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  • Roxann Kitchen-Smith, of Bellaire, works outat Fitness Factor in Traverse City. Record-Eagle/Keith King

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February 26, 2012

Bellaire woman competing for Mrs. Michigan

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS mdrahos@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Roxann Kitchen-Smith balanced against an incline press and pressed an 85-pound barbell under the watchful eye of her personal trainer.

Gym workouts are part of the Bellaire woman's regular routine, along with eating healthily and reading the food labels on everything she buys. But it wasn't always that way.

"My entire life I have been really overweight," said Kitchen-Smith, the reigning Mrs. Northern Michigan. "Three and a half years ago when I started this health and fitness thing, I was a size 18-20. And today I'm a size 4."

Kitchen-Smith, 45, will compete in the Mrs. Michigan America pageant Saturday, March 3, in Grandville. She'll vie with 14 others — including Mrs. Motor City, Mrs. Great Lakes and Mrs. Central Michigan — for the title and the right to represent the state at the nationally televised Mrs. America Pageant in May.

"It's been quite a transformation for her," said Rick Smith, Kitchen-Smith's husband. "She worked very hard to get where's she at. I'm very proud of her."

Kitchen-Smith's journey to the pageant began about four months ago when she applied and was chosen as Mrs. Northern Michigan. But the idea has its roots in her stepmother's candidacy almost four years ago.

"She encouraged me to do this because I have competed twice in figure competitions (a subcategory of body-building), and it wasn't a very good fit," said Kitchen-Smith, a stay-at-home mom and elementary special education teacher with a master's degree in school counseling. "Health and fitness is very high on my priority list but so is that intellectual component. And to be frank, I like that feminine component."

After researching their evolution and new emphasis on educated, community-minded and well-rounded women, she overcame her hesitation about beauty pageants and that most controversial of competition categories.

"It is no longer considered a swimsuit contest," she said, of the event that counts for 25 percent of the scoring. "It is considered a fitness competition. The other thing about this particular pageant is the interview is 40 percent of the scoring. That was very important to me."

Now in its 36th year in its modern format, the Mrs. America Pageant emphasizes the beauty, poise, articulateness and versatility of contemporary married women. Besides the fitness and private interview portions, the pageant includes evening gown and pop question competitions, which account for the remaining 35 percent of the scoring.

The 5-foot 9-inch Kitchen-Smith will try and exude confidence and poise in a gold "liquid sequin" halter gown. She'll promote the platform Konnect with Kids, a grassroots effort to help connect those who love children with organizations that need volunteers.

Meanwhile she serves as a role model for married women in her community and adds elegance, prestige, excitement and publicity to events like Special Olympics, often with her husband and son, Kadin, 8, in tow.

"He's truly my biggest supporter," she said of the Elk Rapids Public Schools third-grader. "He watches what I eat and tells me, 'Mom, you can't eat that. It has a lot of sugar.'"

Fitness Factor owner and personal trainer Tony Jones has been working with Kitchen-Smith for about 2½ years — long enough to see her lose four pant sizes as a result of replacing fat with muscle.

"She's incredibly focused and driven," said Jones, who puts Kitchen-Smith through her paces two hours a day, four days a week. "When she sets her mind to something, we work on it until she gets there."

Kitchen-Smith said the pageant has been a way to stay challenged and meet her goals. But if she doesn't capture the title with her combination of brains, brawn and beauty, she won't be disappointed. Already she's exploring job options in the health and fitness industry and getting her certification in personal training.

"I would love to wear the crown and represent Michigan at Mrs. America but it's really that sense of accomplishment," she said. "It's been so amazing the people that have come into my life and the journey I've taken, and it holds great value to me."

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