Meet the contestants running for Miss Wausau Area and Miss Wausau Area's Teen 2024
WAUSAU − The Miss Wausau Area Scholarship Organization will soon name its first Miss Wausau Area and Miss Wausau Area's Teen to represent the community for the next year. The contest is also an official local preliminary to the Miss Wisconsin and Miss Wisconsin’s Teen competitions to be held in June 2024 in Oshkosh.
Directed by Jenny Stanke, the mother of Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke, the competition to name both titles will start at 4 p.m. Saturday at the UW Center for Civic Engagement, 625 Stewart Ave.
Thousands of dollars in scholarships will be awarded to women from the Wausau community, according to the organizations Facebook page.
“The Miss America and Miss America’s Teen Organizations provide endless opportunities for young women to earn scholarships, learn interview skills, develop their talents, and form lifelong friendships and memories,” Stanke said in a press release. “I am excited to bring these opportunities to the women of central Wisconsin.”
The Miss Wausau Area Scholarship Competition is open to women between the ages of 18 and 28, while Miss Wausau Area’s Teen contestants must be between the ages of 13 and 18. Competitors for both age divisions must reside, work or attend school in Marathon County.
Here’s what you need to know before you go.
What’s this year’s theme?
This year's competition will be held on Veterans Day, and the theme will be "Thank You, Veterans." Four members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 388 Honor Guard will be presenting flags for the national anthem.
Miss Wisconsin 2022 Kylene Spanbauer, a native of Fond du Lac and a baton twirler with the University of Iowa Marching Band for five years, will serve as emcee for the competition. Other special guests will include Miss Wisconsin 2023 Lila Szyryj and Miss Wisconsin's Teen 2023 Trinity Horstman.
“The women of Marathon County are exceptionally talented, and they have been working incredibly hard in preparation for the Miss Wausau Area Competition,” Stanke said. “I look forward to crowning our inaugural winner and showcasing all that our community has to offer.”
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What does the competition look like?
The contestants for Miss Wausau Area will compete in five phases: interview, talent, evening gown, health and fitness and an on-stage conversation.
The morning of the competition, each contestant will meet privately with a panel of five judges for a 10-minute interview. That portion of competition is worth 30% of her overall score.
On stage, each contestant will perform a 90-second talent that shows her skills and personality. This portion of competition is worth 20% of her score.
Contestants will also show poise, confidence, beauty, charm and elegance in an evening gown that reflects their personal styles, worth 20% of their scores.
Health and fitness shows each contestant’s commitment to personal health and wellness, also showing her energy, confidence and personality. In this portion of competition, worth 20% of her score, each contestant will wear athletic wear and sneakers and will perform a short fitness routine.
Each contestant will also answer an on-stage question at the competition, counting for 10% of her final score. The on-stage question is designed to show her ability to think quickly and show her personality.
Meet the Miss Wausau Area 2024 contestants
Three young women will compete for the title of Miss Wausau Area 2024.
Contestant No. 1: Alicia Hoffmann
Hoffmann, a student at Northcentral Technical College, will be singing for her talent. Her community service initiative is supporting people with post-traumatic stress disorder with Patriot K9s of Wisconsin.
Contestant No. 2: Lauren Hjelsand
Hjelsand, a student at Madison Area Technical College, will be performing a personal monologue for her talent. For her community service initiative, she will be speaking about equitable STEM education.
Contestant No. 3: Alanna Racine
Racine, a student at D.C. Everest High School, will be singing for her talent. Her community service initiative is supporting mental health awareness.
Miss Wausau Area's Teen 2024
Tessa Knezic, a student at Wausau West High School, is the only teen who signed up for the Miss Wausau Area Teen 2024 competition. She will be singing opera for her talent and her community service initiative is spreading her message about amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome.
Because they do not have enough teen contestants to hold a competition, Stanke told the Daily Herald Friday that she can appoint Knezic as the title winner.
Where can I get tickets?
Tickets for Saturday's Miss Wausau Area Scholarship Competition cost $15. They will be available at the door. Only cash will be accepted.
For more information, email misswausauarea@gmail.com or visit Miss Wausau Area Scholarship Organization on Facebook.
Editor Jamie Rokus can be reached at jrokus@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Miss Wausau Area and Miss Wausau Area's Teen 2024 contestants
