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Travel, History & Culture in America's Dairyland |
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 Miss America...Miss USA...Miss Teen: The titles always seem like long shots
for America's Dairyland, don't they? Blame it on geography, classicwisconsin supposes. Some states are natural breeding grounds for women in swimsuits. Other states have women in snowmobile suits. That's why you instinctively channel surf past the beauty pageants -- maybe
stopping to see who made the final cut and briefly assessing the, er, talents of contestants from California, Texas or Florida -- before finding a
documentary about the Ice Bowl, resigned to the fact that Wisconsin might be
better suited for producing beautiful cheese than beauty queens.
Wisconsin vs. California in a beauty pageant? Ugh. But this time would be different, thanks to Vanessa Marie Semrow of
Rhinelander.
It's been a whirlwind since Semrow edged Miss California and took her victory lap last August. She was whisked into a limousine and flown to luxury digs in New York City where she met her new roommates -- Miss USA and Miss Universe. A USO tour of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait followed. Her days are packed with speeches and appearances for non-profit groups, the nights filled with high-profile benefits and star-studded parties. This isn't Rhinelander anymore. Semrow's family moved to northern Wisconsin from a major metropolitan area when the aspiring model was 10. Going from the Big City to the North Woods was an eye-opener. "It was definitely culture shock," Semrow told classicwisconsin. "Everyone was related." Rhinelander, she added, is "storybook normal. A nice small town. No graffiti. There's a focus on family."
"Saran Wrap can be wrapped around trees to make shelter from the rain, wrapped around the body to keep warm, wrapped around food to keep it fresh, used to transport water from one place to another, melted and sharpened to make weapons for hunting. The possibilities are endless!" She is the only Wisconsin representative to win a national pageant title
since Terry Ann Meeuwsen of De Pere was crowned Miss America in 1973.
Semrow apologizes for not being able to visit home more often, but asks for understanding. Despite the glamour of being Miss Teen USA, "This is a job, and it's a lot of hard work."
Her memories of Rhinelander come easily. "The summer season," Semrow recalled fondly, "the last day of school, going to Hodag Park and having shaving cream fights, jet skiing on the lakes, going to Buck Lake every single day and just sitting there for hours." "I owe them a lot," she says of her friends and the local Rhinelander folks who supported her over the years. Then she chuckled, reminiscing about pushing her car from a snowbank dressed in a prom gown. Donald Trump probably won't let that happen again.
"There's something about their food," she said of the family owned dining establishment. Semrow said the Fireside was her top choice for a Friday night fish fry, but with one caveat. "I usually got the broiled fish." Sage advice for anyone hoping to beat California in a swimsuit competition. And don't forget the Saran Wrap.
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The pride of Rhinelander: Miss Teen USA 2002 Vanessa Semrow Pageant News
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Not long ago Semrow worked at a North Woods gas station and registered
snowmobilers at the local hotel. Today, she hangs with Donald Trump, Iman,
and Britney Spears.
Semrow was already modeling when the Miss Teen Wisconsin folks recruited the
articulate and mature brunette. The rest is history. Her response to the
Although she has embraced her new life, Semrow feels homesickness on
occasion and maintains a relationship with her boyfriend from high school.