January 20, 2011
Bangkok (AFP) - Miss Nebraska Teresa Scanlan won the Miss America crown on Saturday after beating 52 other young women from across the United States, giving the Cornhusker State its first-ever win at the pageant.
The beauty contest was broadcast on ABC Television Network on January 15 (as cited at http://www.missamerica.org). Last year, the pageant's telecast reached its new record growth.
Miss America is one of the country's "great enduring institutions" and new ways to honor the contest's rich tradition is sought, according to Miss America Organization President & CEO, Art McMaster.McMaster ( (as cited at http://www.missamerica.org).
Winning a $50,000 scholarship and a yearlong run with the crown at the ompetition, Scanlan’s the youngest Miss America since the pageant implemented age limits in the 1930s (as cited at www.suntimes.com).
Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady won $25,000 for the second place while Miss Hawaii Jalee Fuselier won $20,000 as the second runner-up.
Miss Hawaii Jalee Fuselier, Miss Alabama Ashley Davis and Miss Oklahoma Emoly West were the preliminary winners in the T&A Lifestyle & Fitness category (as cited at http://blog.zap2it.com/).
Miss North Carolina Adrienne Core, Miss Rhode Island Deborah Saint-Vil and Miss Nebraska Teresa Scanlan were the talent winners for their clogging, singing and piano playing respectively (as cited at http://blog.zap2it.com/).
Wearing a black bikini and a white evening gown, playing "White Water Chopped Sticks" on piano, Scanlan later won the Miss America title by emphasizing security should come before public access to government information when it comes to Wikileaks website (as cited at www.suntimes.com).
“You know when it came to that situation, it was actually based on espionage, and when it comes to the security of our nation, we have to focus on security first and then people’s right to know, because it’s so important that everybody who’s in our borders is safe and so we can’t let things like that happen, and they must be handled properly,” she said.
Being a recent high school graduate from the western Nebraska town of Gering, Scanlan planned to study American politics at Patrick Henry College in Virginia. She hoped to attend law school to become a judge and finally a politician as well.
The seven-judge panel viewed contestants in terms of looks and fitness. The beauty pageant covered evening gown, interview as well as talent category. Fifteen finalists were eventually reduced to 12, 10, 5 and only the winner.
53 contestants from every state including the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico began the show by dancing up the aisles while wearing silver cocktail dresses.
