A Crowning Achievement
Contest raises money for speech, hearing impaired
Dreams became a reality for sophomore Courtney Tatman when she was crowned the 2002 Miss LSU-USA at the sold-out pageant Saturday in the Union theater.
“I’m so excited and thrilled to death,” Tatman said after being crowned. “It’s been a relaxing day. The judges were conversational and made me feel comfortable [in the interviews],”she said.
Delta Zeta Sorority sponsored the pageant and is donating the proceeds to the local and national Speech and Hearing Impaired. Last year it donated more than $10,000.
“They couldn’t have picked a better queen. She will represent LSU well and has what it takes. I’m proud of her and I love her so much. She has been my moral support this week,” said first-runner up Keely Cabra.
As Miss LSU, Tatman can fulfill her dream of walking on the field at Tiger Stadium.“It’s so exciting to represent the school. I want to promote LSU in every way possible. My heart is with education. I plan to go to schools and speak on the importance of education,” said Tatman, who plans to teach high school English.
Twenty young women vied for the crown and the chance to represent LSU at Miss Louisiana-USA, which is associated with the Miss Universe Pageant system.
All contestants compete in interview, swimsuit and evening gown competitions, narrowing down to six finalists. They compete in on-stage interviews. Keely Cabra, Brittany Arbour, D’Andra Procell, Kellyanne Judd and Kristen Yokum are this year’s finalists.
“I’m shocked. I didn’t expect to get this far. The girl’s are awesome and really helped out. I’ll probably do this again next year,” said finalist Procell.
Judging is based on the girl’s overall appearance, charm, poise, self-confidence, beauty of face and figure, physical fitness, sense of style and ability to communicate in the interviews, said emcee Leo Honeycutt from WVLA Channel 33.
“It was so much fun. Very, very shocked to be in top six,” said Yokum. “This is only my second pageant and my first was in high school. I’m so happy for Courtney. She’s a good friend. I really did have fun. The best part was dressing up. It was worth it.”
The brothers of Phi Mu Alpha sang the National Anthem and the LSU Alma Mater before the opening dance number performed by the contestants. In addition, the Tiger Girls performed before the intermission and vocalist Quiana Holman entertained with pianist Lois Wendt.
“It has been the honor of my life to represent LSU,” said Melissa McConnell, Miss LSU 2001, after passing her title on to Tatman. McConnell is in the LSU law school.
Cabra crowned Tatman Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals Queen of Queens 2001 last year. Tatman ended her reign two weeks ago. Before that, she was the Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Queen. She has participated in pageants since she was a freshman in high school, said Courtney’s mom Ann Tatman.
“Keely is a dear friend. We were hopeful for each other,” Tatman said, referring to the moment when they announced the winner.
Melissa Prescott