The Feminine Athlete

“Rebecca Adamcheck lived in two worlds.

In one, the 22-year-old was a Division I athlete who competed for DePaul University’s track and field team. She trained for at least two hours five to six days per week, running and lifting weights to make her body stronger and able to run faster.

In another, Adamcheck was a pageant contestant who took part in Miss American Coed competitions. She modeled satin evening gowns, walked in heels and spoke about the importance of education to impress judges.

Adamcheck excelled in both worlds. She became Miss Illinois Coed in August 2012 and competed at the Big East Indoor Track and Field Championships in February 2013. Even so, she struggled to reconcile her athletic career with her life as a pageant contestant.

“That was a really weird dynamic, when those two things were sort of coexisting,” Adamcheck says. “In my pageant I always felt weird. There was one time when I put my dress on, and this girl was staring at me. She was like, ‘You’re so muscular.’ And I’m like, that’s OK, but I’m in an evening gown right now. That doesn’t make me feel pretty, per se. It makes me feel accomplished, but in a different world. I’m not in that world right now; I’m in pageant world, and you’re telling me how jacked I look in my gown.””

Read the full post here.