Mary Gratehouse wins Ms. Florida International title

Mary Gratehouse picked up two new pieces of hardware recently.

Both were a surprise.

Gratehouse competed in the Ms. Florida International pageant over April 28-29 at the Westgate Town Center Resort in Orlando.

After four rounds, including interview, fitness wear, evening gown and fun fashion wear, Gratehouse was crowned Ms. Florida International.

The crown didn’t come without some challenges, though.

Following the first round of competition, Gratehouse’s heel got stuck on a cape that was part of her outfit and she fell into some clothing racks backstage.

She fractured the fifth metatarsal in her foot. The show had to go on, however, so Gratehouse continued smiling and competing as if nothing had gone wrong.

Now sporting a walking boot on her broken foot, Gratehouse reflects on how she was crowned  Ms. Florida International.

The Longboat Key resident said she hasn’t competed in pageants in some 30 years, but after representing the Ms. Sarasota title, the Ms. Florida International pageant was the next step.

Her motivation for participating in this pageant was her passion for Easterseals and encouragement from her son. Gratehouse sits on the board for Easterseals Southwest Florida, and since this was a platform pageant, she used that as an opportunity to shine a light on the organization.

She said she did it for the kids and adults on the waiting list for Easterseals services. As the newly titled Ms. Florida International, she will spend the next year traveling throughout Florida and other states as an ambassador for Easterseals.

Gratehouse said those who partake in Easterseals love seeing a shiny crown, so it’s a win for everyone.

“It’s another little avenue that we have to just reach them and make them happy,” she said.

The interview portion for the competition was 40% of the total score, the Florida International Pageants website said. Gratehouse knew that was the largest percentage of any of the categories, so it was important for her to succeed in that round.

“I looked at it as a math equation from day one,” she said. “Half the points are interviews, so anyone can win this pageant.”

Gratehouse is also involved with Israel Tennis Centers and will use her title as Ms. Florida International to advocate for those as well. She said it wasn’t hard for her to talk about the charities she’s passionate about. It’s something that gave her an upper hand among her younger competitors as she’s been doing charitable work since she was the age of the youngest competitors.

The age range for Ms. Florida International is 24-60. At 57, Gratehouse said it was daunting to be in a pool of younger women, however she also thinks the younger women underestimated her.

The pageant was a reminder that you can do what you want at any age. Gratehouse calls 50s the new 30s.

“At any age, you can reinvent yourself, you can go back out there and do whatever you want,” she said.