After winning the title of Miss Calgary 2010, former Estevan resident Nicole Fleck decided to continue down the pageant path.
She will go on to compete in the Miss Canada Universe competition, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario from June 14-16.
"I always wanted to model, but there's not a lot of opportunities in Estevan," said Fleck with a laugh.
Upon moving to Calgary, Fleck got in touch with the Patti Falconer Model and Talent Agency, the company responsible for the Miss Calgary pageant. She didn't initially call about participating in the pageant, but when she learned about it, she decided to run.
"I thought about it for a few weeks. [And then I said], 'why not go for it? I have nothing to lose,'" said Fleck of her decision to participate in the competition.
Her attitude paid off, as Fleck won the entire competition and was crowned Miss Calgary 2010 on February 28.
As Miss Calgary, Fleck has volunteered many hours of her time to projects within Calgary and area. She has participated in charity fashion shows and art auctions and plans to continue with her volunteer work until February 2011 when someone new will take over the reins as Miss Calgary.
Fleck is now preparing to compete in the Miss Canada Universe pageant, which she describes as "way bigger" than Miss Calgary.
"There's 13 or 14 girls [just] from Alberta, I think."
But Fleck is the only woman of the 63 competitors listed as hailing from Saskatchewan.
"[The other competitors] had to apply and go through an interview process. I joined late so I missed all that ... I guess I was just lucky enough to get in."
Whether it was luck or talent, Fleck found herself accepted into the ranks of women competing for the title of Miss Universe Canada 2010.
She and the other competitors will arrive in Toronto on June 7. They will "rehearse, go to some restaurants, and see some sights."
The preliminary competition gets underway on Saturday, June 12. The 63 women will compete in the traditional categories of evening gown and swimwear. Forty-three of the competitors will be eliminated after the preliminary round, leaving 20 to compete in the final on June 14.
Online voting for the people's choice award will take place until June 12. The contestant who receives the most votes will automatically be entered into the top 20.
The 20 finalists will again compete in swimwear and evening gown categories, with five of them moving on to participate in a live interview that will determine the winner.
"The winner of the competition is not just the smartest or the most beautiful woman, but someone who has the whole package, someone Canadians can fall in love with and relate to," said Denis Davila, national director of Miss Universe Canada.
The winner will go onto represent Canada in the Miss Universe 2010 competition.
Fleck has no regrets about her pageant experiences.
"It was something different, something I'd never done before. I met a lot of great girls."
She hopes to continue on with modelling in the future.
For more information on the Miss Canada Universe pageant, or to vote for Nicole to win the People's Choice Award, visit www.beautiesofcanada.com.
