‘Cassie is in a class of her own’

Cassie Cotarelo is one step closer to her childhood dream after being crowned Miss Huntington Beach on Sunday.

“When I was in kindergarten, I met Miss California, and I wanted to be her so bad,� said Cotarelo, a senior at Marina High School. “I’m still so shocked and flattered.�

Cotarelo, 18, entered the Miss Huntington Beach Scholarship Pageant with no previous experience in beauty pageants.

“I just tried to be myself,� she said. “I’ve never won anything before, so this is really exciting.�

Cotarelo defeated nine other contenders for the Miss Huntington Beach crown. She will go on to compete in the Miss California 2010 Pageant during the summer.

“The judges picked out a good young lady,� pageant director Pam Alagata said. “I can’t wait to work with her when we go up to Fresno in July for the Miss California Pageant.�

On Sunday, Cotarelo and the other contestants competed for the Miss Huntington Beach title by advocating platforms through a prepared speech, being judged on how physically fit they were in a swimsuit, demonstrating a talent and answering questions about current events.

Celebrity impersonator Bethany Owen, one of five pageant judges and a former Miss Huntington Beach runner-up, took notice of Cotarelo during the talent portion. Cotarelo, a dancer for 12 years, performed ballet to Ludwig Minkus’ score for “Don Quixote.�

“Cassie is in a class of her own,� Owen said. “She’s an outstanding ballerina, very graceful and very strong. Her movements and turns were truly beautiful.�

Cotarelo’s platform was “Give to Live,� in which she spoke about raising awareness and education for blood and bone marrow transplants. As a former volunteer for Children’s Hospital of Orange County, she wants to continue her education in the health-care field.

Cotarelo looks forward to a busy schedule as Huntington Beach’s newest ambassador. She and her court — the two runners-up — are scheduled to attend ribbon cuttings and official city-related events.

“I want to be a role model,� she said. “Someone who is classy and well-spoken. Someone young girls can look up to.�

Cotarelo hopes that if she wins in Fresno, she can use her position to inspire girls statewide. Owen is rooting for her as well.

“She’s so poised, and personally, I can’t imagine anyone else better than Cassie to represent us and to go on to become Miss California,� Owen said.