Pageant News Bureau - Miss Teen USA 2004, Page 3

At ease

There's an old pageant cliché that teen queens are less "canned" than older winners. That's not always true, but it certainly applies to Shelley Hennig. She's as spontaneous and fun as a snowball fight (though they don't see much snow in south Louisiana).

She first told PNB that one of her favorite pastimes is "just goofing around." Then she laughed and said she wasn't supposed to tell us that. As we peppered her with questions, she occasionally turned the tables. "Am I saying the right things?" she asked. She certainly was.

Ms. Hennig enjoyed kidding with us. But maybe she was getting practical experience, too, because ambition is to be on the other side of the microphone, hosting a TV entertainment program. She has the most important quality of a good interviewer: She puts you at ease.

She's been dancing since age 2, and has done a fair amount of modeling. She always thought of major pageants as hard to win, but a good way to be noticed. "I just entered to put my name out there," she says of the Miss Teen USA Pageant. Trust us, folks, her name is out there.

Ms. Hennig lives near New Orleans, one of America's most exotic, exciting cities. She assured us it's not as wicked as some people imagine, but maybe that's because she prefers the quiet times to the crowded celebrations.

"I love to walk through the French Quarter when it's nearly empty," she said. That must be nice. The problem is, she draws a crowd.

Swimsuit photos courtesy of Shelley Hennig; dress photo by Joe Whiteko / PNB

The torch is passed

Brittany Freeman is following in her mother's footsteps. And her mother's shoes would be hard for most girls to fill.

Belinda Bridgman Freeman has represented New Hampshire at both Miss USA and Miss America, and is also a former Mrs. New Hampshire. Brittany, of course, is Miss New Hampshire Teen USA.

There's other footwork in this talented family. Mrs. Freeman owns a dance studio, and Brittany says, "I've been dancing all my life." But Brittany has been taking other steps, too, and sometimes going in circles. She's a competitive figure skater.

Winning is in her blood, but this is a modest girl. She doesn't make the skating sound glamorous. "Ninety-five percent is falling down," she says. "You pretty much always have an injury." But she makes it look glamorous. So graceful. Surely that can't hurt!

Photos courtesy of Brittany Freeman

If she wins Miss Teen USA, she may have to put away her skates for a while. If she doesn't, she'll be competing on the ice again within weeks. And doing more dancing and modeling. And did we tell you she's planning a career in medicine?

Her next step is up to the judges.

Country fresh

Tennessee has a lot of lovely countryside, from flat to rolling to rugged, and a lot of delightful little towns nestled among the greenery. These peaceful places are where most of the state's beauty queens seem to come from. Such splendid girls, as fresh as daisies and as gorgeous as Daisy Duke.

Tiffany Stroud is one such girl.

When she told us where she lives, she had to mention a string of bigger towns to give us a sense of where it is. Then she reassured us that it's not all that remote. "I don't have horses and cows," she explained, "but I know people who do."

Living in God's country has not stopped her from finding work in the glamour business. But she's had to be resourceful. She models for a local day spa, and "I do commercials for my mother. She sells windows."

Ms. Stroud started pageants as a young girl, and she used to dream of being Miss USA, but her biggest previous title was Miss Winterfest. When she competed for Miss Tennessee Teen USA, she didn't expect to win. "I just thought, 'I'm going to learn from any mistakes I make.' " She must not have made any.

Would you believe this beautiful girl wants to be a forensic pathologist? Isn't that big city work? "No, we need them."

Photos by Joe Whiteko / PNB

Aug. 6, 2004, in Palm Springs, Calif.