DECATUR - On the basketball court, Jami Perkins is a tough competitor.

Next week in Chicago, the Eisenhower High School senior aims to take her A-game to a royal court when she competes for the crown of Miss Illinois Teen USA.

Perkins, 18, applied to be in the pageant this summer and was the only girl in Decatur chosen out of five who applied.

Her friend, Tiara Thomas, 16, said she was surprised that her best friend since the fourth grade wanted to enter such a popular teen pageant. She and Perkins are co-captains of the Eisenhower girls basketball team.

"It's such a girly, girly thing," Tiara said. However, she said it does kind of fit her friend's "split personality."

" ¦ She's always getting her nails done, and no one else on the team does, but she still loves playing basketball," Thomas said.

Jeffrey Perkins was a bit taken aback that his daughter wanted to be in the pageant.

Jami Perkins, however, is looking forward to her new adventure.

She has solicited individuals and businesses to sponsor her, and she has purchased her gown and swimsuit for the competition. She also has been challenging herself to stay in shape by working out at the Greater Decatur Y every day after school.

About 15 minutes on the treadmill and some weightlifting usually do the trick.

"I have never been in a pageant before," Perkins said, but curiosity got the best of her. "I saw one on television and just wanted to give it a try."

After sending in her photo, Perkins was notified by the pageant headquarters in Potomac, Md., that covers the teen events for the states of Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

She then impressed pageant officials in a phone interview.

Perkins is on the National Honor Society and holds a 4.15 GPA on a 4.0 scale. She also was elected class president for the fourth year.

She spent time with the Youth Leadership Institute and especially liked the city government portion. In September, Perkins was voted homecoming queen.

"She's a pretty cool person and knows a lot of people ¦ that's why she is so popular," Tiara said.

Due to the timing of the pageant, Perkins will miss the basketball team's scrimmage game Nov. 16.

Tiara is planning to travel to Chicago the next day to be in the audience and cheer her friend on. "We hope she does good," Tiara said.

When it comes to taking that one shot of possibly becoming Miss Illinois Teen USA, Perkins' parents aren't sitting on the sidelines.

She said her mother, Sherri Perkins, was more excited than she was when they went to Chicago on Oct. 14, met the other girls in the pageant and practiced some dance routines.

That trip also helped Jami Perkins become more at ease.

"You would think in these pageants that you have to look a certain way, but it was reassuring to see every type of body shape and everyone from different races," she said.

Confidence is a key element for a pageant competitor.

"We want an all-around teen who is confident and can communicate their thoughts clearly," said Angela Shealy, pageant coordinator. That's why the interview part of the pageant is important.

Workshops on stance, correct walking and interviewing skills are available before the event.

The swimsuit part of the competition only judges the girls on their physical fitness, just as the evening gown competition only judges how graceful they are on stage.

"When you have 150 girls, it does take a lot for them to step out of their comfort zone to compete," Shealy said. "They gain self-confidence, meet new friends and it's a fun atmosphere for them."

Win or lose, Perkins said she'll walk away having established some lasting friendships.

"I'm going into this to enjoy the experience. Like Miss Illinois Teen said, 'You shouldn't have the mind-set of I'm going to win this.' She got into it to have a blast and ended up walking away with the crown."

The Miss Illinois Teen USA Pageant runs Nov. 16 to 18 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick in Chicago. More than 100 young women will vie for the title.

Sheila Smith can be reached at sheilas@herald-review.com or 421-7963.