Beauty pageant crowns come to northeast Winnipeg

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This article was published 26/08/2010 (5852 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two young women from northeast Win­nipeg emerged from a cloud of hairspray and powder make-up to claim a pair of crowns at this year’s Miss Manitoba pageant.

The pageant concluded Aug. 7 with the  crowning of East St. Paul’s Crystal Oleschuk as Miss Manitoba and Elmwood’s Michaela Lawson as Miss Teen Manitoba.

“It was an amazing experience, it was wonderful,” Oleschuk said while Lawson added, “I cried. All of my friends in the audience were crying and I couldn’t help it.”

The two young women — who met at the pageant — were selected based upon their confidence, inner beauty, intelligence and leadership skills. Within hours of earning their crowns, they were already discussing ways to enrich their community.

“I used to be a Winnipeg Blue Bombers cheerleader,” Oleschuk, a recent Red River College graduate, said.

“What I liked most was having the opportunity to support charity events. It really sparked my interest and I want to get out and do it again and being Miss Manitoba will open doors to allow me to do that.”

Oleschuk and Lawson, a student at the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, have decided to establish a charity tentatively named the Princess Foundation.

“The charity has two objectives,” Oleschuk said.

“First, we want to help girls build self-confidence and improve their speaking skills. Second, we want to match these girls with children who are in hospitals, to provide companionship and inspiration.”

Lawson said it’s important that children and youth understand the importance of helping others.

“At the pageant, all of us contestants were ourselves,” she said. “We let our nerdy and goofy sides show and we had fun because we were confident enough to do it. And that’s the whole point: having fun. Life is what you make of it. Never let anyone hold you back, not even yourself.”

While they work to establish their charity, the two young women will be moving on to compete in national and international pageants. They will travel to Calgary to compete in Miss Canada and to Jamaica to compete in Miss United Nations this winter.

Oleshcuk disputes the notion that pageants are nothing more than beauty contests. She said they are an opportunity for women to celebrate their character and their ability to effect change in their respective communities.

Swimsuit competitions are gradually being phased out, Lawson added, with more on an emphasis being placed on scholarships and opportunities to work for charities.

“I signed up because I heard about the pageant on the radio and I wanted to compete,” she said.

“But it gave me more than I ever expected. I learned so much about myself and my goals. It was a really positive experience and I just wish I could do it all again.”

The pair will spend much of the next year supporting charity events. For more information, e-mail crystal@miss-manitoba.com or michaela@miss-manitoba.com.

ryan.crocker@canstarnews.com