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 Drag performer Tara Moore has taken out the crown at the Miss Sportsman Pageant at the Sportsman Hotel on November 24.
It was a case of fourth time lucky for the Sporties regular, who won the competition with versions of ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ and ‘All That Jazz’.
“I’ve participated three times prior to this and I was runner-up last year, so I really wanted to push myself further this year,” Moore told Queensland Pride.
She said she was “pretty floored” when she was announced as the winner.
“My best friend, Martini Ice, and I were competing against each other. By the end of it I thought she’d got a really good reaction. When they called my name out I was like, ‘no way!’ I was absolutely ecstatic.”
But it has been a long journey for the drag princess, who has been performing “on and off” for about nine years.
“I started when I was 19 and I’m 28 now. I’ve worked in all the venues, both paid and unpaid, and Sporties has become my home.
“I started originally because I used to perform as a child in musical theatre and I was also a dancer. I fell out of that in high school and when I came out I decided I wanted to get back on stage again. I have a love for it now. It’s a really good way of expressing the artistic side of myself.” Moore named Sporties’ mainstay showgirl Wanda d’Parke as an inspiration.
“Wanda is so fabulous. She holds the crowds and she’s great with people. There are a few [performers] I look up to for different reasons but Wanda really has helped me a lot.”
Among her prizes, Queensland Pride will fly Moore to Sydney next March to appear as a guest of honour on the Evolution Publishing float in the Mardi Gras parade.
“I’m really excited. It’s going to be really full on. I’ve not been to Sydney since I was a child and have not been by myself before. I’ve never even been clubbing down there,” she said.
Moore said that contrary to claims the pageant could get “bitchy”, it allowed new performers to meet each other.
“I think it’s an awesome event because it gives new performers a chance to perform on stage. It was one of the things that got me started. It’s also a good way of meeting other performers and I’ve met people who’ve helped me a lot through Miss Sportsman. It’s a really fun night,” she said.
Olivia Koontz was awarded the title of ‘Miss Rising Star’.
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