Anne-Marie Jennings
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 03/98) - Until two weeks ago, Kim Rossignol could go around relatively unrecognized.

But with her recent selection as Miss NWT 1998, and her upcoming trip to the Miss Canada International Pageant, that could easily change.

"I go between being excited and nervous," she says.

Rossignol's first brush with being recognized came during Raven Mad Daze, when she was called up on stage during the talent show.

"I wasn't expecting it," she says. "I had only heard that I had been selected that afternoon, so it really hadn't sunk in yet."

At first, Rossignol says she wasn't all that interested in participating in the Miss Canada International Pageant, primarily because she had no interest in being am contestant in a beauty pageant.

"I got a phone call from the president of the Miss Canada International Pageant, and we talked for about an hour on the phone about the pageant," she says.

"She helped me see that the pageant isn't focused only on the way you look.... She didn't even ask me about the way I looked."

Rossignol says that regardless of the outcome, the experience will be well worth it, helping her find new confidence in herself and encourage her to get out and participate.

"In the past, I've participated in a number of different causes, but always with a friend or my family," Rossignol says. "But this is forcing me to go out on my own."

During the week she will spend in Toronto, Rossignol and the other contestants will have the opportunity to enjoy a number of activities and see the sights. Among the list of scheduled stops are the CN Tower, Skydome, Niagara Falls, Canada's Wonderland and the Hard Rock Cafe.

Rossignol finds herself among 34 other contestants from across the country competing for the right to represent Canada at the Miss International Pageant in London later this year.

And while the pageant is still more than a month away, Rossignol is busy making the rounds throughout the community to collect sponsorship from local business for her quest for the crown.

"Each contestant has to raise $2,000, which will cover the cost of accommodations and admission into the various sights which we will spend time at," Rossignol says. "Right now, I've got my letter ready and I will be taking it around to various businesses."

"I'm trying to go to different businesses than have been approached in the past, because I want to try and get other businesses involved if I can."

Rossignol says she has not had the opportunity to talk with Miss NWT 1997, Karen McCaul, but hopes to be able to sit down and get some more background on the pageant and even a few tips. In last year's Miss Canada International Pageant, McCaul finished among the top 10 finalists.

The Miss Canada International Pageant is set to take place in Toronto from Aug. 15 to 22.