Waiting for the Crown

Contestants get the jitters as end nears

By Janet Adamy
Daily Staff Reporter

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - With the preliminary rounds behind them, this year's Miss America Pageant contestants are feeling both excitement and nervousness, as what contestants have been calling "the most exciting night of their lives" grows closer.

BOHDAN DAMIAN CAP/Daily Engineering senior Kimberly Stec competes in the evening gown portion of the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City.

"It's kind of scary to think of either of the outcomes," Stec said, not yet knowing whether she'll be one of the pageant's 10 final contestants.

But Stec said she won't be spending time worrying about Saturday's competition.

"To make it this far is important to me," Stec said.

Miss Colorado Regina Flores, a senior at the University of Colorado, said she won't have time to watch the Michigan-Colorado football game Saturday because she'll be preparing to sing a bilingual version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina."

But participants are not completely consumed with talk of Saturday's competition. The pageant community was abuzz yesterday when it became known that Miss Vermont Jill Renee Cummings has a navel ring and Miss Pennsylvania Heather Nicole Busin has a tattoo.

The audience cheered loudly as Cummings revealed the ring while wearing a hip-hugger style bikini during Wednesday evening's preliminary swimsuit competition.

"I just thought it would look cute when I got it," Cummings said. "I'm proud of it."

Busin was more reserved about discussing her tattoo. The one-piece bathing suit she wore Wednesday evening concealed the much-talked about piece of body art, which is located beneath her belly button.

Stec said she first thought the navel ring was inappropriate, but now thinks it's kind of neat.

"I always thought that that's the wrong thing to do, but now that I see other Miss America contestants with them, I kind of wish I had one," Stec said.

Stec wowed the audience while she walked across stage in a striking white one-piece suit during last night's swimsuit competition.

After last night's preliminary competition, honors were given to Miss California Rebekah Ann Keller for her hot-pink bikini and Miss North Carolina Michelle Warren for her vocal performance of the song "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going."

The $10,000 Quality of Life scholarship was awarded last night to Miss Minnesota Jennifer Ostergaard for her efforts to curb child abuse in her state.

Although preliminary winners are putting certain contestants into the spotlight, Stec said she feels winning the crown is still "anyone's game."

"I don't really see people getting overconfident because they won a preliminary award," Stec said.

The end of the preliminary rounds have made the reality of the pageant set in, Stec said.

"Now it's not just a bunch of rehearsals," Stec said. "It's a bunch of rehearsals for the biggest night of your life."

Miss New York Lisa Esler, who calls Stec her "long lost friend," said she thinks intelligence and personality will make Stec a contender for the crown.

"That's really what's important for Miss America to have," Esler said, adding that her parents will be rooting for both her and Stec.

Stec's own family cheered her on from the audience last night, wearing buttons of their loved one that beamed with the contestant's warm, genuine smile.

Her immediate family members - three of whom are University of Michigan alumni - said Stec's confidence, charisma and gentle personality have made her stand out during the competition.

"She has represented the University of Michigan very well," said Kim's mother, Arlene Stec.

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