Competition and friendships among DYW participants

PULLMAN -- Thanks to modern technology, this year’s Distinguished Young Women of Washington winner could celebrate her achievement Saturday despite not being physically at the ceremony.

Sydney Ohlemann, of Ellensburg, watched the ceremony on FaceTime from a phone held by an audience member when she was announced the winner at Washington State University’s R.R. Jones Theatre in Daggy Hall. Each of the other contestants happily gathered around the phone to congratulate her, and even took pictures with it.

Ohlemann could not make it to Pullman, and had to perform for the judges at another venue. That did not stop her from impressing the judges to earn more than $5,000 in scholarship funds and a trip to the DYW national competition in Alabama.

Ohlemann may not have been in the building, but other participants showed up to Daggy Hall to put on a show in front of proud friends and family members.

The local participants were Gracie Wessels, of Clarkston, Kate Schultheis, of Colton, Audrey Maryott, of Pullman, and Ainsley Sievers, of Palouse. Other participants were Beth Okamoto representing Almira Coulee Hartline, Addy Carlile, of Moses Lake, and Kayli Beasley, of Spokane.

The contestants had to display their talents, interview skills, self-expression and scholastic abilities in different categories.

Several of the candidates said the best part of competing for DYW was becoming friends with the other contestants, which explains why they were overjoyed to hear Ohlemann won.

“I’ve become so close with them over the last four days and I feel like I’ve made so many new best friends,” Pullman High School student Maryott told the Tribune. “And it’s such a special experience.”

Maryott said she has always looked up to DYW contestants.

“All the people that I’ve seen participate in the past have been so amazing and I just wanted to have a shared experience with them and be able to show that I could do the same things as them,” she said.

Maryott was a winner in the self-expression and interview categories. Schultheis, from Colton High School, also won the self-expression category, which required contestants to offer their opinion on a topic in front of Saturday’s audience.

Schultheis said she wanted to participate in DYW since her older sister, Emma Schultheis participated in it.

“I really wanted to be in it when I was younger, because I learned about the camaraderie and how much you are self-improved when you are in it,” she said.

Maryott performed a ballet dance for the talent category and Schultheis recited a poem by Douglas Malloch.

Sievers, of Palouse High School, performed a musical piece by Friedrich Kuhlau on flute. She agreed that making friendships with the other girls was the most rewarding part of DYW. She also participated to earn interview skills.

“It was just a really great scholarship opportunity and I thought that I could really use the interview experience before I started trying to go out and get real jobs,” she said.

Sievers earned $2,500 in scholarships for being one of the winners in the scholastic category.

Clarkston’s Wessels was one of the winners in the fitness, talent and scholastic categories. For her talent, she performed a jazz dance.

The fitness category required the participants to learn an elaborate dance routine to display their coordination, stamina and posture. Sievers, Maryott and Schultheis all said learning the choreography for that routine was the most challenging part of the competition.

Previous DYW winner and Colfax representative Olivia Ng was there Saturday to present the contestants with their awards.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.