Free takes stage at Miss Texas USA pageant RHS senior to compete in televised event Sunday
By Marie Bakken
Reporter staff
Challenges are something that Rockdale’s Patti Free gets excited about, so when the opportunity to compete in the Miss Texas USA pageant came up, she jumped on it.
“I’m a girl who loves challenges,” she said. “It’s exciting knowing that you and all these other girls are all competing for the same thing.”
Free, along with 115 other young ladies from the age of 18-27, will vie for the title of Miss Texas USA on Sunday, June 29 in Laredo at the Laredo Entertainment Center. Local channels KXAN 36 in Austin and CW Waco will carry the pageant live, which starts at 8 p.m.
Preparation
In preparing for the pageant, Free said she was very lucky to work with a group of elite coaches that work with the Miss Texas USA program.
“I’ve been working with my interview coach Valerie Hayes,” Free said of her preparation, part of when she started four months ago.
The 17-year-old, who will be a senior at Rockdale High School in the fall, found out about the pageant in a letter she received in the mail. She said that she had to apply to be accepted to participate in the pageant, and when accepted, became the first known Miss Rockdale USA representative.
“I’m going for broke,” Free said in an interview last week. She chose to skip participating in the Miss Texas Teen USA pageant and hit the stage for the Miss Texas USA title.
Free is not new to the pageant stage, she has competed in the Miss Rockdale Fair pageants the past two years, earning second and first runners-up, respectively.
The Miss Texas USA, which is owned by Donald Trump along with the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, won’t have a talent competition, but does include evening and swimwear contests, along with an intense interview process. Those events and preliminaries will begin on Friday with the final and live performances on Sunday night.
‘Good land’
Free has been in Laredo since Saturday along with her parents Art and Susan, and has hit the ground running. Free has had a rigorous schedule of fittings, practices, interviews and photo sessions.
The Rockdale native moved with her family 17 years ago, shortly after she was born, to Milam County.
When asked why her parents, who are both retired from the US Army, moved to Texas, it was a short answer.
“Good land,” she said. “When I asked them why Rockdale, they always tell me they found some good land they wanted and bought it.” Susan was born on the East Coast and Art lived in Brenham.
The community service-driven teen said that she hopes to gain a lot from her pageant experience.
“I hope to meet new people and enjoy the high intensity competition,” Free said. “I also hope to grow more with my interview process and increase my self-confidence part.”
That self-confidence part will be a big part, Free said, when she sports a two-piece swimsuit in front of thousands of people in the audience and watching television.
Community Service
Free is competing on a community service platform and if chosen as Miss Texas USA 2009, she hopes to spread its importance throughout Texas.
She is involved in the P.A.L. (Peer Assistant Leadership) program at RHS and was the coordinator of Operation Backpack last fall where she was able to get school supplies and backpacks donated for 35 RISD students in need.
The Crown
If Free was to win the coveted title of Miss Texas USA 2009, she would be the youngest in recent history. She turns 18 the day after the pageant. The 2009 crown holder from the Lone Star State will them compete in the Miss USA pageant next spring, where the winner of that will go on to the worldwide stage to compete in the Miss Universe contest.
The Miss Texas USA winner will also receive a large cash and prize package during her reign.
Last year’s Miss Texas USA Crystle Stewart won the Miss USA title and competes in Miss Universe on July 13. It was the ninth time in the 57-year history of the Miss USA pageant that Texas has brought home the national title.
