Miss Monroe, Stormy Keffeler, 23 years old beauty is the first ever professional football player to win the title of Miss Washington USA 2016. She was crowned at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien by the outgoing queen, Kenzi Novell on 18th October 2015. The top five was bizarrely packed with returning contestants, and Stormy herself is only the fourth returning contestant to win Washington since 2006. First runner-up title went to Kelsey Schmidt, who also competed with Stormy in 2014 and 2015, third runner-up was 2015 semi-finalist Chael Stenchever and fourth runner-up was India Everett, a past non-finalist in Missouri. The only newcomer in the top five was second runner-up Julianne Fingado. Among the semi-finalists were last year's fourth runner-up Gelly Lirio and past Teen runner-up Kyla Dixon. Claire Wright was crowned as Miss Washington Teen USA 2016 at the same event!
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The Judging Panel included co-executive producer of CBS's "The Talk" Heather Gray, guest co-host of "Access Hollywood" Natasha Curry, Casting Producer of Big Brother Cherish Hamutoff, and others.
Soon after her win, Stormy beaming with grace expressed her joy before paparazzi, saying: “I was encouraged by my family and friends who said I’d be a great representative of our state. I grew up dreaming about this. This is a dream 22 years in the making, and I’m going to make the absolute most of it.” Keffeler, a college student who is currently studying journalism in aspiration of becoming a TV sideline commentator for NFL games, has a few months to prepare for the 2016 Miss USA Pageant, where she hopes to be crowned by the reigning Miss USA Olivia Jordan from Oklahoma.
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Besides playing football, Keffeler enjoys working as a promotional assistant at Entercom Seattle and volunteering for several charity organizations, including Volunteers of America. Whether she’s battling it out on a football field or strutting down a runway, Stormy Keffeler is a ferocious competitor.
Stormy is not a newbie to pageants, she grew up participating at various pageants, She and her mom co-direct the Miss Sky Valley pageant, held every year in Monroe. This was her third attempt at Miss Washington USA, a hard-fought title she shoddily wanted to win. Keffeler was asked: “It’s all about making a difference. What is your difference going to be?” to which the beauty queen smilingly replied: “It was so general; it could have gone terribly wrong. I was honestly just praying that I wouldn’t be a viral video.” Keffeler answered the question persuasively inspired by her own athletic background and the way it helped shape her life.
She is passionate about helping kids accomplish success through participation in sports, and hopes to work with a nonprofit called Good Sports to ensure sports are accessible to youth regardless of family-income levels. She opines: “I grew up playing sports. I feel like that’s really shaped who I am from a very young age. It taught me leadership, communication, discipline, determination — everything I needed to win this pageant.”
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When asked about the advice she would like to give the aspiring pageant participants, she said: “It doesn’t take a lot of money. It just takes a strong desire.”
Washington has been moderately successful in terms of number of semi-finalists and placements, and has had one Miss USA. Dorothy Anstett won the crown in 1968 and went on to place 4th runner-up at Miss Universe. Do you think Stormy Keffeler will be the second lady from Washington to win Miss USA 2016 crown?