Pageant Press and Video: Here she is: Miss Hamilton

For the article below and a wonderful video of the new Miss Hamilton, Nicole Masters competitng in Casual Wear, Talent, Evening Gown, Onstage Question and being crowned by Miss Ohio Marlia Fontaine from the News Journal,
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Here She Is: Miss Hamilton

HAMILTON — In Franklin, Nicole Masters is known as a kindergarten teacher with a talent for tap dancing and a dream of making strong connections between education and the business world.

But now, she will now also be known as the first-ever “Miss Hamilton.”

Masters, 24, walked away with the crown and the chance to compete for the title of Miss Ohio after an intense three-hour competition before a packed house at the Old Moose Event Center.

Masters was among nine competitors who sang, danced, modeled evening gowns, casual wear and swimsuits before a cheering crowd and celebrity guests that included actor Max Gail; reining Miss Ohio 2005 Marlia Fontaine; 1995 Miss Ohio Ellen Pasturzak and Hamilton’s own hometown hero John-Michael Lander, a world diving champion and actor.

The competition started in the early afternoon as contestants underwent private 12-minute interviews with the panel of seven judges. Those interviews counted toward 25 percent of the contestants’ overall scoring for the pageant.

Once onstage, the contestants were judged for their poise, physique, talent and their responses to two additional questions posed by Hamilton Mayor Don Ryan.

When asked by Ryan the most valuable lesson she had learned in her life thus far, Masters answered: “To be proud of myself, no matter what. Even if I make a mistake, to find something good in it. To always find the good in every situation.”

In addition to wearing the crown and serving as Hamilton’s ambassador to the Miss Ohio pageant, Masters received a $1,000 scholarship prize.

First runner-up was Hamilton High School senior Olivia Stewart, 18. Stewart also took top honors and a certificate for talent, both the casual and evening wear competitions and for the one-on-one judges interview. Second runner-up went to Miami University student Sara Chaney, 20, of West Chester Township. Chaney also won a certificate as top scorer in the swimsuit competition.

Third runner-up was Hamilton High School senior Monica Jennings, 17, and fourth runner-up was Wright State University student Katie Camp. 19, of Newark.

Miami University-Hamilton student, Jamie Weiss, 22, took both the “Miss Congeniality” and the “People’s Choice” awards. The Miss Congeniality award included a $250 gift certificate to Elder Beerman. The “People’s Choice” award was based on the amount of money generate by in a $1 a vote contest. The contest money was dedicated to the Miss Hamilton Scholarship Fund.

[The photo above on the left of Nicole and Miss Ohio Marlia Fontaine is from Crowns of Ohio.]