Hinckley native crowned Miss Czech-Slovak U.S.

Having won the title Miss Czech-Slovak U.S. on Aug. 4, Hinckley native Anna Tombazzi will spend the next year touring the country, making appearances at festivals, riding in parades, creating videos to support her heritage and even traveling to Slovakia and the Czech Republic to meet with dignitaries and visit historical sites.

Although Tombazzi is excited to spend her reign spreading awareness of her heritage, Miss Czech-Slovak U.S. is a crown she never expected to wear.

Growing up, Tombazzi’s Rusyn roots were always an important part of her life. With Tombazzi as her last name, she takes her father’s Italian background with her wherever she goes, but her mother, Laurel, worked hard to educate her about her side of the family, as well.

Rusyn is considered an Eastern European nationality, but the group has never had its own country. Its homeland lies mostly within three countries: Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland.

Laurel, founder and chairperson of the Eastern European Congress of Ohio, often brought Anna along to perform folk dancing and to volunteer at various cultural events celebrating Rusyns and neighboring ethnicities. Anna’s interest in events like those continued to grow while she attended the University of Akron.

“When I was in college I did a lot of heritage-oriented things,” she said. “I knew about this pageant, but I never had enough time to dedicate a whole year to it.”

When she graduated, however, Anna decided that the pageant was something in which she wanted to participate.

The Miss Czech-Slovak U.S. pageant was founded under its original name, Miss Czech Slovak USA Queen Pageant, in 1986. Every year since, thousands have made the trek to Wilber, Nebraska, the so-called Czech capital of the U.S., for the festivities. Close to 300 young women have served as cultural ambassadors to spread awareness of the traditions of Czechs, Moravians, Selisians, Slovaks and Rusyns.

The Tombazzis first made their connection with the pageant in 2009, when Laurel directed a Rusyn folk ensemble for the event. Then in 2015, she served as one of three pageant judges. When Laurel got an email from the pageant director in December 2018 asking for interested competitors, she immediately passed the news along to her daughter.

To participate in the Miss Czech-Slovak U.S. pageant, women must win one of nine state level pageants. If a prospective competitor does not live in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas or Wisconsin, they can enter the competition as a contestant at-large by submitting an application and answering a slew of questions from the pageant directors.

Since Anna moved to California after graduation to pursue a career as a rocket scientist with Virgin Galactic, she earned an at-large bid to the event. Ultimately, she became the first California entrant to win the competition.

The national competition was Anna’s first pageant experience. She believes that being less seasoned and rehearsed helped convey the authenticity of her passion for the event.

Contestants undergo a private interview with the judges, answer a random question picked from a hat in front of a live audience, model their folk costumes, called kroj and perform a talent.

After sailing through the interview with the judges, Anna picked a question that couldn’t have been better suited to her.

“I was asked to name a Slovak scientist and speak to how their contributions relate or inspire my work on an everyday basis,” she said. “The audience got to listen to my personal Ted Talk about Ernst Mach’s theoretical deduction of shock waves and how it relates to my work as a scientist.”

Not only did the subject matter set her apart, but judges also recognized Anna’s clear, concise manner of speaking and her ability to explain a difficult topic in layman’s terms. They awarded her the Oratory Award.

She then modeled authentic kroj, a category that she won as well. Her kroj was made in Slovakia in the 1940s for a folk ensemble that was established to protect the heritage during Communist reign. The piece arrived in the U.S. in 1989 with an American individual who toured the area collecting clothing, dances and traditions to bring back. The outfit was then purchased by the priest who married Anna’s parents. He provided it to Anna for the competition.

She also won the talent portion of the competition with her rendition of “Valley of the Mountains,” a song she feels personified the land in Eastern Slovakia. She played the song on a violin her grandfather brought with him when he immigrated to America.

Although she won three of the most competitive pageant categories, Anna was still shocked when she was judged first for the top prize.

“I’m a scientist, I’m an engineer; we don’t do pageants, we’re not beauty queens,” she laughed.

Featured image photo caption: Anna Tombazzi, standing in front of the Rusyn flag, displays the three crowns she gets during her reign: the one on her head, the 5-pound, 5-inch-tall crown on the left, and the one she can keep forever on the right. Photo courtesy Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant – Evening Blush Photography