CARLO COCK
Tuks’ Miss Varsity Cup will be crowned on Monday, 5 March at the Tuks vs Shimlas game. After having gone through a rigorous judging process that lasted just over a few weeks, the winner and her two princesses will be announced during half time at the Tuks Rugby Stadium.
The winner of the Tuks edition of Miss Varsity Cup will then compete against the winners from all the other universities in the national version of Miss Varsity Cup. The winner of the national competition will be crowned at the Varsity Cup final.
Miss Varsity Cup is not a normal beauty pageant. In fact, it is hardly a beauty pageant at all. The contestants have to go through several rounds of judging where they are judged not only by their appearance, but on their knowledge of Tuks, rugby and Varsity Cup as well as other factors like personality, spirit and Tukkie-pride.
Former Miss Varsity Cup and current organiser of the contest, Olivia Van Rooyen, says that the competition has grown tremendously since she was a contestant in 2009. “The competition has come a long way. It has grown so much and we’ve made several changes in order to improve the event,” Van Rooyen tells Perdeby.
One of those changes was changing the entry requirements so that only seniors can enter. This was done due to the competition starting in early February and first-years not really knowing much about Varsity Cup yet. It proved too stressful.
The changes have definitely improved the competition as was proved in the final round of judging. Each contestant had a formal interview in front of a panel of judges where they were quizzed on the Varsity Cup and Tuks. The knowledge displayed by the top 10 group as a whole was very impressive. The contestants also showed great poise and intelligence and are definitely more than just pretty faces.
Whoever is crowned Tuks’ Miss Varsity Cup on Monday will definitely be a true rugby supporter and most importantly, a true Tukkie! Be sure to check out Perdeby’s interview with Miss Varsity Cup in our March 11 edition.
