47 ladies compete to be crowned Miss Volunteer America
JACKSON, Tenn. — A week long competition is underway in the Hub City.
Competition for the Miss Volunteer America Pageant kicked off Wednesday evening at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.
The first preliminary competitions for the Miss Volunteer America are underway as 47 ladies from across the nation are representing their home state and competing in different groups.
“Fitness and wellness, which is your traditional swimsuit competition. It’s not judged on their appearance, their body type. It’s just judged on their confidence and their poise and general health and wellness,” said Hannah Wise, a production assistant for Miss Volunteer America.
They’re also competing in the talent portion of the competition.
“We have quite a few pianists, we have vocalists, quite a few dancers, cloggers, we even have aerialists and speed painters. So it’ll be really cool to watch and then they’ll compete in the evening gown competition as well,” Wise said.
Ellie Schmidt, the first winner of the Miss Teen Volunteer America, says it was nerve wracking when she was judged.
“I get a very special feel when I’m up there and I just feel like everyone is cheering me on. But before I go on, I’m a little bit nervous because you don’t want to mess up, but I think that happens with everyone,” Schmidt said.
Wise says there’s a lot of team effort when putting the competition together.
“There’s such fine details that have to be sorted out, and it takes a really organized and smart person to do so. And that’s exactly what Allison Demarcus is,” Wise said.
She also says that is what makes this competition special.
“Although it’s a competition at the end of the day, these girls are leaving with 46 other friends even if they don’t capture the title. So that’s been awesome to watch,” Wise said.
The ladies will be switched into a different category Thursday and Friday, with the final day of the competition being this Saturday.
The winner of this pageant will be crowned Miss Volunteer America and receive a $50,000 scholarship.
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