Third time's a charm for Mrs. Yokota 2010

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Lynsie Lorenz
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Persistence paid off for Mrs. Forence Bigsby as she was named Mrs. Yokota 2010 during her third attempt at the crown.

Forence is the wife of Master Sgt. Tracy Bigsby of the American Forces Network-Tokyo. She received the Mrs. Yokota 2010 crown from Heather Fife, Mrs. Yokota 2009, and wife of Maj. Kurt Fife of the 36th Airlift Squadron.

The Mrs. Yokota Scholarship Organization is a non-profit organization created to provide scholarships to spouses of military members stationed at Yokota.

Mrs. Bigsby will serve her upcoming 12-month reign as the face of the Mrs. Yokota Scholarship Organization and as an ambassador for Yokota Air Base. She will attend many of the same events Mrs. Fife did during her 2009 reign.

"I've had the privilege to work at the Special Olympics and to meet the athletes, which was really close to my heart," said Mrs. Yokota 2009, Heather Fife. "I've also really enjoyed working with children and representing the base."

If you asked her a couple of years ago, Forence wouldn't have believed that she would have been standing on stage, being crowned Mrs. Yokota.

"This crazy woman, Jenny Esser, stopped me at the Yokota Community Center and she begged me to be a participant," said Mrs. Bigsby. "I was like no way, I'm never going to do pageants."

Although reluctant at first, Forence said it was her daughter that eventually talked her into signing up for the pageant. Now she says that she is glad she listened.

"It was fun and it has been a great experience, so I decided to do it every year," said Mrs. Bigsby.

Jenny Esser created the Mrs. Yokota Scholarship Organization in 2007 and has coordinated the competition for the past three years.

"This organization gives wives a platform in which to honor their accomplishments, promote community service and most importantly encourage higher education through financial assistance," said Mrs. Esser.

Two-weeks of preparation go into the competition. During this time, contestants rehearse Monday through Friday and take part in interview and modeling workshops.

"I think the main thing for me was to really focus on myself as far as what I believe in and why I wanted to be Mrs. Yokota," said Mrs. Bigsby.

Forence also said that she has learned a great deal from participating in the pageants and encourages other women to do the same.

"I think a lot of people think that pageants are for beauty queens or people who are stuck-up, but they're not," said Mrs. Bigsby. "We have so many different types of women and everyone learns something from the pageant either about themselves or about someone from the base."

After the pagent, Forence said she was relieved that the competition is over and excited to begin her reign as Mrs. Yokota 2010.

"I hope to broaden our relationship with the Japanese culture," said Mrs. Bigsby. "I think it is absolute key for Americans living here in Japan to give back to our community."