Forty young women from all across the state begin the competition today for one of two titles — Miss Iowa U-S-A and Miss Iowa Teen U-S-A. The interview portion of the pageants will be held in Oskaloosa tonight, with the swimsuit and evening gown competitions starting tomorrow. The winners of the two contests will be crowned Sunday afternoon. The Miss Iowa U-S-A winner will go on to the Miss U-S-A pageant in Gary, Indiana, next year.Jim Clingman, director of the Iowa pageants, says 28 young women are taking part in the Miss Iowa Teen U-S-A portion of the contest while 12 are in the Miss Iowa U-S-A segment. He says the contests are wonderful character-builders for young women.Clingman says the big goal of the competitors is, of course, to win the crown, but there are also other rewards such as scholarships.The 12 competitors in the Miss Iowa U-S-A pageant are: Stacy Ayres of Centerville, Betsy Blanshan of Drakesville, Deena Cary of Cedar Rapids, Lillian Frescoln of Batavia, Lara Haworth of New Sharon, Laurie Hinebaugh of Ottumwa, Clarissa Kroese of Pella, Carlene Kurschinski of Ames, Megan Linke of Davenport, Elizabeth Norman of Council Bluffs, Jenny Roberts of Iowa City and Leah Skartvedt of Story City.
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