Erin Frost and Brooke Mosteller have competed in collegiate athletics. Frost is a basketball player at Wofford, while Mosteller played tennis and ran cross country and track for Furman. They have also competed against each other. But in this competition, there wasn’t a ball or a jersey to be found. The two traded their sneakers and shorts for stilettos and sashes. Frost and Mosteller both were representatives in Miss South Carolina 2013, with Frost representing as Miss Laurens County and Mosteller representing as Miss Mount Pleasant. Despite different backgrounds, the two shared similar stories in their journeys to the Miss South Carolina stage.
Frost took her first step onto the hardwood at Wofford as a member of the dance team performing at halftime of the basketball games in 2009. It was not until her sophomore year that she earned a spot on the basketball team after going through offseason conditioning with the team.
“At the end of the three months, coach decided, ‘Hey, you made the team.’” Frost said. “It was really cool because the day before practice started, he told me that and the whole team just collapsed on top of me. They were so excited for me. That made me feel awesome.”
In her first season as a Terrier, Frost played in 14 games. As a junior, she appeared in all 31 contests and shot 32 percent from 3-point range. Frost enters her final season with the Terriers in 2013.
Mosteller began her career as a member of the Furman tennis team in 2008. She came to Furman with an impressive high school record, losing only one singles match in four years. Despite her success at the high school level, Mosteller was not a top player for the Paladins. She notched a 2-0 singles record to go along with a 4-2 record in doubles play as a freshman.
As she trained in the offseason, Mosteller noticed that her running times were significantly better than those of her teammates. Mosteller approached tennis coach Debbie Southern and asked if she could try out for the Furman cross country team. Southern agreed and Mosteller earned a spot on the cross country roster and a slot in her first-ever race. Facing nerves and tough competition, Mosteller wowed her teammates and coaches as she took first place in her first career race, setting a Furman record in the process. After attempting to play tennis and run as a freshman, she decided to focus on running and ended her tennis career as a sophomore. She went on to win the 5,000-meter title at the SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2010.
Although they are athletes, there is more to Frost and Mosteller than their athletic careers. Both also had a desire to try their hand at pageants, an experience typically not related to athletics. However, Frost and Mosteller agreed that their background in athletics was helpful in pageants. Mosteller won Miss Mount Pleasant and Frost was named Miss Laurens County, giving both of them the opportunity to compete for Miss South Carolina.
“The main thing that sports teaches you is mental toughness,” Mosteller said. “All athletes know that. It teaches you to focus on what you can control and not what you can’t control.”
Mosteller went on to win the crown at Miss South Carolina, and is now preparing to compete in Miss America on Sunday, Sept. 15. Frost finished in the top 10 but was thrilled to hear Mosteller’s name called as the winner.
“Even though you don’t make top five or top 10, you’ve prepared so much for this,” Frost said. “You want someone worthy to win. This is your state that they are representing, and you want a great representative, and they chose one in Brooke.”
Being athletes and competing in pageants provides a full schedule for both Frost and Mosteller, but that’s not the end of the list of what these two are involved with. Mosteller is actively involved in raising money for CMN Hospitals, as well as helping high school students apply for college through the Go Higher campaign, which has implemented Application Day at high schools throughout South Carolina. She is also in law school at the University of South Carolina, but is taking a year off to fulfill her term as Miss South Carolina.
Between basketball and pageants, Frost is currently finishing her degree in English at Wofford. She also teaches dance classes and is student-teaching at Dorman High School. The chance to teach and mentor kids with a variety of interests is something both Mosteller and Frost consider an amazing opportunity.
“This allows you to be a role model with a different type of group than the pageant world,” Frost said. “At the same time, you can be a role model for little girls who want to be a princess and Miss America, and you can also reach these kids who want to be a professional athlete.”
“So many of the kids like to play sports and I’m always saying, ‘I did sports, too,’” Mosteller said. “All of a sudden they are like, ‘No way! I can’t believe that!’ It really allows you to be a role model in a completely different way.”
While athletics helped shape Frost and Mosteller into the women they are today, they both understand that they represent something other than themselves and are called to go above and beyond in their communities.
“I think we are designed to serve something bigger than ourselves,” Mosteller said. “The crown is a great reminder of that.”
Ultimately, the goal of Erin Frost and Brooke Mosteller is to make a difference, a goal that drives them as they switch from laces to lashes.