By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

Mrs. Maine Christine Blake is busy, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Blake, 36, of Saco, was crowned Mrs. Maine-America May 9 in Portland after competing for the title for the second time. A doctor with her own family practice in Westbrook, she also is spokesman for nonprofit Breathe magazine and performs with Voice in Harmony.

Blake will travel to Tucson, Ariz., in September to compete for the Mrs. America crown and a chance to pursue the Mrs. World title. She will be joined by her husband, James, and children Daisy, 10; Simon and Rose, 4; and Daphne, 3.

Had you been involved in pageants before?

When I was younger I did some in high school. In college I did a couple. In 1996, I was Maine model of the year and also in 1996 I was Miss New England Venus Swimwear. When I was 16 I was first runner up for Miss Maine Teen USA. I wanted to get into modeling and my grandmother used to be involved with the Miss America system in some way and ever since I was just a little girl she was really encouraging me to do them. I was also interested in doing volunteer activities and getting out into the community, even at that age. It was a really good opportunity to do that.

I think there are a couple different faces of pageantry, but for the most part, it’s really a whole lot of girls and women who really just want a reason to get out into the community to volunteer. When you go to watch a pageant it’s heartbreaking to see one girl get crowned and then all of these other girls who just wanted that opportunity to get out there and do things in their community.

Why did you decide to compete for the title of Mrs. Maine?

It was such an amazing experience last year that opened so many doors for me. The past two years for me have been such a whirlwind. The better part of the last decade I was having babies and becoming a physician and getting set up in my practice. I’ve always had the drive and been doing volunteer work anyway. We’re always doing something with our church or a fundraiser for the school. I wanted more of that, I wanted to get information out there to the public about health care. There are so many people out there who are afraid to go to a clinic, who are afraid to go to a hospital, who don’t like doctors. It’s a way for me to get out into the community to reach people who are afraid to go in just to give them the information they really need.

How do you prepare for a pageant?

The best way to prepare for a pageant is to really get out into your community and get used to speaking to people. And just learning about who you are, what your purpose is and what you want to accomplish. It’s not just about primping up and looking pretty, it’s just so much not about that. You need to have a stage presence, you need to be able to talk to people, but you really need to be able to talk about yourself. That’s something I don’t tend to be good at, so that’s something I had to learn to do. It’s really learning about yourself and getting out into the community.

What does your family think of your involvement in pageants?

They couldn’t be more excited. They think it’s awesome and it’s so fun. We really focus on the community service side of it, not just the glitz and glamour part. So far I’ve done one appearance as Mrs. Maine. I walked with the American Heart Association, which was really exciting for me because I’m a survivor of a cardiovascular disorder. When I had in-vitro fertilization treatments, I had a rare complication called ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome. When my twins were born, I had blood clots that passed through my heart into my lungs. It’s called a pulmonary embolism and it’s a very life-threatening event. Surviving something like that and having my new baby twins, it was a difficult time. Walking with the American Heart Association was really special for me. To walk with the people who conquered it, and to also walk for the people who weren’t able to conquer it, that was really great.

What do you hope your children will learn from you as they watch you compete in pageants?

My husband and I are really big on community service. My kids each started running road races when they were 3 and they were done as fundraisers and to promote physical fitness. They love it. My husband and I just really focus on making sure our kids know how important it is to be involved in your community and to use your talents to give to other people. We do that in various ways. I love for them to go to events with me to see people volunteering.

What is your advice for people who are thinking about getting involved in pageantry for the first time?

I would say do it, absolutely. I think people don’t understand the value in competing in a pageant. The skills that you learn from competing are skills you have for the rest of your life. Learning to speak to people, learning to present yourself, learning how to interview, learning how to speak in front of people – those are things you can’t avoid. They come up in your life and those are things you will benefit from. And it really builds your self-esteem and confidence. Whether you win or not, it’s really about going there and having fun and gaining all of those skills. My advice would be to just go for it and take away from it what you can.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.