Dorsett takes alternate route, becomes Indy 500 royalty

When Brooke Dorsett was crowned 2010 500 Festival Queen on Saturday, May 22, instead of crying, she had to hold in her laughter. She was in a state of shock.

“I didn’t intend for my name to be called,” Dorsett said.

Mario Andretti, 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner, placed the crown on her head. Dorsett, standing at 5 feet, 7 inches, is taller than Andretti, and she accidently said, “I guess I have to bend down.”

Her bangs also got in the way during her crowning. Andretti tried to fix them, but only disarranged them further.

Dorsett said she is no pageant queen.

“There is no talent competition,” Dorsett said, “and there is no swimsuit portion. If there was, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

She became a part of the 500 Festival Princess Program to network and make contacts with people who can have an influence on her career, Dorsett said. The princesses are ambassadors for the 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500.

Dorsett was involved in sports, including softball and basketball, throughout her childhood. Many people who knew her were surprised she would be involved in the 500 Festival Princess Program, but her family knew she liked its competitive edge.
“My family has been going nuts,” Dorsett said. “Since I have been in sports my whole life, they have the motto that you either win or lose. You play good or you play bad. And they do enjoy the VIP access.”

The 500 Festival Princess Program receives about 250 applications, Dorsett said. The pool decreases to 66 participants and of those, 33 Festival Princesses are selected. Dorsett is the 2010 500 Festival Queen, while Lauren Mummert, a doctorate student in dental surgery at the IU School of Dentistry, and Katie Fox, a senior at the University of St. Francis majoring in computer graphics design, are the 2010 Princess Court members.

“It is called ‘the most prestigious sorority,’ since only 33 girls are selected,” Dorsett said.

Many girls apply for the program ahead of time, but not Dorsett. Participants are able to apply for the program a year in advance, and many women turn their applications six months before the due date. Dorsett turned in her application the day before it was due.

“I kept debating about applying because I didn’t know if I had the time for it,” Dorsett said. “But I knew I would be so mad at myself if I didn’t. ... It all worked out, and it was so worth it.”

This is the first time Dorsett applied for the program. It is rare for someone to become Festival Queen the first time she participates in the program. The past two Festival Queens were crowned the third time they participated in the 500 Festival Princess Program, Dorsett said.

Last week, however, Dorsett was not receiving royal treatment — she was taking her board exams to complete her associate degree from the IU School of Dentistry, where she majored in dental hygiene and public health.

“The past few weeks, I have just been studying,” Dorsett said. “Everything has just been a whirlwind.”

Now that she has received a $2500 educational scholarship, Dorsett said she is considering going back to school to get her bachelor’s in dental hygiene.

The week before the crowning, Dorsett had to take a clinical exam, performing on a patient who fit specific requirements, and her patient canceled the night before her exam, said Aja Janet Huerkamp, Dorsett’s Princess partner. Huerkamp acted as Dorsett’s mentor throughout the program because she once was a 500 Festival Princess herself.

“That would have sent me over the edge,” Huerkamp said. “She went with it. She said, ‘It will work out, and it will be fine.’ She has a constant ability to work and smile through it.”

Her traits are exactly what a 500 Festival Queen’s should be, Huerkamp said.

“The Princesses and the Queen are supposed to be bright about everything,” Huerkamp said. “Her extra-bubbly personality makes her special.”