Thursday evening, September 8th marked the closing of the preliminary competitions at the 2017 Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey

Joell Posey Grager

Miss America 2017 – Thursday Preliminary Article
. Very deservedly, Miss Michigan Arianna Quan won the award for top talent with a classical piano performance of Glinka-Balakirev’s “L’ouette (The Lark)”. Quan played with such grace and ease it was surprising to hear her later admit to being so scared in the moments prior to her performance that she had discreetly clasped her hands together in a small prayer before placing them on the keys. When asked how she felt after she completed her piano performance Ariana stated, “I was relieved, my rehearsal was a little rough, so I was really worried.” Quan explained her worry was caused by not getting a chance to warm up before playing that evening. She said she felt unsure about playing on a grand piano she wasn’t used to, but it obviously didn’t prove to be an obstacle. Her performance was concert worthy. Other audience pleasing performances were turned in by Miss Kentucky Laura Jones who played a lively violin piece to the Michael Jackson song, “Smooth Criminal” and Miss Massachusetts Alissa Musto who also delivered an entertaining and well-executed piano selection.
The Life Style and Fitness Award for top score went to Miss Ohio Alice Magoto whose confident and poised presentation made it difficult to believe she was one of the youngest contestants in the pageant at the age of 18. Magoto exclaimed that she was especially happy to win the Life Style and Fitness Award for the significance it plays in her philanthropic platform, Beauty Unedited – Redefining Beauty for the Next Generation. “I could not have thought of a better award to win. It just shows that you can be completely authentic. You can be 100% unedited in the media and on social media, but you can still come on stage, rock a swimsuit, be 100% confident and show the world what authentic beauty is.”
During the evening’s program, a special 50th anniversary tribute was presented in honor of Jane Jayroe, Miss America 1967. Jayroe appeared on stage to speak a few gracious words about wonderful memories including traveling to Vietnam to perform in USO shows. She spoke with gratitude regarding the impact winning the Miss America crown had on her life.