This year's Miss Greek has a knack for comedy

JAMES RAMSEY/The Daily

Jessi Knapp of Pi Beta Phi does a rendition of an I Love Lucy skit for the talent portion of the Miss Greek competion Sunday in Meany Hall. Knapp won the competition, which was sponsored by Delta Tau Delta.

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Emily Dixon
The Daily

    The screaming of cheering sorority members hit a crescendo as freshman Jessi Knapp of Pi Beta Phi won this year's Miss Greek contest.
    Though not screaming, the most surprised person was Knapp herself, who described herself as a kid who grew up in cut-offs and baseball caps - not the pageant type. It was her humor throughout the night that made Knapp the favorite of the audience and the judges.
    A philanthropy project by the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, the Miss Greek competition raised $70,000 for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
    Most of this contribution came from the fundraising efforts of the contestants themselves. Carrie Coffee, representing the Kappa Alpha Thetas, raised the largest amount of money for the cause.
    Although similar in purpose, the Miss Greek pageant is very different from the Mr. Greek competition that occurred last week. According to the Delta Tau Delta pageant co-chairs, Johnathan Yau and Andy Hay, Miss Greek is much more formal and the women take it more seriously than the Mr. Greek competition. The women are also expected to raise a great deal more money for the fundraising purpose.
    "The girls have more of a drive to win," Hay said.
    The judges named Gretchen Dru Spindler of Sigma Kappa and Kristin Anderson of Delta Zeta the top two runners-up. Spindler performed "Somewhere over the Rainbow," singing and playing the piano in a Dorothy costume. Anderson, after giving the audience a few laughs with a balloon dance, eventually read a poem she wrote titled "Insignificance."
    In addition to winning the Miss Greek title, Knapp also won the "Best Talent" portion of the pageant. She performed an I Love Lucy skit about selling the fictitious miracle product "vitameatavegamin". Her humor in her monologue - standing on the stage dressed in a curly red wig and a black polka-dot dress - and in each of her other appearances on stage made her the audience's favorite.
    "I love it. I kind of thrive on the spotlight. You're nervous backstage, but once you get out there you feel so at home," Knapp said.
    The seven judges were looking for creativity, energy and entertainment in each talent act.
    The talent segment is only one portion of the competition. Contestants also competed in a fashion walk, an address about philanthropy and, for the top five winners, an interview session with impromptu questions.
    For the fashion walk, the judges were looking for how each contestant carried herself, and they found a winner in Victoria Judkins of Alpha Phi as she showed off her Banana Republic outfit to the audience.
    After completing the fashion walk and talent portions of the contest, each woman was expected to give a small speech about what philanthropy means to her.
    "I have found that helping people has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done," Judkins said. "The heart of philanthropy is giving of ourselves, our talents and our time for those in need."
    Although Knapp never expected to find herself as a participant in a pageant, let alone as the winner, she came away with a positive feeling.
    "It was cool to meet people with the same big hearts," Knapp said.