Partly Cloudy / 61° F
Dalton teen competing in Miss Minn. pageant
Published 10:23am Wednesday, November 21, 2012Just two years after running across the United States, a 19-year-old from Dalton has swapped her tennies for high heels, and this weekend, Jasmine Stanton will participate in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant.
“I want to do this for the experience of something new that I never thought I would be doing,” said Stanton. “I’m a runner. I don’t wear heels, let alone wear makeup and do my hair and all that crazy stuff.”
Stanton will go to Burnsville Friday for the competition where she will compete against 30 to 50 other contestants who were selected through an application process.
“We are overwhelmed by the response and caliber of all the participants from Minnesota. There is no better opportunity for ambitious young women out there today,” said executive state co-director Denise Wallice of Future Productions, state pageant producers for The Miss Universe Organization.
More than $1.3 million in scholarships will be available, and the winner will take home thousands of dollars in prizes and awards along with the opportunity to compete in the Miss USA Pageant.
At the end of a weekend filled with meetings, training and other formalities, the pageant will begin 4 p.m. Sunday at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center.
The competition will consist of three segments: evening gown, swimwear and personality interview.
Stanton said she is confident for the interview but is most nervous about walking.
“I’m really nervous because I can’t walk in heels very well yet,” she said. “I had surgery on both of my feet from my run, and it’s hard to walk still.”
With screws in each of her feet, Stanton will do her best to compete in her first pageant, and while she doesn’t really know what to expect, she said it’s the cause that counts.
