Published: June 04, 2009 11:12 am      

Miss McAlester advances

Miss McAlester Whitney Nelms has danced her way to a win in the preliminary competition of the Miss Oklahoma Pageant.

Nelms, 18, won Wednesday night’s newcomer talent competition with a jazz dance performance to “The Life of the Party” — the same dance Nelms had performed on her way to winning the Miss McAlester competition in February.

Nelms, a McAlester High School senior, won a $500 scholarship for winning the preliminary at the pageant, being held at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center in Tulsa.

The pageant’s preliminary comeptition winds up tonight, with the winner to be announced during the Miss Oklahoma finals set for 7:30 Saturday night at the Mabee Center.

McAlester resident June Miller, a member of the Beta Iota sorority and co-director of the Miss McAlester Pageant, attended the Wednesday competition and cheered when she heard Nelms announced as the winner of the preliminary event.

Six members of Beta Iota attended the Wednesday night preliminary, along with numerous other family and friends of Nelms, Miller said.

“We were screaming so loud. It was so terrific to have one of our girls recognized as talented,” she said.

Nelms won the competition for “rookie” competitors, meaning they have never previously participated in a Miss Oklahoma Pageant.

Miller said it will not be known which of the competitors are among the top 10 finalists in the Miss Oklahoma Pageant until their names are revealed during the finals on Saturday night.