Crowning Moment

Family helps Miss Clovis on her journey to Miss California pageant

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It's a family affair when Tia Eager, of Visalia, competes in beauty pageants.

The 2008 Miss Clovis will be surrounded by family once again when she competes June 25 to 28 in the 2008 Miss California pageant at the William Saroyan Theatre in Fresno.

Her father Jim Eager took a spin class with her at their Visalia gym to get her in tip-top shape. Her younger sister, who also competes in beauty pageants, loaned her a green, satin dress. Her uncle prepped her for interviews by compiling a list of questions from the Internet.

"How do you feel about a woman running for president?" he asked her.

"When you look in the mirror, what do you see?" he also asked.

Eager, among more than 50 women competing for the Miss California title, will answer on-stage questions, model swimsuits and evening wear and perform a talent such as a musical piece or dance. The winner receives a college scholarship and a chance to compete in the Miss America pageant.

Eager, 19, qualified for the competition because she won the Miss Clovis crown in January. The Miss Clovis competition accepts contestants who are not from Clovis as long as they are attending select schools nearby. Eager is a junior at Fresno Pacific University majoring in liberal studies. She wants to become an elementary school teacher.

"She's very intelligent and extremely talented, so I think she has as good of a chance as any girl there at Miss California," said Judith Preuss, co-director of Miss Clovis.

The last time a Miss Clovis won the state competition was in 1995.

Eager has been immersed in the world of beauty pageants since she was 7 months old -- the first time she attended a pageant. Her mother, a former Miss Tulare County, took her to a Miss Tulare County pageant.

"I've been around the program since I can remember," Eager said. "I've watched the women who won, and they were the women I wanted to grow up and be like."

The Miss Clovis crown attracted Eager because Clovis reminded her of Visalia.

"Clovis reminds me of home with that small-town, community feeling," she said.

She earned a $1,000 college scholarship from the Clovis contest and hopes to garner more college scholarships after competing for the state title. She plans to sing "Once Upon a Time" from the musical "Brooklyn," and her platform is "The Power of Music in Education."

"So many studies have shown that arts in general bring up student scores in every core subject," Eager said.

Eager is minoring in music at Fresno Pacific and is the president of the university's contemporary choir.

"I can't wait to see her sing," father Jim Eager said about the Miss California competition. "When she starts singing, it's like, ah, that's what I came here for."

Jim Eager and other family members plan to attend every night of competition.

"Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night," he joked.

Tia Eager has been surrounded by her family every step of the way.

Her grandma tells her to slow down when she answers questions or talks about her platform too quickly. Her mother picks out the perfect necklace or earrings to go with an evening gown.

"Our family has really kind of bonded over this program," Eager said.

E-mail Gabriel Alexander at galexander@clovisindependent.com.