When Ball State graduate Katy Harrison participated in the Race for the Cure, she received more attention than she anticipated. Of the 33 Indianapolis 500 princesses taking part, Katy was singled out by a race participant.
"He just planted this big wet kiss on my cheek and he said 'you're so wonderful'," Katy said. "They just appreciate everything you do and it's kind of funny the different things that they will do."
Harrison is one of six Ball State students selected to represent the community as an Indianapolis 500 Princess. Other princesses from Ball State include junior Stacy Russell a Ball State telecommuncations major, Lynde McCammon a senior elementary education major, Laurie McClure a senior telecommuncations major, Maya Crevonis a graduate with a degree in public relations and advertising and Kristen Quarles a graduate with a general studies degree with an emphasis in psychology. Harrison is a senior telecommunications major.
While the term "princess" can have many different meanings, the six women have shown that being an Indy 500 Princess is not about modeling bathing suits and showing off fancy dresses -- it's about being a community leader and being able to give back to the community and family that got them there.
According to Crevonis, her incentive to apply to be a princess came from a sorority member that had done it the previous year.
"I knew that it wasn't a pageant and knew they weren't running around in bathing suits or anything like that," Crevonis said about her knowledge of the princess program.
While the princesses aren't running around in pageant gear, the simple tierra on their heads make faces turn. In the past weeks of immense community service, the women have visited children at Riley Children's Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and become a sort of hero to them. According to the princesses, the children's reaction weren't what they expected. In the children's eyes, the girls had princes, lived in castles and were rich. They even wanted to know what country they were from.
"Their eyes seem to light up," Crevonis said. "I don't know what it is about having a tierra on your head and a little sash, but their eyes light up like it's the coolest thing they've ever seen and they ask all sorts of questions -- the cute questions that you don't even think about."
"They think we're some untouchables," McClure added.
"I think anything to light up their day," McCammon said about the children. "Obviously they're there because they're sick and it's great to take their minds of the pain for a little bit."
According to Harrison and Crevonis, waiting to learn of about the crowning achievement was nerve-wracking. Applicants were to be notified between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., and both didn't receive their phone calls until an hour later. By the time Harrison had settled with the fact that she wasn't selected, her telephone rang.
"When I got a phone call I thought it was my roommate's mom pranking me - she had told me she was going to do that," she said. "I kind of didn't believe it until the next week when I got an e-mail."
Although the majority of events will occur in the upcoming weeks, the application process started in January. Applications were reviewed, and of over 200 applicants, 187 were selected for a first interview. The judges then narrowed the numbers down to 33 to represent the festival. The princesses then went through another interview which narrowed down the selection to one 500 Queen. Princess Lauren Crowner of Indiana University, was crowned Queen on Sunday, May 5.
According to McClure, as an Indy 500 princess, you're an ambassador for the whole Indy 500 Festival and receive endless opportunities to be involved with the community while encouraging it to get involved with the events. Princesses must have a G.P.A. of 2.7 or higher and attend a college in Indiana. Princesses must also be born in Indiana and their parents must reside in the state.
Princesses are required to make two community appearances as a princess, but according to Harrison, many opted to do more. To date, they have helped out with Race for the Cure, the Mini-Marathon, and worked with two outreach programs in Muncie. The Ball State princesses worked with a local elementary Brownie Troup and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
"We get rewarded for being leaders and community volunteers on our campuses and hometowns and we also have opportunities to give back to our communities," Russell said.
For Crevonis and Quarles, being a 500 Princess has also given them the opportunity to network with the surrounding community and find future jobs.
"I think that it shows the community service involvement that I had, the school experience, and now applying it to the future has allowed me to meet new people and to network," Quarles said.
Crevonis' director even helped her find a part-time job for the summer. According to Harrison, the directors have also been a large part of the experience. Directors are prominent members of the Indianapolis community who help the princess's family attend events and escort them around the track, Harrison said. The princesses were also sponsored with clothing and jewelry.
Although the six princesses were not selected as queen, none have any regrets about the experience.
"I think it's just such an honor to be a part of the 33, because these other 33 women are amazing," McCammon said. "Every one of them have such a strong role in their university, it's just an honor to be selected as that."
"It's just such an honor to be chosen that you don't take anything for granted," McClure added.
"I met Lauren and she's really awesome, and I knew that everybody had a really fair chance at it," Russell said. "Every girl that is a princess is really dynamic and makes a presence when they walk in the room. My feelings about it were that anybody that was selected was going be great at it and be fortunate to have that position."
"It's hard because all of us are successful in our own ways," Crevonis said. "She (Lauren) just has this presence about her ... I look back at the pictures before she was crowned queen and she's the one standing up straight and smiling...she's great."
Today the princesses and some race car drivers will visit Methodist Hospital and make another visit to Riley on Thursday. Although the women thrive off the community service, they look forward to the day of the race the most. When the winner is presented, the princesses will surround him or her in a horse show as he or she takes the signature drink of milk.
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