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| Stillwater woman reigns as queen |
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Photo by Amy Paterson/New Jersey Herald
Mrs. New Jersey American Queen Barbara Vernoski, top left, is shown at her Stillwater home with her husband Paul, top right, and children, from left in rear, Kristen, 19, Sarah, 17, Emily, 10, and Hannah, 14. Jacob, 7 and Rachel, 12, are in front. Not shown is son, Nick, 22.
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BY JEFF SISTRUNK
For the Herald
STILLWATER — Barbara Vernoski is known for constantly keeping busy.
Vernoski, 44, of Stillwater, is a mother of seven, a published writer, a professional life coach and founder and owner of Restoring Life Coaching, a program for personal empowerment.
Now she’s added another title to her long list of achievements: beauty queen. In April, Vernoski won the title of Mrs. New Jersey American Queen in the Mid-Atlantic Regional American Queen pageant in Cherry Hill.
Now in its sixth year, the American Queen pageant is a nationwide competition committed to “open communication, fair practices and an atmosphere of kindness and consideration for all those involved,” according to the pageant’s Web site.
The pageant is a fund-raiser for Domestic Abuse Stops Here, a program that educates junior high and high school students about abusive relationships.
Contestants compete in one of five categories: Junior Miss Teen (ages 13 to 15); Miss Teen (15 to 18); Miss (18 to 27); Ms. (any marital status, ages 27 to 60); and Mrs. (married, 21 to 60).
Vernoski’s path to the pageant began on a routine trip to Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia to seek medical services for her daughter, Rachel, 12, who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus (swelling of the brain) and is paralyzed from the chest down. While waiting in the lobby, Vernoski struck up a conversation with an acquaintance, Kate Stier, who was the hospital’s public relations agent at the time.
“She asked me what I did for a living and I told her that I had a motivational speaking business and coaching business that go hand-in-hand,” Vernoski said. “She said she had recently used a coach, and when I asked her what her experience had been, I found out that it was a pageant interview coach.”
As it turned out, Stier was the reigning Mrs. National American Queen. She had earned an invitation to the national competition in 2007 by taking the title of Mrs. Pennsylvania at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, which includes contestants from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia.
“I told her that I had a dream about being in a pageant the year before,” Vernoski said, “but I didn’t know that they had pageants for married women!”
“When I mentioned the pageant, Barbara’s husband turned to her and said ‘you should do the pageant, you’re beautiful and you’d win!’” Stier said. “I thought the admiration her husband has for her and the strong family bond they all share were just amazing.”
Vernoski and Stier began corresponding, and eventually Stier had American Queen Pageant Director Connie Wallace contact Vernoski to provide her with background information on the pageant and encourage her to sign up.
“After I talked to Connie, I asked my family what they thought and they were all really supportive,” Vernoski said. “So about eight weeks before the Mid-Atlantic Regional, I decided to enter.”
After Vernoski mentioned Rachel’s situation to Wallace, Wallace urged her to sign Rachel up in the pageant’s non-competitive division as a Princess of New Jersey. Enthralled at the idea, Vernoski entered Rachel and her sister Emily, 9, in the pageant as princesses.
“That was what really confirmed to me that this was something I needed to do,” Vernoski said. “Just by stepping out of the box and trying something new, my girls got to do something neat too.”
Armed with a $30 dress, her personality, and her family’s unwavering support, Vernoski took the Mid-Atlantic Regional by storm. In addition to being named Mrs. New Jersey, she also won first place among all contestants in the categories of interview, community service and personality. However, the most touching moment of the event for Vernoski was when Emily pushed Rachel down the runway in her wheelchair, she said.
“(Barbara) is a beautiful woman with a great deal of substance, intelligence and depth,” Wallace said. “She’s a well-rounded mother, wife and businesswoman who also gives back to her community. She and her lovely daughters truly represent everything the American Queen pageant stands for.”
“It was nice to see her finally getting the recognition she deserves,” said Barbara’s husband of 23 years, Paul, a pilot for American Airlines. “We were all teary-eyed when she won.”
He said the pageant was a pleasant change of pace for his wife, whom he said “feels most comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt.”
“For her to be able to do this in between family commitments was fantastic,” he said.
Barbara Vernoski’s greatest passion is definitely her extensive family — husband Paul; sons Jacob, 7, and Nick, 22; and daughters Rachel, Emily, Hannah, 14, Sarah, 17, and Kristen, 19. She has home-schooled her children for 17 years, handles a great deal of housework and provides transportation for her “small army,” she said.
Vernoski plans her coaching appointments and speaking engagements around her family’s schedule. In addition, the Vernoskis’ epic vacations at home and abroad have become legendary.
The Vernoskis have at least one major trip planned for this summer — to Daytona Beach, Fla. for the National American Queen Pageant. The event is being held at the SeaBreeze Theater over two nights: the preliminaries are Friday, Aug. 1, while the finals are Saturday, Aug. 2.
“I already feel like I’ve won just by competing,” Vernoski said. “I just want to get the message out that no matter where you’re at in life, it’s never too late to have new experiences.”
Vernoski needs sponsors for her trip to the National American Queen pageant. Information on sponsorships can be found at www.restoringlifecoaching.com.
Created: 6/28/2008 | Updated: 1/23/2009
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