What do you think about the age limits set by MAO? Thanks to the Princess program and the OT program, girls can get involved with our system when they are very young. On the other end of the spectrum, a Miss America contestant ages out when she is 24. I wonder what would happen if the age limit were increased to, say, 28?

I'm 28 and while I have never competed in a pageant, in many ways I feel like now would be the optimal time to do it. I am out of school and I would feel comfortable taking time off from my job because I am well established in my field. On the other hand, I have NO desire to compete with 18 year olds for anything - that 10 year age gap would be hard to ignore. And it might make the judging that much more difficult. Can you compare an 18 year old and a 28 year old? Should Miss America be that close to 30?

What do you guys think?