Miss North Dakota competes for Miss America
She credits her thick skin to growing up on a hobby farm
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Annette Olson, a graduate of Regan Elementary School and St. Mary’s High School, takes pride in her small-town roots while serving as a national role model for youth. |
with two younger brothers, and still considers herself a bit of a tomboy. But at the end of January, Annette Olson will shed her chaps for a chance to compete for the Miss America title in Las Vegas.
Crowned Miss North Dakota in June 2006, Annette brings a slice of fame to the small town of Baldwin. Her parents, Randy and SuAnn, moved southwest of Baldwin in 2001, although they’ve been Capital Electric members for the past 15 years.
Taking pride in her small-town roots while serving nationally as a role model for young women, Annette Olson is one shining example of the type of quality young women being raised right here in North Dakota.
The staff at Capital Electric congratulates Annette for her well-deserved accomplishments and wishes her continued success in her future.
The transformation from wrestler to role model
Attending a small country school was a privilege, says Annette, who went to Regan Elementary School with about 14 other students. She was, however, the only person in her class.
“I had one-on-one attention with the teacher, and students could move along at their own pace. It was the best educational experience I could have had,” she says.
Her brothers, Christopher and Matthew, also attended school in Regan. The boys got into wrestling at an early age, and because she was so much of a tomboy, Annette did too. After the school’s 8th grade graduation, Annette, and later her brothers, attended St. Mary’s High School where they continued their wrestling careers.
“I never saw other girls at any of the tournaments I competed in. I walked into the practice room the first day and all the little boys were whispering, ‘What’s SHE doing here?’ It was fun to do something everyone thought I couldn’t do.”
In between school and sports, Annette enjoyed the many perks of living on a farm. There were horses to ride, and sheep and cattle to help care for.
From studies and friends to wrestling practice and western horseback riding, the thought of entering a beauty pageant never crossed her mind--until a fear of public speaking took over. Annette says she doesn’t like to be afraid of things; so to conquer that fear, she found a way to put herself in the spotlight.
And that’s how her pageant career started.
Second time’s a charm
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Annette’s parents, Randy and SuAnn, live southwest of Baldwin on their hobby farm. Randy works at Falkirk Mining Company and SuAnn works as an accountant in Bismarck. |
After she received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, Annette applied to dental school and was put on a waiting list. In the meantime, she applied for a job with the state health department in Bismarck. When she was offered the job of epidemiologist, Annette accepted the position and moved back home.
She joined eight other field colleagues who investigate contagious diseases, such as e-coli, whopping cough, mumps and measles. While she enjoyed her new job covering five counties surrounding Bismarck, she was also fueled by her win as “Miss Peace Garden” and decided to try another pageant.
Because she had competed and won a local title, Annette was eligible to compete in the Miss North Dakota pageant.
“Back in college I had done some public speaking and performing, and I always felt a little nervous. So I thought, ‘if I happened to win the Miss North Dakota pageant, I would spend the entire year speaking and performing.’ And I could spend all year being nervous, or get over it. That was really my big incentive to compete.”
Annette traveled to Williston, the home of the Miss North Dakota board, and spent a week rehearsing and interviewing with a panel of judges. The areas of competition included an interview and talent, which consists of the largest percentage of the composite score, along with the swimsuit, evening gown and on-stage question. Annette says she has the most fun with the interview, although she likes all the areas of competition—even the swimsuit competition.
“There are a lot of people who think the swimsuit competition is degrading to women. But I think it lets the judges see that you are concerned about nutrition and exercise. The judges learn about our discipline and work ethic, so I really do think this area of competition has its place,” she says.
She competed against 20 or so other young women in between the ages of 17 and 24, and the judges narrowed down the contestants to 10. At the end of the competition, she was placed as first runner up. Annette says losing the competition was the best thing that could have happened.
Because she placed as first runner up, she was eligible to compete in a national “Sweetheart” pageant, which gave her national experience. With that experience under her belt, competed for a second time as Miss North Dakota—and won.
“The previous Miss North will watch me from the day I win until the end of the term in June 2007. And I’ve watched her, and seen the difference in her ability to speak and perform. She’s just so much more poised and confident. And I know that in my service as Miss North Dakota, I’ll also be able to have that experience. It’s just really an honor,” she says.
The opportunity of a lifetime
With the crowning of Miss North Dakota, Annette became a role model for youth. She travels to different schools across the state and meets with thousands of students, talking about the importance of nutrition and physical activity. This “Eat Smart, Play Hard” campaign was developed by the North Dakota State University Extension Service, and a school can reserve Annette’s time by calling Marilyn McGinley at 701-577-7009 or 701-571-3434.
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Annette, who partners with the Women’s Way program to help educate women on the importance of regular cancer screenings, speaks about the “Power of Prevention: Promoting Early Detection of Breast and Cervical Cancer.” |
Annette juggles a full schedule, in between working for the state and traveling to speaking engagements on behalf of Miss North Dakota. But she just might become a whole lot more busy … if she wins the Miss America pageant the last week of January.
Along with her parents, brothers, and approximately 40 others including aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, Annette will travel to Las Vegas on the 19th for a week of rehearsals. She will compete against 52 other women, including one from the Virgin Islands and one from the District of Columbia. Annette will sing “Don’t it make my brown eyes blue” a song by Crystal Gayle, and says while she’s suffered from stage fright in the past, she’s not nervous—yet.
While she has no expectations, she says she hopes to make the top 10. “It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, just to be there.”
Endless possibilities
What does the future hold for Annette Olson?
“I kind of like not knowing,” she says with a laugh. She might win the Miss America pageant. She might attend dental or chiropractic school. She might continue speaking about cancer prevention. She just might go home and wrestle with her brothers.
Whatever lies ahead, Annette has accomplished so much already—including her fear of public speaking. Although, she admits, she still might get a bit nervous on her plane ride to Las Vegas.
“Some of the best things that come along are things you don’t plan for. I certainly hadn’t planned on this!” she says. “We’ll see what happens.”
Editor’s note: Readers, watch Country Music Television (CMT) on January 29 to see Annette compete as Miss America.