May 12, 2004
Wegner captures pageant crown
Amy Wegner crowned 2004 Miss Michigan National Teen-Ager
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Three months ago, Amy Wegner knew next to nothing about beauty pageants.
Now the senior at Central High School has three pageants under her sash.
She was crowned Miss Michigan National Teen-Ager not even two weeks ago. Then there was the long weekend in Florida for beauty pageant boot camp, which Wegner just returned from Monday.
With a trip to the National Miss Teen-Ager pageant in Nashville scheduled for August, Wegner is immersed in the world of talent and poise, interviews and gowns. And loving it.
"I was in Florida last weekend and a week and a half ago, I didn't have a clue about all this," she said. "I can't believe I won the pageant, I was surprised."
Wegner entered her first pageant in February and competed in a second in April. The second runner up in that pageant, she qualified for the Miss Michigan National Teen-Ager event and brought home the crown. Which, she was surprised to discover, is heavy, awkward and difficult to keep on.
But its sparkles represent the hard work and dedication she has put into her school, music, dance, sports and friendships over the years.
"Pageants really push you, really push your confidence a lot," said Wegner, who also won Miss Congeniality at her second pageant. "But it's a challenge. There's so many pageants out there, you wouldn't believe it."
The seed of pageantry was sewed in the first grade, when a music teacher mentioned that she was a former Miss Michigan.
"Just hearing that title, it was too cool," she said.
Wegner remembered that achievement for years and just decided in February to try one out for herself. With her sights set on college next year at Alma, she was very interested in amassing scholarship prize money.
Wegner quickly discovered the competitions were fun and that the other contestants were usually friendly. The reputed cattiness or cut-throat competition was hardly in evidence.
"I did the Traverse City Junior Miss pageant and had a blast," she said. "The cool thing about doing the scholarship pageants like that is you have to have a talent and be smart."
Along the way, Wegner did run into a swimsuit competition during her second pageant, which she said was intimidating but doable. The first pageant she had to complete a 15-minute fitness routine and the last pageant she played her flute for the talent portion of the show.
"I did get nervous, I don't usually play solo, I like to be part of a band," said Wegner, who plays in the Traverse Youth Symphony, Central High School's marching and symphonic band as well as Northwestern Michigan College's Community Band.
"But all the people in the auditorium are rooting for you, they don't want to see you mess up," she added.
Wegner said the interview questions are the most challenging part of the pageant for her. Sometimes the questions are out of the blue and sometimes they are based on something from the competitor's life, taken from their bios.
"Sometimes I'm outgoing and sometimes I'm shy," she noted.
An honors student, Wegner rescheduled her AP European History test to participate in beauty school boot camp. However, she dutifully took her books on the plane with her and studied going to Florida.
"Coming up, I was sleeping," she admits.
Wegner is also active in choir, ran track until this spring when an injury sidelined her, volunteers at the Special Olympics, as a National Cherry Festival Ambassador and at the Great Lakes Children's Museum. A huge fan of history, she was also involved in the Veteran's History Project. She also danced for six years through the seventh grade at Ballet, Etc., which she credits with providing poise and grace.
"I'm always busy, I also baby-sit a little boy and I love that, that's my time to play," said Wegner, who plans to study international business or pre-law at Alma.