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Relaxing in a back booth of a local Chili’s restaurant, Briana Tatum could almost pass for an average basketball-loving 10-year-old. With a closer glance, however, the casual observer might notice her exceptional posture, bright smile — and the large sparkling crown and satin sash she wears.
Tatum, a student at S.H. Crowley Intermediate School, was recently named the 2008 Miss Texas Jr. Preteen. The honor was accompanied by several prizes, including $1,000, airfare to the national pageant, a trip to Hollywood, a VIP day for two in Disneyland and a modeling scholarship. She will compete in the National American Miss Pageant during Thanksgiving week in Anaheim, Calif.
Although Tatum’s next trip is months away, the pageant winner has a full trophy case from beating out 140 fellow Texans in late July.
“My biggest trophy is from being crowned queen, and I also got a trophy for being first runner-up in acting, second-runner-up in modeling, first runner-up in the Ms. Personality competition and first runner-up in the best-resume contest,” she said.
Earning top marks was hard work for the second-time pageant competitor, said Tatum, who practiced walking around the house in her pageant shoes to prepare for the event.
“I also practiced my speeches over and over again,” she said. “When I was backstage, I was a little nervous, but when I got on-stage, I thought, ‘It’s my time to shine, my time to show the judges how I am.’”
Tatum said she likes traveling around the nation and making new friends, and the competitions have helped her overcome her shyness. She said the interview portion was the toughest part of pageants.
Tatum said she never anticipated winning the crown — her goal was to break into the top 25.
She had no former pageant experience when her mom, Rosemarie Tatum, heard about the Miss Texas Jr. Preteen competition through an invitation mailed to the family two years ago.
“I asked Briana if she wanted to do it, and she said yes because it seemed fun and exciting,” Rosemarie Tatum said. “There was no pressure; it looked fun, and it was always up to her.”
To prepare for the pageant, the mother-daughter duo watched footage of previous pageant winners and tried to emulate some of their strengths while tweaking details so Briana Tatum’s performance would be unique, said Rosemarie Tatum, a Fort Worth school teacher.
She said she helped her daughter prepare for the pageant and was overcome with excitement when Briana was named Miss Texas Jr. Preteen.
“I was crying so hysterically like I won that I didn’t even see her get crowned,” she said.
Briana Tatum said she has kept busy volunteering around the North Texas area, a requirement that comes with the crown, but when she is not doing community service, she loves sports.
“I like basketball, volleyball and track,” she said.
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