Miss Missouri Teen Hails from Ballwin

Most people probably think it’s the right smile, the right look and being soft on your feet that helps win pageants, but it was an agile mind that secured a prestigious honor for Ballwin’s Samantha Holmes.

When Holmes, 18, was in the final stages of Miss Missouri Teen in Columbia last month, a judge handed her a cellphone, ambiguously stating, “It’s for you.”

“It was definitely an off-the-wall question,” said Holmes, who relied on her passion for strong personalities when she had to improvise exactly who would be calling to seek her “expert” advice.

“So I said, ‘Oh, hey Oprah! Oh girl, you need me?’”

It was enough to make the judges laugh and ultimately help Holmes become 2011’s Miss Missouri Teen--a title she was runner-up for last year but sealed the deal with last month.

“With those kinds of questions, you just have to find something you’re passionate about and something you’re into.”

For the John F. Kennedy Catholic High School graduate en route to University of Missouri to study broadcast journalism, a fictitious conversation with the nation’s leading talk show icon was a natural choice.

So, too, was the decision to compete in the Miss Missouri Teen competition, Holmes said, which follows roughly eight years of pageantry dating back to the fifth grade when she was recommended by a friend.

“And ever since, I’ve been competing and I love them,” Holmes said. “You feel beautiful and confident on stage.”

The competitions have required some balance--and not just in high heels. Holmes previously would elect to take part in optional talent-exhibits in some pageants, relying on her skills acquired in dance classes. Those classes eventually were traded in for activities such as basketball, which earned Holmes separate accolades competing for Kennedy High School.

But those decisions didn’t hurt the final result, which prompted a gush of emotion when Holmes learned she’d beat 102 other girls to take home the title.

“I cried like a baby because I was so excited,” Holmes said. “My mom said my face was priceless.”

Thanksgiving week, Holmes, her mother and her grandmother will head to Disneyland in California to compete for the title of National American Miss Teen--an honor that organizers say comes with about $500,000 in prizes.

For more information about the National American Miss Pageant, visit its official website.