Lawrence students Erica Collins and Piper Rystrom are both dancers, both cheerleaders. Like a lot of other teens, they dream about performing on stage.

Both took their ambitions a step further by competing to represent their state for a year as a National American Miss pageant winner.

In Erica’s second year in the contest, the work paid off. The Free State sophomore was crowned Miss Kansas Junior Teen in July and will attend another pageant in November for the national crown.

She credits her own cheering crowd — 36 at the pageant at the Overland Park Marriott — in part for her victory.

“My family is my backbone. I couldn’t do this without them,” Erica said.

Erica’s parents, Paul and Regina Collins, have been a part of the pageant experience from the beginning; when Erica saw the flier in the mail from National American Miss program, she wanted to give it a try.

“I’ve always had a passion to be on stage, so I jumped at the chance when I got the pageant brochure,” she said. “My dad was hesitant at first, but we checked it out to make sure it was legitimate.”

Their sticking point would be what might worry many parents: Is there a swimsuit competition? But National American Miss doesn’t even offer swimsuit as an optional contest; its closest cousin is sportswear.

Participants do have to meet four requirements: Formalwear, personal introduction, interviewing and community involvement.

Erica Collins, a Free State sophomore, has been named Miss Junior Teen Kansas by the National American Miss pageant program. Erica's division competed July 11-12 at the Overland Park Marriott. She also was named Miss Personality, second runner-up in spokesmodeling, second runner-up in acting and first runner-up in sportswear.

But most of the preparation for participating in the pageant doesn’t come from practicing a walk or shopping for clothes — the hard part is raising enough money to participate.

Piper, a South Junior High School student, also learned about the pageant through a brochure and entered in the preteen category, one age division below Erica’s. But she experienced sticker shock when she learned what family and sponsors would need to contribute.

“We didn’t know until late in the summer we’d have to raise so much money,” Piper said. “We had to collect about $360, but to do optional contests in sportswear, it was more. It was more than $400.”

She added that did not include the cost of a dress and other clothing.

Both Erica and Piper were able to raise the entry fee, in part, through Lawrence businesses.

“Friends and family can help pay, but I don’t think anybody did it all that way,” Piper said.

The eighth-grader, a member of South’s gifted program, said she thought the expense was justified.

“Once you get there and see everything — the expense of renting out the hotel, the trophies, the stage and light setups, you know where the money went,” Piper said.

While Collins had pageant experience, the competition was new for Piper.

South Junior High School eighth-grader Piper Rystrom, left, poses with the winner of the preteen National American Miss program, Alexis Rewatt of Olathe.

“It was nerve-wracking,” she said. “You were up against a lot of girls without knowing what to expect. … I didn’t know how many judges there would be, or which stage I’d be on. I didn’t even know my way around the hotel.”

Erica expressed similar fears, even in her second year in the pageant, but she thought it was beneficial.

“People will walk away with lifelong skills on how to speak and carry themselves,” she said. “It helps your self-esteem to overcome the fear of getting on stage and introducing yourself to a crowd of people.”

Erica’s division had 70 other competitors. Nevertheless, she didn’t feel the competition became mean-spirited.

Piper Rystrom, left, and a friend she made at the pageant, Alexa Zarich, of Andover, pose in their formalwear. The preteen pageant was July 10-11 at the Overland Park Marriott. Piper is the daughter of Mark and Tammy Rystrom.

“People will ask me if the girls are nice or if it’s a little more catty,” she said. “This one was a great experience, and I made a lot of friends.”

She said she kept in e-mail contact with some girls, as did Piper, who hopes to meet up sometime with a new pal in Kansas City.

Piper said she still suffered a little bit of the sizing-up mindset that she credits with being new to the pageant.

“There was a lot of that, more among the new girls. I felt myself wondering whether my dress was as pretty or if I was doing something right,” she said. “The experienced girls were more relaxed and not so nervous.”

Piper did not take home any awards, but she said she was glad for the experience and would do it again next year.

“It’s such a fun time, and it’s not all about winning,” she said. “The pageant directors wanted us to know it wasn’t all about winning. That was the learning experience.”