A moment to celebrate: LaQuatra named Second Runner Up in national pageant

By Nick Malawskey, Sentinel reporter, nmalawskey@lewistownsentinel.com

Photo provided by John Metzger Elena LaQuatra, right, celebrates with Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2008, Caitlin Brunell and First Runner Up, Miss Utah’s Outstanding Teen, Lindsey Brinton Saturday in Orlando Fla. LaQuatra, who represented Pennsylvania in the pageant, placed as Second Runner Up.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The lights are down and the curtain is closed, but a local representative in the Miss America Outstanding Teen pageant is still basking in the afterglow.

On Saturday, Elena LaQuatra, Miss Pennsylvania Outstanding Teen, placed as second runner up in the national competition — not bad for a girl who started on her path this year at the Lewistown High School auditorium.

“Pennsylvania is not a big pageant state, so when I got second runner I was shocked,” LaQuatra said Sunday when contacted by The Sentinel. “I was so happy to be in the top 5 — it was such an honor.”

Even with a cold LaQuatra was undeniably exuberant Sunday, chatting in her uniquely happy manner about the contest.

“Oh, I had no idea .. honestly all the girls are so accomplished and so amazing ... you just can’t expect anything,” she said. “Oh my gosh ... I was so nervous.”

LaQuatra said one of the biggest inspirations for her during the competition was having supporters from Pennsylvania at the event to cheer her on — including John and Rosie Metzger, who organize the Miss Central Pennsylvania/Miss Greater Juniata Valley pageant.

“I had all my central Pennsylvania supporters down here, (including) the Metzger family,” she said “It was a lot of fun ... it was nice seeing them all.”

John Metzger described his own feelings Sunday about seeing LaQuatra advance in the competition.

“The longer we were there, the more we began to think she could win the whole thing. So we were pretty happy with the way things turned out,” he said.

LaQuatra, 14, from Mount Lebanon, was crowned Miss Central Pennsylvania Outstanding Teen in October at the local competition.

She said that when she was on the stage at Lewistown she didn’t expect to end up in Orlando competing for the national title.

“It’s kind of like you set your goals as you go,” LaQuatra explained, saying that once she won the local event she then set her sights on the state, and then onto the national competition.

“You compete in the local (competition) and you want to win so badly ... and once you win the local you’ll give anything to be in the top five in the state,” she said.

Even though she has spent the last week in sunny Orlando, LaQuatra said she and the other contestants didn’t have much of a chance to enjoy the nearby beaches.

“We’ve been doing a lot of indoor activities (and) appearances ... we haven’t really spent a lot of time in the sun,” she said laughing. “But I had a lot of fun.”

As always, LaQuatra said she has trouble picking out her favorite thing about the competition.

“Honestly, I can’t really pick one,” she said. “Everything we did was so much fun.”

But she said her most cherished memory from the trip is likely the time spent with the other girls during the off times of the competition.

“It sounds corny, but I made a lot of friends,” she said. “When you think of the competition you don’t think about just hanging out ... but really that’s the one thing I’ll really cherish.”

LaQuatra added that one of the most poignant moments for her came right before the top five contestants were announced — despite the on-stage stress.

“They showed a video of the past nine days and it was really sad to be leaving all the girls ... when they were showing the video I was crying,” she said. “It was really sweet ... that was the one thing I’ll cherish forever.

“Then once they were like ‘top five come to the center’ I was crying because I was sad and nervous.”

While LaQuatra is unable to compete again in the teen competition, she said she plans to return to pageantry when she is old enough to compete in the Miss America pageant at 18. But that doesn’t mean she’s planning on staying away from the area — she said she plans on visiting Lewistown again for various appearances.

Section: News    Posted: 8/13/2007