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| Don Shrubshell photo |
| Miss Missouri Sarah French, 20, looks over some of the memorabilia she collected during the state pageant over the weekend in Mexico, Mo. She’s looking forward to the Miss America contest in January. |
But the new Miss Missouri says there’s more to the competition than beauty. As the University of Missouri-Columbia student gears up for the Miss America contest, she’s excited the country will get to see another side of contestants.
"America doesn’t realize how intelligent these young women are," said French, a 20-year-old broadcast journalism major from Hot Springs, Ark.
French represented Mid-Missouri in the Miss Missouri contest Saturday in Mexico, Mo. The pageant included events such as talent, evening gown and swimsuit competitions.
A fitness buff who enjoys kickboxing and Pilates, French said her hard work paid off in the swimsuit competition, which she won. "I just think it shows your physical fitness," French said.
America will get a more complete look at French and other state contest winners before the Miss America competition airs in Janurary 2007 when Country Music Television airs a reality series showcasing the pageant’s preliminary competition in September. "Finding Miss America" will air the week before the pageant.
Art McMaster, president and CEO of the Miss America organization, said it’s not a stretch to base a reality show on the long-running competition. "We’ve been a reality television show for 51 years," he said. "All these shows you see nowadays, we see it as taking it from us, but taking it much farther down the road."
French said an interview portion of the preliminary competition will offer a glimpse into the contestants’ value systems. "People don’t realize what they ask you in interviews. They ask me about stem-cell research, same-sex marriage, illegal immigration, the war," she said. "Anything you can think of, they ask me about."
French, who is active in Pi Beta Phi sorority, Mizzou Diamond Darlings and the Homecoming Steering Committee at MU, said winning the competition would be a big boost to her perspective career in broadcast journalism.
"The Miss America system is the No. 1 organization in the entire world that gives the most scholarship monies to young girls and women," French said. "That’s very important to me, because my ultimate goal is to be a broadcast journalist, hopefully for a national network."
Winning would also give voice to her physical fitness platform. French took up the cause because members of her family, including her mother and grandmother, have diabetes.
She said people could do a lot to improve their health by improving their lifestyle.
Her mother, for example, has controlled her diabetes through healthy eating and exercise and no longer has to have insulin shots, French said. "It’s just so important for kids and adults to learn healthy eating and exercising habits to better their lifestyles," she said.
She said one in five Missourians is overweight or obese, a problem she said can be addressed by reducing portion sizes.
"Of course, it’s up to each individual what they’re going to put in their mouth, but it sure does help if they have a smaller food-size portion in front of them," she said. "It’s real hard to say ‘no’ when you have this huge cheeseburger and extra-large fries in front of you."
French said all 52 contestants have causes they’re equally passionate about. "It’s really neat to see how these women are so driven and determined," she said, "and not only bettering their lives for their future, but to help others."
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