Erica Cale, 12, of Clarkston, was crowned the champion of the Miss Pre-Teen Royal Oak pageant on Nov. 7.
Cale, a student at Clarkston Middle School, is the daughter of Nancy and Jeff Cale. She has a two-year-old sister, Savannah, and two brothers, Trevor, 10, and Sean, 14.
Cale competed against 33 girls in the 10-12 age bracket, including second runner-up Felicia Darrin, also from Clarkston. Cale said the entire experience began when she received a letter about the competition.
The Clarkston middle-schooler attended an informational session with approximately 500 girls where she applied to compete and interviewed with the coordinator. Cale was selected along with 140 other young ladies to compete in the 2004 Miss Pre-Teen Royal Oak Pageant.
At the competition, Cale modeled casual and formal wear. She interviewed with a four-person judging panel and presented a prepared answer on stage. After being selected to the top ten, the Clarkston beauty answered an impromptu question on stage.
‘I thought the experience was really fun,? said Cale. ‘I met a lot of new people. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.?
‘I was so happy when I won. I didn’t know what to say,? remembers Cale.
As the winner of the Royal Oak pageant, Cale received a tierra, a three-foot trophy, a sash, a championship souvenir photo, a $1,000 scholarship and two all-expense paid tickets for the competition in December of 2005 in Florida.
For the competition, Cale was sponsored by Macksey’s Interior Design and Rudy’s Market. The Clarkston Middle School student approached both businesses on her own.
‘We felt very strongly this was part of the experience for her,? said mom Nancy. ‘She went in, did the talking and explained to them what she was trying to do.?
And keeping busy is definitely something Cale likes to do. She is active in Math Counts, Drama, Choir, Go Girls Math Program through Wayne State and the University of Michigan and volunteers as a math tutor. Outside of school, she plays with the Michigan Gators travel soccer team, enjoys baby-sitting, takes voice lessons and attends youth group at Clarkston United Methodist Church. Aside from all this, she is also fluent in Spanish.
‘I hope to improve more in my interviewing skills, meet new people and learn a lot more,? said Cale in relation to next year’s competition. ‘I just hope to improve being myself.?
Cale will compete against girls from 40 other cities across the U.S. for even more in prizes and scholarships. The top prize is either a sports car or the equivalent of the vehicle’s cost in scholarship money.
‘The experience was wonderful,? concluded mom Nancy. ‘I enjoyed watching her grow from not knowing how to do modeling turns to being poised and composed on stage. It was amazing, just amazing.?