Montco Army vet advances in Ms. Veteran America contest
An Army veteran and former Guantanamo Bay guard from Montgomery County has been named one of 25 finalists in a contest that celebrates "the woman behind the uniform."
An Army veteran and former Guantanamo Bay guard from Montgomery County has been named one of 25 finalists in a contest that celebrates "the woman behind the uniform."
Erica Walsh, who studies health and physical education at West Chester University and runs her own fitness business, was chosen from about 120 current or former servicewomen nationwide to advance in the Ms. Veteran America competition.
Walsh, 29, found out in an email that she read in her car Saturday.
"I was speechless," she said. "I was crying and was jumping up and down like a little kid at a gas station in Fairmount."
The Ms. Veteran America contest, which began in 2012, scores women based on grace, poise, confidence, and personality. It also quizzes contestants on military history. It disregards height, weight, and age.
Walsh will head to Washington with family, friends, and fitness clients for the final competition in October, the weekend she turns 30.
There, in addition to winning overall, she hopes to be named "Push-Up Princess" - the contestant who does the most push-ups in two minutes. She also hopes to win the special award for entrepreneurship for her two-year-old fitness studio, Dub Fitness in King of Prussia.
At the East Coast regional competition last month, a panel of judges interviewed Walsh and the other contestants, who showcased their talents. Walsh called hers "very untraditional."
She held a plank for three minutes while telling the judges about her fitness business. They perused copies of a book her members made to tell how Walsh changed their lives and made them see themselves differently as women.
"My talent was pretty much helping people find their talents," she said.
The winner of Ms. Veteran America will receive $15,000 and travel nationwide for events and community service. The competition also holds up the winner as a role model who can empower young women and girls.
The contest also held regional competitions in Las Vegas for West Coast contestants in May and last month online for those stationed overseas.
Along with the other contestants, Walsh has been raising money for homeless female veterans. She has collected more than $12,000 toward her new goal of $20,000.
Female veterans are more likely than males to raise children alone and to have been victims of sexual trauma in the military, both factors that increase the likelihood of homelessness, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
More than 4,300 female veterans were homeless last year, according to federal statistics.
610-313-8207 @MichaelleBond