Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: News

Erin Good

Erin Elise Good, Miss Maine USA 2007, walked into 9 small dressing room Sunday, Nov. 24, in the South Portland Sheraton all smiles. She sat at a mirror propped up against one of the ivory walls and squinted slightly as she studied herself in the mirror. Her blue eyes were lined with smoky black liner and her light auburn hair hung straight down to the middle of her back.

Last year, Good sat in the same room as one of 12 contestants in the Miss Maine USA 2007 pageant. For the past 12 months, she has worn the coveted crown - a shining, silver symbol of elegance, poise and beauty. From the glow on Good's face, one would never know her reign as Maine's beauty queen was about to end.

"I'm giving up my title as Miss Maine USA tonight," Good said, curling her hair, "and I have to say it's bittersweet."

Pageant contestants for 2008 began to file into the dressing room, taking eager glances at Good's regal accessory that sat atop her head. Not only would one of them capture the title of Miss Maine USA in less than three hours, they would also receive an all-expenses paid trip to Miss USA, the beauty pageant owned by Donald Trump and NBC.

Good acknowledged some of the young women vying for her crown. They were filing in from the foyer and heading toward their makeup stations scattered throughout the dressing room.

"I would be happy to crown any one of them," Good said. She began to touch up her makeup, generously applying bronzer to her already tanned complexion.

With the crowning of a new Miss Maine USA, a new chapter of Good's life awaits her.

For more than 50 years, this Miss USA pageant has been crowning state delegates that demonstrate grace, fitness, beauty and integrity. The 51 delegates, including the District of Columbia, spend nearly three weeks making appearances, competing at preliminaries and then, finally performing and competing in the final show. Each year a new location is chosen for the pageant, which is held in the spring.

"I learned a lot after competing at Miss USA," Good said. "There are some really petty pageant girls and some who are really down to earth. I still talk to several of [the other delegates] on a regular basis."

Good, a native of Fairfield, claims she grew up as a tomboy and was a natural on the soccer field. She insisted that she was not a stereotypical "popular girl."

"I didn't start wearing makeup or acting like a girly-girl until later in high school," Good explained. "It was then someone suggested I get in to modeling, and the pageant was kind of a second interest. I wanted to try something new."

Continued...

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