April 23, 2014 at 2:24 p.m.
Bonack to compete in 2014 Miss Wisconsin pageant
Bonack to compete in 2014 Miss Wisconsin pageant
By Kayla Thomason-
Bonack recently won the 15th Miss Fox River Valley pageant, earning her a spot at the 2014 Miss Wisconsin pageant June 21 in Oshkosh. If she wins the title of Miss Wisconsin, she will advance to the Miss America pageant Sept. 14 in Atlantic City., N.J.
This will be Bonack's second attempt at winning the Miss Wisconsin title. She will be competing against 26 women all of whom are hoping to represent the Badger state at Miss America.
Bonack started competing in pageants when she was 16 and is wrapping up her career as a contestant this year. The Miss America pageants are only open to women between the ages of 17 and 25. She said she has enjoyed every minute of her time as a pageant contestant.
"For me, being in a pageant is empowering, helps in building my future and it's uplifting being able to give back to my community and state," she said. "It's also a sisterhood of life-long friends and [it's an] amazing networking opportunity."
Bonack's parents, Frank and Judy, are proud of their daughter's accomplishments.
"She's gotten so many opportunities just in the last few weeks just becoming Miss Fox River Valley, to go into the public schools and speak," said Trudy Bonack. "She's been asked to come in and dance for the schools."
Like Miss America, the Miss Wisconsin competition is divided into separate phases.
During the first phase of the competition the women wear a business suit, have their interview and answer on-stage question, which is drawn out of a jar.
The questions range from political to world events, so the women have to be well versed in current events.
The women are also judged on their platform, talent, evening gown and swimsuit.
"I want to get the message across to young women nowadays that they need to understand that putting on nice clothes, doing my hair and makeup has nothing to do with self-image issues or not thinking I'm pretty enough, it's fun and I enjoy it, but it's important to not let society twist our perception of what true beauty is," Bonack said.
Bonack's platform is "A Healthy You = A Happy You: Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Choices."
"I chose my platform based on what I'm going to school for, which is Dietetics [Nutrition and Fitness]," Bonack said. "I want to help people make healthy lifestyle choices because it's very important to me to see people living their lives happy and healthy."
As part of her platform, Bonack has been visiting schools offering advice on how people can make healthier choices.
When it comes time for the talent competition, Bonack intends to glide across the stage.
She will be performing the classical ballet Spanish Chocolate, from the Nutcracker Suite, en pointe. Ballet is one of her passions and she takes great joy in it.
"(Mary) loves to dance, she's danced in ballet since she was 6 years old and she loves to perform," her father said.
Participating in pageants requires a serious time commitment, Bonack noted.
She exercises three to four times a week for swimsuit, rehearses her dance routine two to three times a week and practices walking patterns for evening gown and swimsuit.
Bonack competes in pageants to help pay for her education. The Miss Wisconsin/Miss America organization is a scholarship program run by volunteers. This past year the organization has awarded $45 million to thousands of young women, according to Bonack.
"Being able to go back to school (and pay for it!), and the interview skills that I have gained from competing, have impacted my life greatly. I'm doing something with my life I love (Dietetics) and I've become more socially involved in the world around me," she said.
"[The pageants are] a wonderful way for her to learn how to be in front of the public and be able to speak in front of large crowds and perform and so forth," her father added.
On top of the dedication she puts into competing in pageants, Bonack also works 20-30 hours a week and is a full-time student at UW-Stevens Point.
If anyone is considering participating in pageants, Bonack recommends borrowing or renting the costumes, as that cost is out of pocket. She said she gets a lot of her clothing through pageant resale.
"(Being in pageants) is a lifestyle choice and a commitment, but I love it," she added.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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