Pageant News Bureau - Hawaiian Tropic 2002

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u

U.S. 2002 Finals

All photos by Golden Photography

One of the four: Shawn Cox of Los Angeles, who also was honored for best legs. (They're so spectacular, we don't dare show them.)

"Try to Remember" is one of our favorite songs. We've heard it a million times, and it still gives us a lump in the throat every time we hear it. Maybe you feel the same way.

Among other things, the song advises us to look back from a dark December to a mellow September. It's good advice, and we took it. So even though September 2001 was one of the least mellow in our nation's history, we decided to wait until December to look back at the U.S. finals of Hawaiian Tropic International.

One of the four: Amber Lancaster of Seattle.

One of the four: Ashley Massaro of New York.

One of the four: Denise Garcia of San Antonio.

With terrorism and war on everybody's mind, beautiful women from around the United States traveled to Las Vegas to compete. They were a ravishing rainbow of all-American femininity. In their own way, they provided proof that there is hope for our whole strife-torn planet.

Four women were chosen to go on to the international finals. Women from four of America's most vibrant cities. Ashley Massaro of New York, Denise Garcia of San Antonio, Shawn Cox of Los Angeles and Amber Lancaster of Seattle. Carrie Stroup was Ms. Photogenic, and Kasie Head was Ms. Congeniality. Barbara Humes was Ms. Mandalay Bay.

Christy Gardiner represented one of America's most beautiful cities.

As you survey the beauties who made the event so spectacular, you may think we waited too long. Maybe we took the words of the song too literally. But when you've got a lump in your throat, sometimes you don't think so clearly.

Editor's note: Special thanks from PNB go to Ron Rice and the staff of the Hawaiian Tropic organization, as well as to the staff at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. We are also grateful to Sterling Rice, Amber Lancaster, Carrie Stroup, Dennis Rodman and officials of the city of Las Vegas and the state of Nevada.