Durham resident Alecia Jack said that before competing in her first Mrs. Maine America Pageant last weekend, she had never really watched a pageant before.

“It’s a lot more than the glitz and the glam that people may envision, which is what I envisioned to begin with,” Jack said.

As it turns out, after stretching her comfort zone, Jack won — and is now crowned with the title of Mrs. Maine America 2021. Come November, she will compete for the national title in Las Vegas.

“I don’t even know what to say, I was just blown away and completely honored. I’m still coming to grips with it, to be honest with you,” Jack said.

The competition had four judges and was broken down into three parts: 50% interview, 25% bathing suit and 25% evening gown. Jack was competing against five other contestants in her tier.

During the interview round, Jack said questions could range from “tell me about yourself” to “what kind of candy bar would you want to be?”

In addition, each contestant was tasked with developing a platform, and according to Jack, she chose to focus on mental and physical wellness through breathing. In Vegas, she hopes to broaden that focus to include daily routine and nutrition for the average family.

“It’s just a passion, I’ve always loved it,” she said. “I want to be able to promote ways to incorporate healthy nutrition and activity (within) family life.”

Jack said that she believes she won because she was authentic and stayed true to herself the entire time and didn’t attempt to put on a show as someone she was not.

All in all, Jack said that, while she did enjoy dressing up, one of her favorite parts was that the experience challenged her initial ideas of pageantry and that she was able to find camaraderie amongst the other competitors.

“I thought it was gonna be a bunch of girls comparing themselves, making sure they were prim and proper throughout the entire venture,” Jack said. “These women, especially here in Maine, they were just real, it was okay to make a mistake.”

Once in Vegas there will be several days of stage rehearsal before the nationally televised event at the Westgate Resort and Casino. If Jack takes home first there, she would be crowned Mrs. America and would be eligible to compete for the title of Mrs. World in Sri Lanka.

Jack grew up in Maine and outside of pageantry works in the insurance industry. She has two sons and enjoys skiing, fishing and participating in other outdoor activities that Maine offers.

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