Would-be politician new Miss America
Source: Agencies |
January 17, 2011, Monday
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A 17-YEAR-OLD aspiring politician from Nebraska captured the Miss America crown after beating 52 other young women from across the United States.
Teresa Scanlan won a US$50,000 scholarship and a year-long run with the crown in Saturday's competition at the Planet Hollywood casino-resort in Las Vegas, giving the Cornhusker State its first-ever win at the pageant.
She is the youngest Miss America since the pageant implemented age limits in 1938. Rosemary LaPlanche was runner-up in 1940 and easily won the crown in 1941 despite being one month too young to compete, according to the pageant's website.
Scanlan said age didn't matter, but she thought she might have been an underdog because of her youth.
"We were on an even playing field," she said. "From 17 to 24, that can be a huge age range. But with these girls, they are all at the highest level imaginable."
Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady won US$25,000 as first runner-up, while Miss Hawaii Jalee Fuselier won US$20,000 for third place.
Scanlan, a recent high school graduate from the western Nebraska town of Gering, planned to study American politics at Patrick Henry College in Virginia after her reign as Miss -America.
She said she also hoped to go to law school, become a judge and then eventually take up politics.
But first, she'll register to vote after she turns 18 next month, making decisions based on ideas rather than political affiliations, she said.
"I do think I will register as an Independent," Scanlan said. "All the bipartisanship has become ridiculous and it's time to look at issues instead of parties."
Scanlan won after strutting in a black bikini and a white evening gown, playing "White Water Chopped Sticks" on piano and telling the audience that when it comes to the website WikiLeaks, security should come before public access to government information.
"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. So we can't let things like that happen, and they must be handled properly," she said.
Scanlan said the question was easier for her than a generic question, because she has discussed current events with her family, she said.
The contestants - from every state plus the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico - started the show by dancing up the aisles in silver cocktail dresses.
The competition -included evening gown, talent and interview portions, with -eliminations for 15 -finalists, then 12, then 10, five and -eventually the winner along the way.
The pageant celebrated its 90th anniversary this year. The Miss America Organization bills itself as the country's largest scholarship provider for women, with US$349,000 in prizes given this year at the national level.
Scanlan said she planned to defer her university enrollment until she finishes her reign with the crown.
Teresa Scanlan won a US$50,000 scholarship and a year-long run with the crown in Saturday's competition at the Planet Hollywood casino-resort in Las Vegas, giving the Cornhusker State its first-ever win at the pageant.
She is the youngest Miss America since the pageant implemented age limits in 1938. Rosemary LaPlanche was runner-up in 1940 and easily won the crown in 1941 despite being one month too young to compete, according to the pageant's website.
Scanlan said age didn't matter, but she thought she might have been an underdog because of her youth.
"We were on an even playing field," she said. "From 17 to 24, that can be a huge age range. But with these girls, they are all at the highest level imaginable."
Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady won US$25,000 as first runner-up, while Miss Hawaii Jalee Fuselier won US$20,000 for third place.
Scanlan, a recent high school graduate from the western Nebraska town of Gering, planned to study American politics at Patrick Henry College in Virginia after her reign as Miss -America.
She said she also hoped to go to law school, become a judge and then eventually take up politics.
But first, she'll register to vote after she turns 18 next month, making decisions based on ideas rather than political affiliations, she said.
"I do think I will register as an Independent," Scanlan said. "All the bipartisanship has become ridiculous and it's time to look at issues instead of parties."
Scanlan won after strutting in a black bikini and a white evening gown, playing "White Water Chopped Sticks" on piano and telling the audience that when it comes to the website WikiLeaks, security should come before public access to government information.
"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. So we can't let things like that happen, and they must be handled properly," she said.
Scanlan said the question was easier for her than a generic question, because she has discussed current events with her family, she said.
The contestants - from every state plus the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico - started the show by dancing up the aisles in silver cocktail dresses.
The competition -included evening gown, talent and interview portions, with -eliminations for 15 -finalists, then 12, then 10, five and -eventually the winner along the way.
The pageant celebrated its 90th anniversary this year. The Miss America Organization bills itself as the country's largest scholarship provider for women, with US$349,000 in prizes given this year at the national level.
Scanlan said she planned to defer her university enrollment until she finishes her reign with the crown.
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