McGough hopes to trade camo for tiara

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

Don’t let the beauty queen smile and evening gown fool you. Maura McGough isn’t afraid to get dirty.

In that sense, she’s not your typical “girly girl” and she’s fine with that. McGough, a seasoned hunter, is leaving the camouflage at home today when she competes for the title of 2014 Miss Teen Columbus in Newark.

For McGough, daughter of VWHS grad Rod and Jennifer McGough, and granddaughter of Tim and Patricia Rolsten of Van Wert, the competition is a chance to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. “Performing on stage in front of people isn’t exactly what I call comfort, but I’m still willing to try,” she said, adding that she was drawn to this particular pageant because contestants come in all shapes and sizes.

“For typical beauty pageants, women are very toned and physically fit. But for this pageant, the girls are all shapes and sizes,” she said. “I really like that because it shows young girls that we are all beautiful and that size or race doesn’t matter.”

In a day and age of size 0 supermodels and Photoshopped everything, McGough is happy to just be herself, and she hopes the judges take note of that during the pageant.

“It’s a lot of pressure to try and be a part of the popular group,” she said. “Am I a part of that group? No, but I’m comfortable with just being me.

“I’m surrounded by friends who accept me for me,” she added. “I think we should spend less time trying to be people we aren’t. It’s just easier.”

For McGough, that might mean a day in the woods with her favorite hunting partner. For years, she has been waking up at the crack of dawn, climbing trees, and waiting for hours for that perfect shot. “I started hunting with my dad when I was in middle school. I could barely hold the gun up,” she said, adding that she remembers her first kill very well.

It came November 21, 2010. “We headed out to our usual spot and it was just about the time the sun was rising that day,” she said. Two deer had ventured into the area and McGough seized the moment. “Dad whispered to me to make sure I had the right angle and had everything lined up for the shot,” she added.

With her heart pounding, McGough took two deep breaths and pulled the trigger.

“I helped field dress it and skin it and those moments I spent with my dad are ones I will never forget,” she said, adding that she has taken on pheasant hunting as a new hobby. “I actually love doing that more than anything. The adrenaline rush that I get every time a bird is flushed is the most amazing feeling in the world,” she said.

For now, she’s packed the camo and orange vest away and she’s practicing her poise and elegance as she prepares to enter the world of glitter nail polish and double-sided tape. And she’s going in fully intent on gaining a platform to share a message she feels is extremely important in today’s beauty-obsessed culture.

“I really want to show young girls that even a girl from a small farm town can make a difference in this world,” she said. “It’s not always about money or looks. I want to prove to the people that have put me down that I’m more than what they say. I will no longer be hurt by their words. I will stand with my head high.”

There’s no doubt she will.