Student athletes will be participating in the third annual Mr. and Miss Falcon Pageant on Sunday, March 18. The pageant is an annual event that raises money for Special Olympics.
Student-Athlete Services Coordinator Meghan Horn said she thinks the Special Olympics and “the valuable lessons that sports and athletics teach a person” are great.
This year there are 10 participants from 10 different teams out of the 16 teams that are at the University. The athletic department tries to have every team represented but there are some conflicts with traveling and game schedules.
The sports that will be represented include swim and dive, track and field, men and women’s basketball, football, gymnastics, volleyball, cross country, women’s soccer and men’s golf. The participants are Rebekah Perry, Daija Young, Ethan Good, Terri Battle, Kholbe Coleman, Grace Logan, Macie Linne, Jon Wenning, Gabriella Magallanes and Max Rispler. Contestants can volunteer to participate or be nominated by their teams.
The pageant consists of three rounds. In the first round, participants will walk the runway in their respective uniforms, but creative props relating to their sport are encouraged. The second round is a talent round, and the candidates can do anything to show off their skills from singing and playing an instrument to cooking. The third and final round is formal attire, and the participants will also be asked a question.
The judges give points for each round adding up to a max score of 50. The male and female participants with the highest scores will be crowned Mr. and Miss Falcon. Ten40 Acapella will perform between the final round and the announcement of the winners. The winners will have the chance to present the check with proceeds from the event to Randy Barnes, who is the coordinator of Special Olympics in Northwest Ohio.
In the past, the athletics department put on a talent show and each team did their own performance.
“The teams were starting to not like participating, so (the pageant) was a fresh idea to try and shake things up,” said Horn.
Tickets are two dollars per person and will be sold at the door. All of the proceeds raised by the event will be donated to Special Olympics. The event is Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. at Olscamp 101.
