Apply for Miss Ohio's Sweeps Pageant!

Miss Ohio Sweeps Application Deadline:

Saturday, March 12

Pageant Date: Saturday, March 26

email sweeps@missohio.org

Any and all women who have previously competed this season are eligible for the Sweeps or "Sweetheart" pageant for one last chance to get to Miss Ohio! Up to six titles will be given (if enough women apply) at two separate pageants held in one day in Willard! Miss Ohio Sweeps One will begin at 4:00 pm for the titles of Miss Buckey State, Miss Willard and Miss Ohio River; Sweeps Two will begin at 7:00 pm for the titles of Miss Heart of Ohio, Miss Huron County, Miss Mohican Valley. Contestants may compete in one or both pageants.

According to my records there are 63 women eligible to compete at Sweeps (plus any yet to be determined first timers at Miss GBC)! However, two-thirds only competed at one local pageant this season, making them unlikely to show up in Willard. There are only 10 uncrowned familiar faces who have competed in three or more pageants; 11 other eligible women previously tried twice this season.

Some fans feel that giving six titles at the Sweeps pageant is excessive and merely a means to sell more tickets to the state pageant. While that may be true, it's still an opportunity for a young woman to earn a title and experience competing at Miss Ohio. Although Sweeps winners have the significant challenge of limited preparation time for Miss Ohio, they historically do well. In 2002 Tiffany Haas even won the state crown as Miss Heart of Ohio! Last year Sweeps winners Tera Coleman and Whitney Fricke made the Top 10 while two other Sweeps titleholders, Devon Stansbury and Stephanie Beltz were among the highest scholarship recipients in Mansfield, despite being nonsemifinalist.

I strongly urge eligible women to enter! You've already done the paperwork and found a two-minute talent for at least one pageant, why not put all that hard work to use one more time? That being said, the name of the game will be to show the judges that you are the most ready to go directly to Miss Ohio with little preparation and can handle the whirl-wind of getting your paperwork submitted quickly.

I am normally shouting from the rafters that pageants are SUBJECTIVE!!! If all six titles are given, I fully expect some surprises, like a winner who has only competed once before or someone who never normally places. In pageants statistics do not matter, but IF they did, I'd put my money on these ladies:

Alyssa Phillips - competed – MV/AAC/FT; 1st RU - NWO; Congeniality - M/NCO; 1st RU Vacationland; 1st RU - MC; 2nd RU & Spirit - Musk. V

Jessica Nelson – 2nd RU – GC/CC; 4th RU – NC; competed – MV/AAC/FT; 4th RU - NWO; competed - Vacationland; competed - MC

Jena Sweigart – 1st RU & I – LF; 2nd RU - WCO/LSF/CL; competed – MV; 1st RU – MV/AAC/FT

Nina Haaskivi - 3rd RU - MC; 3rd RU - Musk. V

The ladies above have been seeking their first crown; experience will be on the side of the following eligible former titleholders:

Alyssa Waldman – competed - WCO/LSF/CL; T – MV; 2nd RU & T tie – Clayland; competed – MV/AAC/FT
Elizabeth Wong – competed – NC; 3rd RU - NWO; competed - M/NCO; competed - MC; Semifinaist - Musk. V

Stephanie Beltz – competed – Clayland; 4th RU - Musk. V

Anna Reis - competed – MV; 1st RU & I - CO

Tera Coleman – competed – CO

Brandi Herceg - competed – Clayland

These statistics do not include the last regular season pageant of the year, Miss Greater Butler County. I'll post the complete Sweeps eligibility list (according to my records) after Miss GBC, which takes place Saturday, March 19, or you can check out the "Ohio Stats" tab at the top of this page, under the header.