By Donna Thornton/News Editor
Gadsden’s own Mary-Margaret McCord was crowned Miss Alabama USA last weekend in Montgomery and will go on to compete in the Miss USA 2013 pageant.
McCord, who is a first-year graduate student working on her Master’s Degree in Marketing at the University of Alabama, is 22 years old and is the daughter of Roy and Carol McCord of Gadsden. She is a graduate of Gadsden City High School.
McCord said she’s very excited about the title – which was three years in the making. Competing under the Miss Gadsden title, this year was her third time to compete in Miss Alabama USA.
The first year, she was third runner up, last year, she was first runner up and this year she took the crown.
“Last year the pageant was in January, and I’ve been training since February,” McCord said, to prepare for the 2013 pageant. Contestants competed in interview, evening gown and swimsuit categories. McCord said she didn’t feel daunted by any of the categories.
“I really do love the swimsuit competition,” she said, when asked if she had a favorite category.
As for her immediate future plans, McCord said she’s finished with finals and will be back in Gadsden soon. After that, she will have a busy year.
“This year I will be traveling throughout Alabama, speaking to young women,” McCord said, as part of her duties as Miss Alabama USA, while she prepares for the Miss USA pageant. “I’ll be working on fitness and wardrobe. I want to be at 100 percent for at Miss USA,” McCord said.
The date of the pageant has not been announced, she said. That usually comes in the spring. In recent years, the pageant has been in Las Vegas, in early June.
The Miss Alabama USA and Miss Teen Alabama USA pageant was Dec. 7-8. The pageant was webcast live on Pageant Vision.
Both the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants are co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC Universal, according the the Miss USA pageant web site. Both pageants will be broadcast live on NBC, according to the site.