Title passes between cousins

ROYAL CITY — For two cousins, the 2007 Royal City Jr. Miss title is staying in the family.

Amber Christensen was titled Royal City's Jr. Miss for 2007 Saturday. Her cousin Katelyn Christensen, the 2006 Royal City Jr. Miss, handed over the title and performed a farewell piano solo.

"It was kind of a shock," Amber said. "My summer's going to be really busy."

She plans to go to the state competition, participate in future parades and work on creating a float.

For the talent segment, she performed a dance recital to "Let's Dance." It is a mix of several different songs, she said. She has been dancing seriously for more than 10 years.

She participates on the dance team, volleyball, cheer and tennis at Royal City High School.

Her road to the title began last year.

She was a sophomore sister who helped out backstage for a teen who was competing for the 2006 title. She decided to help out so she could gain experience for the following year.

She will walk away from the competition with a little extra, she said. She befriended the girls she competed with, she said. She gained confidence and learned how to perform on a stage, she added.

In addition to the title, she took home the Be Your Best Self Award, highest ticket sales award, the fitness award and the self expression award.

"My cousin got second runner-up," she said about a third family member.

Whitney Christensen took home the second finalist title and the talent award.