Former titleholder returns to Miss Missouri
- COMMENT
- ZoomMegan MyersStacie Cooley Harken helps the Miss Missouri contestants rehearse their routine Monday morning for the opening number in the production. They will perform to Justin Bieber's song, "Sorry."
- By Megan Myers
Staff Writer
Posted Jun. 14, 2016 at 11:55 AMStacie Cooley Harken, Miss Missouri 2005, still remembers what it's like to be one of 30 contestants waiting to hear her name called at the end of the night. She remembers the pre-pageant jitters and the after-pageant get-togethers. Most of all, though, she remembers how much fun the competition was, and the sisterhood it fostered between the girls who stood by each other onstage – and off.
That's why she returned this year to help out behind the scenes as the pageant's producer.
“The thing I'm most focused on is making this a good experience for the girls and for the audience,” she said. “That's my vision.”
Cooley Harken, who has been involved with dance from an early age, said the performance aspect of the show is what made her grow to love the pageants. “Growing up I enjoyed every kind of dance,” she said. “That was the hook for me.”
Cooley Harken first competed in Miss Missouri in 2004. She had so much fun, she came back the next year, and this time, she took home the crown.
She first started helping with the choreography for Miss Missouri in 2007, and has served in that part of the production every year since then.
Coming full circle, Cooley Harken credits the pageant itself for equipping her with the management skills needed to run the show effectively.
“The time management and organizational skills you learn as a contestant carry over into the job of a producer,” she said.
They also carry over into real life, too, Cooley Harken said. The Liberty, Mo. native graduated Summa cum Laude from Truman State University the same year she won Miss Missouri, and now works as an account manager for a medical device sales company.
“The number one thing I took out of the program was how to be a professional communicator,” Cooley Harken said. “With Miss Missouri, you have a lot of girls who are pushing themselves to succeed academically. They're career-driven girls. What I've seen as the pageants have progressed is more of a focus on relevancy. How do we become relevant to our peers in college, to teens, to little kids? How do we evolve as the rest of the world evolves?”
Some changes that guests can expect to see at this year's pageant are the addition of a live DJ on stage throughout the week, as well as the same panel of judges for both the Miss Teen and Miss Missouri's Outstanding Teen competitions.
One aspect of Miss Missouri which she hopes to preserve is the confidence the program teaches young women. “When the program does that for a girl, other people around them can see the difference and they're going to say 'Hey, I want my daughter to look at doing this, too.'”
She said the service-oriented aspect also remains a fundamental part of the program
Cooley Harken added that the perception of pageant contestants as catty and overly competitive is “just not the case,” with Miss Missouri. She said the girls, who spend almost every minute of their lives together during the pageant, are actually a very tight-knit sisterhood.
“You form some amazing friendships,” she said.
Even after nine months of planning, Cooley Harken said, the nerves are still there on opening night. “There are so many little things to get wrapped up in. The things I'm nervous about are the things that are outside my control,” she said. “ The technical difficulties and the wardrobe malfunctions – all that can happen with a live show.”
Cooley Harken said her advice to the girls who are competing is the same advice she tries to follow, herself.
“Have fun on stage and stay focused. Don't stress this week, because one of you is going to be Miss Missouri and the judges are going to find her.”
http://www.mexicoledger.com/news/20160614/former-titleholder-returns-to-miss-missouri
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário