UA student twirls her way to title

Kristy Mangos Arizona Daily Wildcat Business freshman Robyn Lende, who recently won the Miss Greater Phoenix title, practices her baton-twirling talent Wednesday. By winning the title, Lende is eligible to compete in the Miss Arizona Pageant in June and may be able to compete in the Miss America Pageant.

She tried many different activities as a child, and twirling was the one that stuck, said Lende, a business freshman who started competing on a national level at age 9 and won the 1996 National Two-Baton Championship.

Lende, who grew up in Scottsdale, said that although she practiced more than 10 hours a week, her parents never pressured her to twirl.

She said a twirling coach first suggested she compete in a pageant - a notion that never crossed her mind when she was young.

Her first pageant, 1997 Miss Twirling Athlete, was "nerve-wracking" and she wasn't sure what to expect, Lende said.

She has since won two pageants and was a finalist in two others.

Lende was first runner-up in the 1998 Miss Tucson Pageant and placed among the top 10 finalists in the 1997 Miss Arizona Pageant.

She purchases her own wardrobe for the pageants she participates in. Although she said dressing for competitions can be expensive, Lende earns money by selling ads in the pageants' programs.

By winning the Miss Greater Phoenix title, Lende is eligible to compete in the Miss Arizona Pageant in June. The winner of that pageant goes on to compete for the Miss America title.

Lende's March 20 title earned her a tiara, a pin and a $450 scholarship.

She hopes to earn a $10,000 scholarship in the Miss Arizona Pageant.

"Winning Miss Arizona would be a wonderful opportunity that I would cherish for the rest of my life," Lende said.

Shirlee Bertolini, the University of Arizona Twirling Team coach, said Lende is an extremely talented athlete.

"She is very self-disciplined," Bertolini said. "She is one of the nicest people I have ever known."

Taking 16 units this semester and pledging Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority while remaining on the UA twirling line, Lende said her time is stretched thin but she has learned how to manage it effectively.

Biology freshman Kristin Berger, Lende's friend and sorority sister, said Lende would make a perfect Miss America.

"I could totally see her being Miss America someday," Berger said. "She is talented and genuine, and tries really hard in everything."

Lende also encouraged others to compete.

"It is fun, looks really good on a résumé," she said. "It is not a beauty pageant; it is a scholarship pageant."