The Sisterhood

By Chris Fischer
When Lilly Mae Blume was crowned Miss Central States Fair in Feb., the other contestants of Miss Rapid City also had tears in their eyes. They knew that I worked hard. Blume said. The support and sisterhood were a very important aspect of the competition.
The yearly Miss Rapid City competition is one of 7 local qualifying events for Miss South Dakota. The other events are Miss Siouxland in Sioux Falls; Miss Hot Springs; Miss State Fair in Huron; Miss Hub City in Aberdeen; Miss SDSU in Brookings; and Miss USD in Vermillion. Those receiving titles are eligible to compete in Miss South Dakota, which is held in May each year. Miss South Dakota then competes in Miss America. Competitors can take part in any qualifying event, not just the one closest to where they live. In the cases of Miss SDSU and Miss USD, the contestants must be students of the universities.
Redfield High School sophomore Jessie Ratigan competed in the Teen division of Miss Rapid City. She did not get a title, but she did receive Miss Congeniality, Best Evening Wear, and Top Fitness. She said that it felt special to be chosen as Miss Congeniality, as it was voted on by the competitors themselves. Her sister, Jerica Ratigan, junior, won the Miss Hub City Teen competition back in September. Jerica Ratigan and Lilly Mae Blume will be participating in the Teen and Miss South Dakota events in May.
Jessie Ratigan said that her interest began because she liked to watch The King of Queens, which had a character who was in pageants. At some point, her mom found out about the Miss America and local qualifying pageants, and her older sister Jerica got involved in them. Jessie also had a friend from church camp, and a friend in 4-H performing arts who encouraged her. She also was inspired by the time that former Miss South Dakota Miranda Mack visited the school.
Jerica Ratigan remembered Macks visit as well. She recalled that Mack talked about the Sisterhood and scholarship. Lilly Mae Blume had a family connection as well. Her sister Lydia, whom Blume followed everywhere participated in pageants.
All 3 of the young women spoke highly of the Miss South Dakota organization. Co-executive Director Carol Nesbitt was also enthusiastic. She said My participation changed my life in extraordinary ways, and thats why I continue to give back all these years later. Many alums of the competitions come back to help out during events.
Nesbitt said Our Miss South Dakota program helps lift women up and show them all they can accomplish. They help create strong and empathetic women who pitch in wherever they see a need I am so proud of the organization for all it does for women; but more importantly, proud of the women who choose to compete and become part of the wonderful SISTERHOOD that is the Miss South Dakota organization.
Sisterhood was emphasized by the organization. Jessie Ratigan said It doesnt matter where youre from. Jerica Ratigan added The moment you sign up, youre in it. They see you as someone who wants to express themselves more, and do more for their community.
Blume said that everyone helps each other during the competitions.
The crown is said to have 5 points. Four of the points represent what should be shown: Scholarship, Service, Style, and Success. The last one, which is invisible, is Sisterhood. The biggest point is Sisterhood. Jerica Ratigan said.
Getta Ratigan, the girlss mother, said Its about women empowering women. Thats what we strive for, always. We are the biggest critics of ourselves and each other. But its okay to fall – there are women who will help build us back up.
Theres a stereotype that pageant competitors can get catty. Its not catty at all. Blume said. She added Its more about brains than beauty. There are a lot of negative stereotypes. When asked if pageants were just for pretty girls, the Ratigans unanimously said no. They said that young women of any shape and size could compete and succeed.
Nesbitt offered some background. We actually dont call them pageants anymore. We call them competitions. Our state organization is the Miss South Dakota Scholarship foundation, and we hold local and state competitions. The winner of the state competition goes on to nationals to compete for the title of Miss America, an organization that is more than 100 years old! The competition started back then as a beauty pageant but in the last couple of decades not only got rid of the swimsuit component of competition, but also got rid of the pageant title. Its sooo much more than that. The organization is known for giving out scholarship money. In South Dakota, our contestants won more than $60,000 in scholarships and awards. she added.
Each of Lilly Mae Blume, Jerica Ratigan, and Jessie Ratigan has been in several pageants. But it was this year, 2024-2025, that they all began to take things more seriously. Blume said that her involvement encouraged her to maintain a better standard. She explained that when you wear a crown, in little girlss eyes, youre a princess. Title holders represent the Miss America organization, as well as themselves. Blume stated that she felt like she was always held to a higher standard at home anyway. The Ratigan sisters said that they felt like being in pageants, especially holding titles, put them in roles of leadership.
Blume broke down the judging percentages. The private interview counted for 30% of the score. During this time, each contestant would have 10 minutes alone with a panel of judges. They would speak about their Community Service Initiative, another requirement for contestants. The CSI was a platform for issues affecting the community.
Blumes CSI was Becoming the ShEO of Your Life, and involved inspirational addresses for mental health, uplifting women, and showing them that they werent alone in depression. Jessie Ratigan used to be rather shy. Her CSI was about helping others to communicate better, and to help them resolve issues. Jerica Ratigans CSI was about awareness of ADHD in women. She had struggled to get a diagnosis herself. ADHD women mimic people in their surroundings, especially at a younger age. Thats one of the reasons that theyre not diagnosed until later in life.
Fitness accounted for 20% of the score. Contestants wore their choice of Rebel Gear athletic wear. They were judged on Miss America Fit, which looked at things such as Nutrition, Mental Wellness, and Physical Fitness. Its how you take care of yourself. Blume explained.
The talent portion was another 20% of the score. This could be a variety of things. All 3 of the young women did dances. Jessie Ratigan played the flute as well.
Evening wear included how the contestant presented herself, her confidence, and how well she walked in heels. It made up 20% of her score. The last 10% was awarded for on-stage question time. Contestants could speak more about their CSIs. Judges looked at their stage presence, and how they carried themselves.
Jessie Ratigan said that the biggest thing that she won was friends. The other young women also said that they had made life-long friends through competing. Jessie Ratigan also said that she was shy, and had wanted to work on her communication skills. Her involvement with pageants helped her with that. Blume said that her own communication and interview skills had improved as well.
She noted that the versatility and professionalism learned from the Miss America events would be helpful in the workforce. The participants also gained confidence.
They all had many other activities to keep them busy, including cheerleading, volleyball, and sorority life. Looking toward the future, Blume said Im excited. Ive done lots of versatile things. My day could go anyway. I want to do everything.
Blume aspires to be Miss South Dakota within the next few years. Jessie Ratigan said shed like to be Miss America one day. When asked if shed like to be Miss America someday, Blume said Id like to go to Miss America someday.