need to raise $3,000-$5,000 to pay expenses to compete in the state competition and money to pay Miss Pima County scholarships in the future.

“Stephanie is a sweet, smart, talented girl with a load of potential,” said Sibley, a University of Arizona senior from Sierra Vista. “She’s a friend of mine, and I think she would be an amazing Miss Arizona. As a former contestant, I wanted to help because people helped me tremendously.”

If you have a second this weekend, click on the Miss Pima County Web site, www.misspimacounty.org. Find out more about Brooks, Sibley and their passion. Take a second look at the new Miss Pima County. Maybe make a contribution to the non-profit organization. Maybe suggest a fundraiser to make it easier for them to compete and win.

As I think back to my cousin’s surge of confidence, her friends rallied and brought out the best in her. She proved the skeptics wrong.

Hard work, experience and Sibley’s assistance are bringing out the best in Brooks, a UA junior from Yuma. She has the talent as a dancer to win. She has the smarts, charm and smile to convince the judges she should be Miss Arizona. She looks good in a swimsuit and evening gown. In my estimation, she’s primed to win.

I hope the community will support her.

Contact Editor James Bennett at jbennett@gvnews.com. Respond to this column by e-mailing letters@gvnews.com. Post comments online at www.gvnews.com.