McCain crowned Miss Caprock
by Laura Norris, photo editor
As the audience eagerly waited for the 50th
Annual Miss Caprock Pageant to start, the contestants
hurriedly got ready backstage. Kasey McCain was crowned Miss
Caprock 2007 during the 50th annual Miss Caprock
Scholarship Pageant, which was held Nov. 16 at the Tom T.
Hall Recording and Production Studio in the Creative Arts
Building.
The 2007 Miss Caprock, Haleigh Ballow, who is a sophomore at
South Plains College majoring in elementary education,
presented the crown.
“This experience was just awesome,” said McCain, who
represented the cosmetology program. “It was unbelievable.”
McCain is majoring in cosmetology and plans to get her
license and then graduate with an associate’s degree from
SPC. The daughter of Tommy and Sharon McCain of Midland
enjoys activities such as shopping, watching movies, and
playing softball.
“All the girls were so sweet,” McCain said of her fellow
pageant contestants. “I didn’t even think I was going to be
in the top five.”
The three judges interviewed the contestants individually
before the pageant. Then the candidates modeled their casual
wear outfits across the stage while Julie Gerstenberger, who
served as mistress of ceremonies, described what each girl
liked about SPC, what her future plans are, and what she
thinks would be a perfect lifestyle to lead not only today
but in the future.
After the beautiful vocal performance by Engelo Charles, the
judges released their choices for the top five contestants.
While the other nominees went backstage, the girls prepared
to answer their impromptu questions. These questions were
formed from their personal interview prior to the pageant,
and they applied to each girl’s life in some way, such as
how they would get other students involved in activities
that they are involved in.
The fourth runner-up was Brittany Bradford of Lubbock, who
represented the Press Club. The third runner-up was Latrice
Price of Lubbock, who represented the Black Student
Organization, while second runner-up was Yvette Carrasco of
Hart, who represented the Texan Cheerleaders. First
runner-up was Whitney Wilson of Levelland, who represented
Campus Ambassadors.
Other contestants were: Chelsea Brown, who represented Mary
Gillespie Dorm; Crystal Cedillo, who represented Smallwood
Apartments; Nicole Hargrove, who represented Sue Spencer
Hall; Halie Lewis, who represented On-Campus Ministries;
Rebecca Mitchell, who represented the Student Texan Booster
Club; Baylie Nelson, who represented Phi Theta Kappa; Sandi
Parrish, who represented the SPC Band; Adrianna Ponce, who
represented the Star Center; Marialuisa Sanchez, who
represented the Hispanic Student Organization; Kyra Stevens,
who represented the Student Government; and Sarah Thompson,
who represented Baptist Student Ministries.
To participate in the pageant, all the girls must be a
full-time student with a GPA of 2.0 or higher. They also
must be active in the club or organization they represented.
Among the three judges was Julie Schniers, who was crowned
Miss Caprock 2004 and Miss Lubbock 2005. Schniers is also
the distinguished Miss Texas 2007. She graduated from SPC in
Dec. 2004 with an associate’s degree in Art, and went on to
Texas Tech University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree
in theatre and broadcast journalism.
Also serving as a judge was Paula Parker, the area director
for the Miss Youth Achievement Pageant and the director of
Miss Teen West Texas for 15 years.
The third judge was Glenn Patton, who is an interview coach
and private instructor. He has been a judge for the Miss
Caprock pageant for several years. He graduated from both
Lubbock Christian University and Texas Tech with degrees in
business communications and public relations. Patton serves
as the director of development at the American Wind Power
Center in Lubbock.
“Believing in yourself is the only thing that matters,”
McCain said. “Doing something that you never thought you
could do is the best feeling in the world.”
Photo by Laura Norris/Plainsman Press
