Pageant News Bureau - Morgan O'Murray

Morgan O'Murray got into pageants as sort of a favor. A contest in Colorado didn't have enough teenage girls, and she was willing to step in.

"Just one time and that's it," said her mother, who thought a girl could do better things with her time.

But Ms. O'Murray found that she enjoyed pageants. And, surprisingly, so did her mother. In 1999, Ms. O'Murray was Miss Colorado Teen USA. She competed on CBS, was profiled by PNB and gained a national reputation.

She earned her degree in finance and information systems from the University of Colorado, while working on the side as a Denver Broncos cheerleader. Now she's looking at law school. She is also deeply involved in the fight against asthma, the disease that has tried for years to stop her. She's beating it on points, but she still intends to knock it out.

It surprises some people that a teenage beauty queen would mature into a potential Miss America. Aren't the women who compete in Atlantic City a different breed from those in mere "beauty contests"?

What a distorted view! In fact, the very essence of the Miss America tradition is that a woman is a fully rounded human being. She can be gorgeous, she can be a talented performer, she can be a contributor to society. She can be many things, or she can be all things. But she can't be pigeonholed. Morgan O'Murray is proof.

Carrying the Olympic torch

Just as Ms. O'Murray was preparing for Atlantic City, her sister Audra was diagnosed with cancer. When you're in a tough fight, you want an old pro in your corner, and sister Audra has a champ on her side.

"I'll win Miss America for you, and you beat cancer for me," Miss Colorado told her sister. That's incentive, baby.