Nicole Winke Gentes crowned Mrs. Iowa American, will compete for Mrs. American honors in November in Las Vegas, NV


Nicole Winke Gentes ... Submitted photo.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Nicole Winke Gentes, of Lansing, was crowned Mrs. Iowa American 2021 Saturday, September 4, and will compete for the national title of Mrs. American 2021 in November.

Nicole, the daughter of Jim and Shirley Winke, is a 1992 graduate of Waukon High School and a 1998 graduate of Luther College in Decorah where - in addition to studying political science - she studied vocal performance, theatre and dance. She currently is an attorney with offices in Waukon and Lansing and she also teaches personal fitness. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she taught dance, as well.

A classically trained mezzo soprano, Nicole has been involved in musical theatre since she performed in “A Sound of Music” at eight years old (she performed again in that perennial favorite when she was a junior in high school). As a high school student, Nicole performed in several theatrical productions, both musical and non-musical - among them: “Grease” (she played “Rizzo”), “Lil’ Abner” and “The Music Man.”

At Luther, she was a member of Nordic Choir under the direction of the late, legendary Weston Noble (“I was lucky enough to still sing under his baton,” she says). Also in the world-renowned choir at that time was the man Nicole would eventually marry, Aaron Gentes. Upon graduation, they went their separate ways for 17 years - and met up again during rehearsals for the Weston Noble Alumni Choir reunion concert in 2015. They were married December 10, 2016.

A fellow actor and singer, Aaron earned a master’s degree in acting from the famed Actors Studio’s Drama School in New York City - home of the award-winning television series, “Inside the Actors Studio,” which began in 1994 as a televised craft seminar for the Drama School students. (Nicole recalls a call being made to their house one day by James Lipton, who hosted “Inside the Actors Studio” from its premier in 1994 until 2018 and who ended interviews by submitting a questionnaire in a format originated by French television personality Bernard Pivot, after the Proust Questionnaire.)

Nicole’s first encounter with the Mrs. America competition was in 1992 when she was performing at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines as a member of the State Fair Singers and Jazz Band. (Formerly known as the Iowa State Fair Singers, the “Iowa” was dropped in 1991 to avoid confusion with Iowa State University. The organization is known today as the “Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band.”) She saw that year’s Mrs. Iowa, who was there as part of her appearance responsibilities.

“I was enthralled with the idea of it not being just ‘pretty ‘Miss’-es,” she recalls. “It intrigued me. She intrigued me.”

ABOUT THE COMPETITION
Created in 1938, the “Mrs. America” pageant was suspended from 1943-1946 because of World War II; it was canceled altogether in 1968 and revived in 1977. The pageant always was based on consideration of concepts like “beauty” and “charm”; but it originally also featured different aspects of “homemaking”: Contestants were judged on their ability to peel potatoes, to iron clothes, and to make their own dresses, for example - and contestants had to be under 50 years of age.

Much has changed since those early days. “Age is no longer a thing in this,” Nicole notes. “Last year’s Mrs. Iowan was 57, and she rocked it. She’s a Ph.D.”

The emphasis on homemaking skills is gone, as well. The evening gown competition is still a thing, though - as is the swimsuit competition, though today it’s considered a “fitness” component. Nicole says she wasn’t fazed by it, in any case.

“That’s one of the reasons I did it,” she says. “What better way to get me back into shape and get me out from behind this desk?”

Did she find it objectifying? “I didn’t,” she says. “I don’t allow people to objectify me. It was all about fitness for me - and about getting out of my comfort zone, for my mental health.”

Interestingly - for a woman as accomplished as Nicole in this area - “talent” is not a part of the competition (though she was told that if she made it to nationals, she should “be prepared to sing a couple bars of opera”). The initial interview counts for fully half of the contestants’ total score; swimsuit and evening gown count for 25 percent each.

Nicole competed last year but didn’t advance past the interview portion of the competition. A lawyer, she likens that initial interview to “an appellate panel of judges.” This year, she hired a coach.

“(The coach) helped me elocute less like a lawyer,” she says. “I learned to soften my approach. I decided I was going to do it right, this time. I did kind of what I needed to do.”

The “Mrs. America” pageant system is, today, comprised of three divisions: The oldest division is “Mrs. America”; “Mrs. American” was added later, when the organization decided it wanted to have what it calls “sister-queens”; “Miss For America” was added three years ago, as the organization has continued to grow.

On its website, the organization describes the pageant as a competition that “publicly recognizes accomplished, driven and beautiful married women who have obtained personal, professional and community achievements.” (“‘Miss for America’ … is a national pageant featuring the most accomplished single women of America. Ranging in ages from 18 years and older, widowed, divorced or never married; these women compete for the coveted title of ‘Miss for America Strong.’”)

HER MISSION
As Mrs. Iowa American, Nicole’s responsibilities will center on advocating for her platform - which is bringing awareness to and de-stigmatizing mental illness and addiction. On the latter issue, the Mrs. America organization is a powerful ally: It is partnered with The Victoria Siegel Foundation - created in remembrance of 18-year-old Victoria Siegel, daughter of Jackie Siegel, former Mrs. Florida America and current Mrs. Florida America state director, and David Siegel, president and CEO of Westgate Resorts. According to its website, the foundation’s aim is to champion “specific ways we can reduce drug experimentation, addiction and overdose” and provide essential support to youth and families affected by substance abuse. (victoriasvoice.foundation)

Where her platform’s emphasis on raising awareness of and de-stigmatizing mental illness is concerned, Nicole and her Iowan colleagues in advocacy face a significant challenge. “Mental health care and support for those with addictions are almost comedically lacking in this state,” she says.

Indeed, according to the website for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “Iowa has consistently been ranked as one of the worst states for mental health care … A 2017 report from the Treatment Advocacy Center gave Iowa a D- grade for its mental health bed shortage as well as its unorganized system of treating inmates with severe mental illness. The report said in 2016, Iowa ranked last of all states in terms of psychiatric bed availability, with only 1.2 beds per 100,000 adults; this is a far cry from the national average of about 12 beds per 100,000 adults.”

Nicole, though, is not one to be afraid of a challenge. Asked how she would answer the last question in James Lipton’s famous questionnaire - “If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?” - she doesn’t hesitate.

“You were fearless,” she says.

Nicole will next take part in the Mrs. American National Pageant scheduled for Friday, November 19 in Las Vegas, NV. A livestream link to the pageant will be made available at www.mrsamerica.com.