Life After Miss America
Welcome back! I hope you made it through my Miss America novel and are ready to hear my latest adventures! After returning home from Miss America, I had only one day to rest up before heading to the State Capitol in Jefferson City to lobby on behalf of eating disorders with local titleholder Jessica Sullivan, Miss Springfield. We joined a group of speakers including Rebecca Lester, Katie Seal, and Coach John Culp to discuss why health insurance coverage for eating disorders is so crucial. The legislative sponsors of our bill, Representative Rachel Storch, Representative Rick Stream, and Senator David Pearce, spoke about the legislative process and encouraged the crowd to continue educating elected officials about this disease. Getting a bill passed takes consistency, effort, and commitment, and I am proud to act on behalf of this cause and represent this group.
As you know, the job of Miss Missouri is extremely diverse, so I went from lobbyist to lip sync judge in just a matter of 24 hours. I was invited to judge Rock Bridge High School’s Golden Cow Lip Sync Competition as a celebrity judge alongside JT Tiller of the Mizzou Men’s Basketball team, JC from the Cosmo and JC Radio Show, and Emily Schromm from MTV’s The Real World, D.C. The event featured teams of students and teachers lip syncing and dancing to everything from 90’s beats to today’s radio hits, all in the name of raising funds and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. It was a close competition, but prize went to the Seniors’ 90’s group as the winners of the event! Thanks to everyone at Rock Bridge for showing me the Golden Cow spirit and a great time!
My next stop was to West Plains, Missouri, to partake in the Outdoor Adventures Sports Show, where I saw a little bit of everything. I had the opportunity to meet with sponsors and vendors from across Missouri and Arkansas, and everyone I met had something new to teach me about the great outdoors. From sparkly bass fishing boats to stink bait, I had a great time at the event, and even had some time to catch up with my good friend Mary Bauer who was there to sing the national anthem. One of the most interesting parts of the weekend was the turkey calling competition, where I learned that turkeys don’t just “gobble, gobble.” I learned that they make sounds ranging from the fly-down cackle to the putt and purr. After listening to some of the most vocally talented men in West Plains, I got to try my hand at bird calls. I was the surprise guest entrant in the owl hooting competition. That’s right, owl hooting. Coming from the girl who thought all turkeys did was “gobble,” I’m sure you can imagine my owl hoot. But I listened to the pros and did my best to imitate them, coming in first runner-up, just short of the grand prize – a pie from the Ozark Café. Well, there’s always next time, right?
I left West Plains and headed back to Mexico, Missouri, to attend the Missouri Military Academy’s Annual Valentine’s Dinner and Dance. This is one event I have been looking forward to since the day I was crowned and it was just as much fun as I anticipated. Each year, the Junior Class hosts the Ball, and this year, they truly outdid themselves. I was escorted by the Junior Class President for the evening. After being presented with a rose wrist corsage, we dined with General Flanagan and his wife, among others, before beginning the Grand March. As the court was presented, I crowned the Queen, and then the DJ took over and the Cadets danced the night away. I’ve never seen so many men in uniform doing the Cha Cha Slide…or any men in uniform for that matter…but I guess it’s just one of the perks of my job 
The next morning I headed to Chillicothe, Missouri, to attend another outdoor sports show on behalf of the Missouri Trappers Association, a proud sponsor of the Miss Missouri Pageant. Remember when I said there’s always a next time? Famous last words. I found myself in my second owl hooting competition not long after I arrived (I guess word travels fast?!). This time, my opponent was the National Owl Hooting Champion, James Harrison. Good news – I placed first runner up again! I also had the chance to meet with more sponsors and vendors from across the state and learn about what they do. Thank you to the Trappers for their generosity and for a fun-filled morning!
Braving the ice and snow, I headed back to Mexico to attend the Miss Audrain Pageant. I was so excited to see Miss Audrain 2009, Amelia Gandara, who now lives in Kentucky, so we had a chance to catch up before going to meet the contestants. It felt good to be back on “home turf” at a pageant, and to see so many familiar faces competing for a chance at Miss Missouri. Congratulations to Miss Audrain 2010 – Abby Grimmett and Miss Audrain’s Outstanding Teen 2010 – Courtney Thomure!
Being Miss Missouri always entails trying new things, so I tried my hand at a talk show just a few days later, appearing on the Best of the STL show, filmed in downtown St. Louis. I had the opportunity to talk about my Miss America experience, my personal platform and work with Children’s Miracle Network, and give some “behind the scenes” pageant tips to all the aspiring beauty queens out there. I had a blast and am really excited about the positive exposure this show will give to the Miss Missouri Organization. Thank you so much to Gary Bogener for setting up the event and to Schalene Houston for ensuring the show went smoothly. Keep your eye out for our episode!
As my post-Miss America whirlwind began winding down, the reality that local pageant season is winding down set in. With just a few titles remaining, girls across the state are working hard for a chance to compete in the Miss Missouri Pageant in June. Congratulations to the latest addition to the Miss Missouri Class of 2010 – Miss Greater Kansas City – Lauren Alumbaugh, Miss Kansas City – Kari Gai, Miss Greater Kansas City’s Outstanding Teen – Mattie Elliott, and Miss Kansas City’s Outstanding Teen – Morgan Carnes!
I have lots in store next week, so be sure to stop back by for stories and pictures!
Love, Tara
You are keeping sooo busy!!
| Posted 1 year, 11 months ago