A Miss America Primer
By Zach Tropf (@jericho6) on January 22nd, 2009

On Saturday, January 24th, the 84th annual Miss America pageant will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. It will be broadcast on TLC for those interested.
The pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the fifty states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All the women complete an interview, plus battle in swimsuit, evening gown, and talent competitions. The overall winner is crowned “Miss America” until the next year. The 2008 Miss America, Kirsten Haglund, is pictured to the right. Who will she cede her crown to?
To give you all a preview of what to expect, here are all 52 candidates, complete with a head shot and a swimsuit photo. You can pick out your favorites, and see if you can predict who will take home the crown:
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Miss Alabama
Amanda Tapley
Birmingham, Alabama
Age: 20 |
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Miss Alaska
Stephany Jeffers
Anchorage, Alaska
Age: 23 |
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Miss Arizona
Erin Brittany
Sierra Vista, Arizona
Age: 23 |
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Miss Arkansas
Ashlen Batson
Newark, Arkansas
Age: 21 |
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Miss California
Jackie Geist
Vacaville, California
Age: 22 |
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Miss Colorado
Jamie Dukehart-Conti
Arvada, Colorado
Age: 23 |
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Miss Connecticut
Ashley Christina Glenn
Hamden, Connecticut
Age: 23 |
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Miss Delaware
Galen Giaccone
Wyoming, Delaware
Age: 20 |
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Miss District of Columbia
Kate Marie Grinold
Washington, District of Columbia
Age: 23 |
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Miss Florida
Sierra Minott
Fort Myers, Florida
Age: 20 |
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Miss Georgia
Chasity Hardman
Columbus, Georgia
Age: 24 |
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Miss Hawaii
Nicole Fox
Honolulu, Hawaii
Age: 23 |
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Miss Idaho
Elise Davis
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Age: 20 |
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Miss Illinois
Katie Lorenz
Chicago, Illinois
Age: 24 |
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Miss Indiana
Katie R. Stam
Seymour, Indiana
Age: 22 |
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Miss Iowa
Olivia Myers
Sperry, Iowa
Age: 22 |
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Miss Kansas
Emily Deaver
Augusta, Kansas
Age: 19 |
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Miss Kentucky
Emily Ann Cox
Campbellsville, Kentucky
Age: 22 |
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Miss Louisiana
Blair Abene
Hammond, Louisiana
Age: 22 |
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Miss Maine
Adrienne Leigh Watkinson
Topsham, Maine
Age: 23 |
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Miss Maryland
Louise Schlegel
Silver Spring, Maryland
Age: 20 |
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Miss Massachusetts
Alicia Zitka
West Springfield, Massachusetts
Age: 22 |
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Miss Michigan
Ashlee Baracy
Westland, Michigan
Age: 23 |
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Miss Minnesota
Angela McDermott
Austin, Minnesota
Age: 24 |
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Miss Mississippi
Christine Kozlowski
D’lberville, Mississippi
Age: 19 |
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Miss Missouri
Lacey Fitzgerald
Richmond, Missouri
Age: 24 |
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Miss Montana
Jennifer Lynn Hepner
Great Falls, Montana
Age: 23 |
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Miss Nebraska
Gretchen Bergquist
Oxford, Nebraska
Age: 22 |
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Miss Nevada
Julianna Erdesz
Reno, Nevada
Age: 24 |
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Miss New Hampshire
Natalie C. Shaw
Manchester, New Hampshire
Age: 23 |
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Miss New Jersey
Ashley Fairfield
Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
Age: 22 |
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Miss New Mexico
Christina Olmi
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Age: 24 |
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Miss New York
Leigh-Taylor Smith
New York City, New York
Age: 22 |
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Miss North Carolina
Amanda Lauren Watson
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age: 21 |
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Miss North Dakota
Tessie Jones
West Fargo, North Dakota
Age: 21 |
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Miss Ohio
Karissa Renee’ Martin
Woodsfield, Ohio
Age: 20 |
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Miss Oklahoma
Kelsey Cartwright
Collinsville, Oklahoma
Age: 21 |
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Miss Oregon
Danijela Krstic
Beaverton, Oregon
Age: 24 |
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Miss Pennsylvania
Kendria Perry
Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Age: 23 |
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Miss Rhode Island
Francesca Simone
North Smithfield, Rhode Island
Age: 22 |
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Miss South Carolina
Anna Perry
Florence, South Carolina
Age: 23 |
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Miss South Dakota
Alexandra Hoffman
Eureka, South Dakota
Age: 20 |
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Miss Tennessee
Ellen Carrington
Jackson, Tennessee
Age: 21 |
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Miss Texas
Rebecca Robinson
Buffalo, Texas
Age: 24 |
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Miss Utah
Kayla Barclay
Manti, Utah
Age: 18 |
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Miss Vermont
Ashley Ruth Wheeler
Lyndon, Vermont
Age: 21 |
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Miss Virgin Islands
Shamika K. Thomas
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Age: 23 |
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Miss Virginia
Tara Wheeler
Woodbridge, Virginia
Age: 24 |
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Miss Washington
Janet Harding
Yelm, Washington
Age: 21 |
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Miss West Virginia
Kayla Lynam
Short Gap, West Virginia
Age: 21 |
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Miss Wisconsin
Briana Lipor
Racine, Wisconsin
Age: 22 |
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Miss Wyoming
Courtney Gifford
Sheridan, Wyoming
Age: 19 |
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If you want to see who these women beat to get here, this site is a pretty impressive run down of each state pageant with photos of the runners-up.
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