Video Interview

CHARLESTON, S.C. – When you think about words to describe Citadel cadet-athletes, you probably think of words like tough, fearless and gritty. But there are other words that can come to mind: driven, smart and poised.

All of those words and more can be used to describe soccer cadet-athlete Sam Waarum as she juggles not just soccer balls, but everything that comes with all that she does at The Citadel and even outside of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.

Waarum has quite a full plate these days as she is one of the captains for the women's soccer team and on Saturdays during the fall when she's not traveling with the soccer team, she serves as the captain of the spirit squad and runs one of the flags during football games. Away from the fields of play, she serves as the vice president of the Cadet-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and she is also a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) leader.

Then there's the glitz and the glam.

Away from the sweat and grass stains on her soccer uniforms, away from the thousands of cheering fans and cannon fire during football games, and away from her duties with the Corps, Waarum is Miss Isle of Palms and Miss Freedom USA. This Saturday, Nov. 18, while the football team is taking on second-ranked Clemson, Waarum will be in North Charleston tackling a different kind of competition as she competes to be crowned Miss South Carolina USA.

The competition will begin Friday, Nov. 17, with preliminaries at 7:30 p.m. and will continue through Saturday with the finals, also at 7:30 p.m. The entire pageant will be held inside the North Charleston Performing Arts Center (PAC) and the winner will go on to compete for the title of Miss USA.

"When I was five years old, I wanted to be Miss USA and I'm going for it now," Waarum said. "This is going to help me with my future, but this is also going to let me be able to change the world that I live in and I think that's the biggest key component."

Waarum's first experience with pageants came in high school when she competed in her high school's pageant. The experience was such a positive one that she went out for Miss Isle of Palms.

"I've only been in three (pageants), so I'm kind of new to the world," said Waarum. "I did my high school pageant and I did it for my nana because she did pageants when she was younger. I ended up loving it and I feel like it helped me blossom a little bit. So, I decided to run for Miss South Carolina and I am also currently Miss Freedom USA."

As a cadet-athlete, Waarum focuses a lot of her time and energy on her academics, staying in shape and perfecting her craft as well as representing the Corps to the best of her abilities. Soccer takes up a lot of her time during the season and her academics demand year-round attention, but as a female athlete, she also wants to send a message to younger girls who are working to chase their dreams.

"Sam has an exceptional work ethic and we see her bring that trait to many different roles in her life," said Citadel head soccer coach Ciaran Traquair. "She is a genuine competitor and I think she will show that in her pageant this coming weekend. We would like to wish her all the best in this adventure and I hope the experience can help her grow as a person as she heads into her final season of eligibility in 2018."

"I'm really excited because I want to use this opportunity to change the world. I know that sounds cliché, but my little sister is the one that I look to the most for this," Waarum said. "I just want every girl to know that they are beautiful from the inside out and I want people to realize that anything is possible and to just follow your dreams no matter what."

Waarum has certainly pursued her dreams. Not many athletes can say they've played Division I soccer. Similarly, not many people can say they have represented their hometown on a big stage. Even fewer have represented a national organization like the USO before graduating college.

But her position as not just a student-athlete but a cadet-athlete at The Citadel has set her up to succeed in life no matter the outcome this weekend.

The weeks leading up to this weekend have featured plenty of challenges that are unique to the pageant world.

"As an athlete, my number one priority is staying true to being an athlete. Strength is beauty, so I definitely have to make sure I eat properly and I work out all the time," Waarum said. "When I have to start getting prepped for the pageant, that means getting my eyebrows done, my nails done, putting those fake eyelashes on – which is not all that fun, but then I get to have fun and try to look pretty. I get all of my gear, my bathing suit and dresses, and I meet with my coaches to practice my interview and everything else. It's a really rigorous process, but I have fun with it and that's all that matters."

While she is disappointed that she won't be there in person to cheer on her fellow cadet-athletes Saturday as they go up against arguably the biggest opponent of the season (both literally and figuratively), Waarum knows they will give their all and represent The Citadel well, just as she will be going up against her own tough competition.

More information on the Miss South Carolina USA pageant can be found at www.misssouthcarolinausa.com.

For more information and score updates on The Citadel soccer team, follow @CitadelWSoccer on Twitter or visit CitadelSports.com.