Fairest of the Fair
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Fairest of the Fair
Raquel Rusing, Miss
Carlsbad, crowned Fairest of the Fair / Miss San Diego County
DEL MAR,
CA -- Raquel Rusing of Carlsbad, CA was crowned the 58th Fairest of the Fair and
Miss San Diego County on Friday, May 16, during the Fairest of the Fair Pageant
at the California Center for the Arts Escondido.
By winning the pageant, Rusing holds the dual title, Fairest of the Fair and
Miss San Diego County. As Fairest of the Fair, Rusing will be the official
hostess for the 2003 San Diego County Fair; which runs June 13 - July 6 at the
Del Mar Fairgrounds. As Miss San Diego County, she is eligible to compete in the
Miss California pageant, which is part of the Miss USA organization.
Fairest of the Fair/Miss San Diego County is the premier pageant event in San
Diego County, and is the longest running and largest countywide pageant program
in the State of California.
Emceeing
the coronation evening was Deborah Takahara, news anchor for KNSD 7/39 in San
Diego. The competition was keen as 30 community queens vied for the crown during
two days of intense competition, May 15 and 16. Contestants were graded on four
criteria.
Those
criteria were: 25 points for Interview, 15 points for Sportswear, 15 points for
Evening Gown, and 15 points each evening for Poise & Personality. The top
ten candidates advanced to the final round on Friday night, which consisted of
answering impromptu questions for an additional 20 points. A panel of six judges
graded contestants in each of the competition categories.
Rusing earned the most points. The next highest finishers in the pageant
comprise the official Fairest of the Fair "Court". Members of the
Court assist the Fairest of the Fair in her goodwill ambassadorial duties during
the Fair and throughout the year.
The Court members are: First runner-up, Lisette Diaz, Miss San Ysidro; Second
runner-up, Kacy Thompson, Miss Santee; Third runner-up, Jennifer Morgan, Miss
Alpine; and Fourth runner-up, Andrea Schneider, Miss Rancho Bernardo.
Also finishing in the top ten were: Miss Fallbrook, Autumn Garcia; Miss
Clairemont, Cristin Grettenberger; Miss Poway, Jamie Auger; Miss Del Mar, Kendyl
Conway; and Miss La Mesa, Troy Lemperle.
There were several additional
honors presented to contestants that were not graded as part of the overall
competition, but carried their own special awards and recognition. They included
the Essay Contest, the Miss Congeniality Award, the Speech Award, and the Most
Photogenic Award.
In addition to winning the overall crown and title, Rusing also won the
pageant's Essay contest. During the first rehearsal for the pageant, contestants
were given one hour to write a paper of 300 words or less on a subject they were
presented at the rehearsal. Rusing's essay was chosen by a panel of judges
headed by Jack Gaffney of the San Diego City School District.
The Miss Congeniality Award, voted on by the pageant contestants, went to Miss
San Marcos, Kelsey Nygaard. The Speech award, which was judged by members of
Toastmasters International, was presented to Miss La Mesa, Troy Lemperle.
The Photogenic Award, chosen by a panel of photographers from Light Impressions
of San Diego, was given to Miss Clairemont, Cristin Grettenberger.
Last year's Fairest of the Fair, Kelly McPheters, was presented a watch for her
yearlong service and commitment to the pageant program. The watch was presented
by Barry Nussbaum, President of the board of directors for the22nd District
Agricultural Association, which oversees the Del Mar Fairgrounds. During her
reign, McPheters participated in more than 300 events throughout San Diego
County and contributed hundreds of volunteer hours to community events.
Fairest of the Fair / Miss San Diego County, Raquel Rusing, is a 17-year-old
senior at Carlsbad High School, and is the daughter of Gregory and Roxanne
Rusing.
Rusing
belongs to several clubs at Carlsbad High School including Art, Drama, and Dance
Clubs. She is also the Official Thespian Teacher for Christian Youth Theater and
captain for the National Comedy High School Team. Her special interests include
dancing, acting, improvisational theater, drawing, and photography. Rusing's
ambition is to graduate high school with a 4.4 grade point average; then major
in mathematics and art at a 4-year university and graduate with a teaching
credential in five years. She hopes to teach high school calculus and algebra
and maintain a gallery of her artwork.
Rusing's favorite books are Atlas Shrugged and The Catcher in the Rye. Her
favorite food is Italian and her favorite flower is whatever Prince Charming
delivers. Rachel's pet peeve is when people pretend to listen, but in reality
they're just waiting for their turn to speak.
Her philosophy of life: "Without love there is no existence. Love binds,
fixes, empowers, shapes, and causes all good things in time - because of this
there is no such thing as wasted time."
Fairest
of the Fair / Miss San Diego County Past Winners
1936 Barbara Watson, San Diego
1946 Gloria O'Rear, Del Mar
1947 Claire LeRoy, East San Diego
1948 Jeanene Cross, Oceanside
1949 Alice Kerr, Oceanside
1950 Pat Beasley, Linda Vista
1951 Marla English, North Park
1952 Mae Entwisle, San Diego
1953 Dorothy Wanket, San Dieguito
1954 Jo Johnson, Rolando Village
1955 Gay Cowie, Ocean Beach
1956 Pat Thompson, National City
1957 Ellen Emig, Escondido
1958 Raquel Tejeda, La Jolla
1959 Shirlee Brown, Ramona
1960 Barbara Wyse, Coronado
1961 Salli Vining, La Jolla
1962 Judy Downing, Vista
1963 Sheri Good, San Diego
1964 Linda Taylor, San Diego
1965 Andree LaPointe, Pacific Beach
1966 Fran Rooks, Pacific Beach
1967 Sandra Poole, Peninsula
1968 Mary Lamberton, Chula Vista
1969 Carolee Meachum, El Cajon
1970 Sharyn Yetra, Pacific Beach
1971 Maureen O'Connor, Coronado
1972 Lauren McGuire, Peninsula
1973 Michelle Sisk, El Cajon
1974 Carmen Perry, National City
1975 Becky Durick, Vista
1976 Christy Lynn Martin, Clairemont
1977 Rita Joanne Garcia, East San Diego
1978 Dayna Marie Waitley, Carlsbad
1979 Shannon Davidson, San Dieguito
1980 Tracie Alexander, Tierramesa
1981 Lisa Auld, San Marcos
1982 Sharon Jones, La Mesa
1983 Adabelle Robertson, La Mesa
1984 Marianne McIntosh, El Cajon
1985 Lisa Pacheco, Oceanside
1986 Tina Napier, Lemon Grove
1987 Lynette Berry, Bonita
1988 Maura Leonard, Chula Vista
1989 Catherine Mulder, Poway
1990 Jervaun Marino, La Mesa
1991 Danielle Bennett, National City
1992 Kimberly Rafter, Lakeside
1993 Stacey Moore, Bonita
1994 Kari Stout, Santee
1995 Kyah Lattimer, Fallbrook
1996 D'Ann Dobbins, La Mesa
1997 Gianna Suter, Chula Vista
1998 Tarah Peters, El Cajon
1999 Anika Dominguez, Chula Vista
2000 Miranda Toledo, San Dieguito
2001 Shalini Patnaik, San Dieguito
2002 Kelly McPheters, Del Mar
2003 Raquel Rusing, Carlsbad
Special
Awards
The 2003 Essay Winner will
receive a check for $200 from the San Diego County Fair
2003 Fairest of the
Fair Essay Award
Raquel Rusing -- Miss Carlsbad
The pageant's essay contest was introduced 27 years ago. Each year at the first
rehearsal, all contestants are given one hour to write a paper of 300 words or
less on a subject that they are provided at that time. The winner is chosen by a
panel of judges headed by Jack Gaffney, San Diego City School District.
For the Current Status of the Fairest of the Fair, click here