'They are queens': Iowa Miss Amazing pageant marks 10 years of celebrating women, girls with disabilities
Backstage, the halls of Franklin Junior High School were bustling.
Makeup, hairdos, wardrobe fittings, interviews — all in preparation for the 10th Iowa Miss Amazing pageant for girls and women with disabilities. The pageant was held Friday and Saturday. Organizers of the event describe it as a movement to build confidence, self-esteem and friendship.
On stage, glistening crowns and trophies awaited more than 85 participants over the weekend. But first, the women and girls lined up backstage and shouted a chant to let out some nerves. Then, it was showtime.
"Strike your pose, do whatever you do," said Ellie Wiskus, 18, of Pella who was named this year's Iowa Miss Amazing Teen Queen and has participated in the pageant all 10 years.
For Wiskus, that meant a sassy hair flip as she glided across the stage in her navy blue, sparkling prom dress.
"Go out there, be confident and shine bright," Wiskus said.
And that's exactly what they did.
'I'm inspired by each one of them'
First up in the pageant were the passion presentations, where the girls and women showed just how talented they are.
Like Isabella Arenas, 11, of Ankeny who showcased her digital artwork, including a Harry Potter calendar featuring all her favorite characters. She was named this year's Iowa Miss Amazing Preteen Queen.
And like Elyse Ellsbury, 16, of Pleasant Hill who performed spoken word poetry that she'd written about being left for adoption in China.
Others did gymnastics. Cheerleading. Danced and sang Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. Played instruments like the clarinet and piano. Performed comedy.
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"Year after year, I can't honestly put it into words .I'm always in shock at how truly amazing and talented these girls are," the pageant's director in Iowa, Morgan Tooley, 26, of Omaha, Nebraska, told the Des Moines Register.
"I've seen these girls grow up — I'm inspired by each one of them."
Iowa Miss Amazing queens have big dreams
Before the pageant concluded, every girl and woman shared their dreams with the audience.
Graduate high school. Go to college. Open up a bowling alley or arcade. Become a doctor. Become a mom. Become a swimmer, an actress, an astronaut. Find a super cute boyfriend. Travel to France, England, Korea. Research the cure to cerebral palsy. Compete in the Special Olympics. Live a happy life. Make the world a kinder, better place.
By the end of the event, they held their trophies up high and wore their crowns on their heads with pride.
"It feels like I'm special," said Rachel Cogil, 18, of Jamaica. She was last year's Iowa Miss Amazing Teen Queen and, like Wiskus, has participated in the pageant all 10 years.
At the end of the night, Tooley brought all of the girls and women on stage for one final chant.
“What are we," Tooley asked, to which everyone responded:
"Amazing."
These six 2022 Iowa Miss Amazing queens heading to nationals
Six Iowa girls and women were chosen over the weekend to represent Iowa in Nashville, Tennessee, this summer for the national Miss Amazing pageant:
Preteen: Isabella Arenas, 11, of Ankeny
Junior Teen: Andrea Capaldo, 14, of Polk City
Teen: Ellie Wiskus, 18, of Pella
Junior Miss: Marissa Christensen, 23, of Stuart
Miss: Eilise Murray, 26, of Johnston
Senior Miss: Autumn Weaver, 30, of Boone
Tooley emphasized that while not everyone will be competing at nationals, every girl and woman was a queen.
"We want every girl to feel like a queen when they leave here, because they are queens," Tooley said. "Every girl gets a crown."
Andrea Sahouri covers social justice for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at asahouri@registermedia.com, on Twitter @andreamsahouri, or by phone 515-284-8247.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa pageant for women, girls with disabilities celebrates 10 years
