Nicole Williams vies in Mrs. Washington pageant

When Nicole Williams speaks to the judges at the Mrs. Washington America Pageant in Moses Lake on Saturday, she will talk from experience.

Williams, competing as Mrs. Spokane at the 30th anniversary of the pageant, has chosen her platform to be “Eating Disorders and Young Women: Enlightenment through Education and the Hope of Healing.”

The Mead High School and Whitworth College graduate said she suffered from anorexia between the ages of 15 and 18. At 5-foot-11, she said, she came perilously close to dropping below 100 pounds.

At 25, Williams’ weight is in the 135-pound range, although she has taught herself not to weigh herself daily.

Williams, married for three years and a commercial account manager for OfficeMax, said that although it will be difficult to talk about – as each contestant spends four minutes with each of the five judges – she felt it was important to choose this particular topic.

“I lived through it, and I need to speak about it,” she said. “I want to provide hope for young women that there is a way to come through this.”

Williams said, for her, it wasn’t as much the counselors but rather the support from her parents, friends and church that allowed her to recover. However, she admitted, “like an alcoholic, it’s a constant battle.”

Williams is one of 17 women who will compete at the state pageant. She is a pageant newcomer, never having the confidence to enter a contest before now.

Contestants, who must be at least 18, filled out applications and paid a $700 entrance fee. The field was narrowed to 18 through interviews.

The state pageant will begin today.

Aside from the interviews, contestants will be judged in swimsuit and evening gown competitions. The swimsuits are one-piece with a sarong. There is no talent segment.

Williams said she understands the reasoning for swimsuit competition. She said it’s because the contestants are judged in the areas of mental, physical and emotional development.

The winner will have an all-expense-paid 14-day trip to Palm Springs, Calif., where she will compete in the Mrs. America Pageant.

The Mrs. Washington pageant will be televised in Spokane in August on PAX.