The week of Aug. 14 hit like a whirlwind for Taryn Tarver-Thompson.
It was a week the University graduate student had been anticipating for slightly over three months.
Once she arrived in Sevierville, Tenn., as the Oregon representative for the Mrs. USA International competition, she found there was very little time for sleep.
“They keep you on the loop; there’s no way to get any rest,” Tarver-Thompson said of the non-stop week of publicity outings, training and rehearsals required for the 68 contestants involved in the Aug. 18-19 competition.
Aside from being a pageant contestant, Tarver-Thompson is a 25-year-old married mother of three. And as if her plate isn’t full enough, she’s also in the midst of completing her master’s degree in journalism, while simultaneously working as a full-time sales executive and assistant to the chief operating officer at Chambers Communication Corporation.
Tarver-Thompson possesses motivation and charisma, apparent in a brief encounter or a working relationship. Her former professor Clyde Bentley witnessed this when she was a student in his management class.
“She is a very talented person,” Bentley said. “I have a lot of respect for anyone who continues on with their busy life and earns a degree. It takes a lot of energy to do that and she obviously has a lot of energy.”
Earning the title of Mrs. Eugene International in November advanced Tarver-Thompson into the Mrs. Oregon International 2000 competition which she secured in April. That title, in turn, secured Tarver-Thompson a position at the competition in Tennessee.
The platform of the Mrs. Oregon International 2000 Pageant, “Recognizing the virtues of family, professional and community involvement among married women,” fits Tarver-Thompson like a glove.
“I believe in getting the message out to everyone that being and remaining married is a choice and things aren’t always perfect,” Tarver-Thompson said. “There will always be trials and tribulations. But in the end it will be you and your family that matters more than your jobs or anything else.”
Tarver-Thompson credits her husband Jason Thompson, who accompanied her in Tennessee, and her faith in Jesus Christ as her sources of calming support. When battling backstage nerves she finds solace in hugging her husband and singing praise and worship songs.
“If I’m quiet something is wrong, otherwise I’m constantly singing praise and worship songs,” Tarver-Thompson said. “My husband’s presence calms me. He’s not dramatic, he’s the most mellow person I’ve ever met. He basically balances me out. I get overly excited and he’ll be under-excited, so together we’ll be somewhere in the middle.”
The pageant contestants spent the week being primped and fitted, learning a production number, signing autographs on various mall trips, visiting Dollyville and attending a performance by Louise Mandrell.
The pageant consisted of an evening gown and sportswear competition and an individual interview session with the five judges.
Tarver-Thompson didn’t walk away from the pageant with a new title, but she did walk away with a feeling of satisfaction.
“No potato, but I had a great and wonderful time in Tennessee,” Tarver-Thompson said. “The week was very hectic, but it was also very good. I couldn’t and wouldn’t exchange it for anything.”
The title of Mrs. USA International went to Tarver-Thompson’s sorority sister and the only other black contestant, Mrs. Georgia, who is the first black woman to ever win the competition.
Upon Tarver-Thompson’s Aug. 21 return to Oregon, “it’s back to life and reality.”
“All of my energy and enthusiasm and my encouragement comes from my faith in Jesus Christ,” Tarver-Thompson said. “This is for him and he has given me a platform to show his love.”