The next Miss Minnesota could have area ties
There she is - and there's a good chance she's from the Brainerd area.
When Miss Minnesota is crowned Saturday at the Eden Prairie Performing Arts Center, chances are favorable that the crown will come home here, something that hasn't occurred since 1929 when the late Margaret (Anderson) Hoening, a former Miss Brainerd, took home the title.
Of the 17 Miss Minnesota candidates, four of them are from the Brainerd area, one representing Brainerd and three of them who competed in and won open pageants in other parts of the state.
Four young women from the Brainerd area will compete Friday and Saturday in the 2009 Miss Minnesota Scholarship Program. Gathered Monday while in the Twin Cities for Pageant Week activities and rehearsals were Emily Wyman (left), Miss Brainerd Lakes; Quinn Nystrom, Miss Midwest; Heather Erickson, Miss Coon Rapids; and Mackenzie Ross, Miss Heart of the Lakes. Photo by Paula Preston
They are Emily Wyman, Miss Brainerd Lakes; Quinn Nystrom, Miss Midwest; Mackenzie Ross, Miss Heart of the Lakes; and Heather Erickson, Miss Coon Rapids.
Vicki Randall, who co-directs the Miss Brainerd Lakes pageant with her fiance, Bill Musel, couldn't be more proud. She resurrected the Miss Brainerd Lakes pageant in 2004 when Nystrom was crowned.
"I couldn't be prouder of the girls," said Randall. "They're kind of like my babies, especially little Quinn because she was the first one we crowned and she's like our firstborn."
Wyman, the 19-year-old daughter of Jim and Kris Wyman of Brainerd, plans to sing, "Thank You For The Music," from the Broadway show, "Mamma Mia!" Her platform is "Raising Awareness and Providing Support for Diabetes." She was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when she was 7. She is a 2008 Brainerd High School graduate and currently attends Concordia College in Moorhead.
Nystrom, the 23-year-old daughter of Bob and Rachel Nystrom of Baxter, plans to play the piano as her talent. Her platform is "Educate to Alleviate - Curing Diabetes One Step At A Time." Nystrom was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when she was 13. She is the 2004 Miss Brainerd Lakes and the 2008 Miss Midwest, a pageant based in Morris. She is a 2004 BHS graduate and a 2008 Hope College graduate. She currently works for a pharmaceutical wholesale company and travels to 19 states while based in Baxter. She is one of five Miss Minnesota candidates who were named finalists for the Quality of Life award for her dedication to her platform. The award winner will be announced Friday night during the preliminary competition.
Ross, the 21-year-old daughter of Dick and Renee Ross of Brainerd, will have a dance performance as her talent. Her platform is "Invest, Involve, Vote." She is the 2006 Miss Brainerd Lakes, 2007 Miss Northwest and the current 2008 Miss Heart of the Lakes, which is based in Perham. As Miss Brainerd Lakes she was named second runner-up in the Miss Minnesota pageant and last year was first runner-up in the state pageant as Miss Northwest. Ross, a 2005 BHS graduate, is also a Central Lakes College graduate and a member of the Bath and Body Works management team at the Westgate Mall.
Erickson, the 19-year-old daughter of Wayne and Rox-Ann Erickson of Merrifield, will play the violin as her talent. Her platform is "Fit for Life: Overcoming Obesity." She competed in the Miss Brainerd Lakes pageant last year and won the swimsuit competition and tied for first place in the evening gown competition. She is a 2007 BHS graduate and a 2009 CLC graduate but plans to take a few more general courses at CLC in the fall with the goal of going on to earn a pre-med degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus.
The young women have more in common than just their crowns. Nystrom and Wyman ended up being drawn as roommates this week. They both have diabetes and share the same platform on diabetes. Ross is engaged to Erickson's brother, Paul, and the two will eventually become sisters-in-law.
"I think it's a great thing," said Nystrom, of having so many Brainerd women in the pageant. "It's kind of fun, too. I grew up with Mackenzie, went to church with Heather and knew Emily from way back when. ... We all like each other because we're already friends. If anybody knows pageants, you don't really compete against each other because it's a subjective competition. You can only push yourself to be the best you can be.
"I'm just hoping that because we have the highest odds, we're going to come home with the crown. We've never had somebody get that chance to go on to Miss America. How fantastic to bring our town to the national stage."
"It's really neat," said Ross. "I think it really shows there's a lot of interest in pageants in Brainerd. I love this program. It has changed my life so much. It's made me more confident and I know this sounds corny, but it feels like a sisterhood. It all goes back to the Miss Brainerd Lakes program and back to Vicki and Bill. That's where I got my start, where I got bit by the pageant bug. After my first pageant, I was hooked."
"I think the great part is that we all knew each other prior to the pageant," said Erickson. "It's just like a big family."
Erickson has been in the Miss Minnesota audience for the past two years, cheering on Ross. On Saturday, her brother will have two women to root for.
"It's going to be a nail-biter for anybody who comes to the pageant from Brainerd," Erickson. "It's going to be more fun than anything."
"It's more like a family because we're all from Brainerd," said Wyman. "It proves and shows how much fun girls have competing and the Brainerd Lakes pageant instills that. I think it brings us together because we're not doing it for the crown or title, it's about sharing our platform and being involved and the experience."
Randall plans to root for everybody on Saturday.
"I'm praying, there's a really good chance of it," Randall said of a Brainerd candidate bringing home the crown Saturday. "But I will say this is a highly competitive year. It's probably one of the most competitive years since Quinn was Miss Brainerd and Quinn had a tough year. I'm nervous and excited."
Two Brainerd area teens are among five teenage girls competing in the 2009 Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen pageant, a sister pageant to Miss Minnesota, Thursday at the Eden Prairie Performing Arts Center. They are Emma Hilgart, the 16-year-old daughter of Jeff and Sue Hilgart of Brainerd, and Bailey Wachholz, the 14-year-old daughter of Duane and Pam Wachholz of Nisswa.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.