BY THE NUMBERS
62
Years since the last time Miss Georgia won the Miss America title. Neva Jane Langley Fickling of Macon took the title in 1953. She and Betty Cantrell are the only Miss Georgia contestants to do so.
700
Acres of land on which Cantrell grew up in Warner Robins. The tract was managed for wildlife, and Cantrell learned skills such as "driving a full-sized John Deere tractor, plowing and seeding fields, and handling a shotgun," according to the Miss Georgia website, missga.org.
52
Number of Miss America contestants, representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
It was a belated birthday gift for the new Miss America, Betty Cantrell, when she was crowned Sunday night in Atlantic City, N.J. Just days after turning 21, Cantrell of Warner Robins walked away with the title, the first for Miss Georgia since 1953.
» Read all about Georgia's first Miss America, Neva Langley Fickling, here.
Though she was operating on limited sleep, Cantrell, whose given name is Baciliky after her Greek grandmother (it means “royalty”), was up bright and early on Monday for the traditional frolic on the beach in Atlantic City.
“I got about 45 minutes of sleep,” she told a throng of reporters. “I’m running on fumes and about five cups of coffee.”
It was her first time on the beach in New Jersey, and she kicked off her heels to walk barefoot. “The sand feels amazing!” she said. “Much better than the heels I’ve been wearing all week.”
Or rather, for the past two years, since first hitting the pageant scene in 2013. Though she had never aspired to pageant life, friends of her family told her she should give it a try. After taking the title of Miss Warner Robins, in 2014, Cantrell took second runner-up in the Miss Georgia pageant during her first run. The following year, she won and went on to represent Georgia in the Miss America Pageant.
A student at Mercer University, Cantrell is studying vocal performance, and she wowed judges with her rendition of “Tu Tu Piccolo Iddio.” Her response to an oddball Q&A question about Tom Brady and Deflategate got a different reaction on social media when Twitter was set afire with jeers about the question and her answer.
But Cantrell seems to have handled the question the only way she knows how. In a 2014 interview with Fourpointspageants.com, Cantrell offered some advice on handling tough questions. "When it comes to interview, the most important advice is to answer every question honestly and in a way that is staying true to your beliefs," she said. "Don't try to please the judges by lying about how you really feel about a certain topic; those judges need to see who you really are, and they want someone opinionated."
It has to be a lot for a relative newbie to handle, but Billy Kendall, spokesman for the Columbus-based Miss Georgia Pageant, expects Cantrell should be able to adjust to it all.
“She is an intelligent young lady and I couldn’t be happier,” Kendall said. “She is a joy to work with.”
Kendall and Cantrell worked closely over the past year honing her interview skills and refining her platform, "Healthy Children, Strong America." When Cantrell begins her service as Miss America 2016, she will go on a national speaking tour and serve as the official National Goodwill Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals.
Cantrell, who grew up on a farm, was inspired in part by her parents to choose a health-related platform, Kendall said. Her parents, Mike and Tassie Cantrell, are physical therapists and the owners of the Cantrell Center in Warner Robins, and they instilled in their daughter the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
With the Miss America crown, Cantrell also receives a $50,000 scholarship to continue her education. And, of course, she also has the support of those who know her well and are wishing her the best.
“She will be a wonderful Miss America,” Kendall said. “We just couldn’t be any prouder and she will represent Georgia well.”
