Sarah Kramm’s five years on the pageant circuit reached a high point last week, when she won the title of Miss Continental Teen America 2005 at the BellSouth Acuff Theater in Nashville, Tenn., on July 10.
"All in all, it was the best week of my life," Sarah said. "The crown’s beautiful, the sash is amazing, but it’s more than that for me — it’s a job."
Sarah has spent most of her life advocating for the disabled. Her sister Hadley, now 13, has cerebral palsy. From early childhood, Sarah realized the obstacles she and Hadley faced whenever the family went to a nearby park.
"We couldn’t play together," Sarah said. At a playground, "I’d run around like crazy, but Hadley couldn’t join me."
Sarah and her mother Shelley Kramm set out to remedy the situation and help create a playground accessible to children with disabilities. Sarah testified twice before Maryland’s General Assembly, helping secure the initial $500,000 to build Hadley’s Park, a fully inclusive playground on Falls Road in Potomac that was dedicated in 1998.
Sarah began competing in beauty pageants at the age of 12, always with her platform of promoting understanding and equality for those with disabilities.
"It’s intricately tied together in a huge knot, everything that got me started doing beauty pageants," said Sarah, who stresses her motto — "You’re a child first and a child with disabilities second."
KRAMM WAS NERVOUS last week as the field of 50 Miss Teen America contestants in Nashville was narrowed to 10 semifinalists, then to five finalists, but she knew the pageant was going well. "I knew I had a really good shot at top 10 this year," Kramm said. "I worked so hard this year, and I had a good feeling about it."
Once an Achilles heel for Sarah, the interview session went smoothly. Contestants need to be prepared for a wide range of questions, and the judges asked Sarah about clothing and Homeland Security. Kramm finished first in the Interview category, and also won the Community Service award, the Commitment to Platform Award and tied for first in the Photogenic award.
Sarah wore her Band of Hope — two of them, actually. They’re orange bracelets that raise funds for Shane’s Inspiration, a California-based organization also dedicated to making handicapped-accessible playgrounds.
In March, Sarah spoke in Los Angeles at a fund-raiser for Shane’s Inspiration, where she met actor Jerry O’Connell. She has always been interested in how celebrities balance their public life, personal life, and their charitable endeavors. She plans on studying broadcast journalism in college, and hopes to cover the celebrity scene.
After her yearlong reign, Kramm will be eligible to compete for the Miss America crown, beginning in whatever state she attends college — Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee and New York are all possibilities. "I’m looking forward to my senior year, getting out, and moving on with my life," Kramm said.
SARAH SEES the worst in some people when she and Hadley go to the mall together. "People can yell out the rudest things," said Sarah — some don’t want to get too close because they "don’t want to catch what she has."
"It’s disgusting," Kramm said. "If someone looks different on the outside, it doesn’t mean those people don’t have feelings."
But Sarah expects she’ll have new opportunities to spread awareness about those with disabilities. Her crown and title mean more public appearances and speaking engagements in the upcoming year. One of the first will be he National Boy Scout Jamboree, where speakers will include President George W. Bush.
"Now I really can talk [about my platform] and people will listen," she said.