Meet Kelowna’s newly crowned Miss Senior World

When we had last spoken to her, Kelowna’s Laura Draycott had put her business days behind her, and scoured the internet for something to fill her free time.

Stumbling upon the Miss Senior World pageant, she applied online and was promptly accepted to represent all of Canada in the competition.

Last week she won the title in the 50s category.

With the competition in Mississippi now behind her, Toby from 103.1 Beach Radio paid her another visit to chat about what it was like to win the title of Miss Senior World in her age division.

“It was a whirlwind. It was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life, start to finish,” Draycott told Toby. “Getting there and experiencing all the women who were equally as joyously uncomfortable as I was, it was just amazing.”

In their last visit, she touted the importance of putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, but specifically ones where you are “happily uncomfortable”.

It’s this positive outlook that drives her to keep having new experiences, and likely led to her pageant victory as well.

Draycott was presented with multiple awards at the event, but one stands above all else for her: The World Career Achievement.

“I didn’t even expect it, I was touched and shocked to just to be recognized for working hard,” she said. “This pageant was six months of hard work, but my business was ten years of hard work. I almost cried when I got that one.”

As she is at the top end of the 50s age bracket, Draycott intends to compete in the next age group when she turns 60 next year.

Her vision for the future does not end there.

“I would love to be a coach; I would also love to promote senior women in the fashion and makeup industry. I think we’re a little overlooked and underrepresented,” she explained.

“I have myself and all these other lovely women with crowns that would love to be a voice and raise up senior women because we're still here, we're still relevant, we're still beautiful. We have a lot to say, we have a lot of experience, and we have a lot of wisdom.”