Whipple sisters are beauty queens

Posted 3/28/22

Though outward beauty is a trait of the Whipple sisters; they were also gifted with inward beauty and display it daily.

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Whipple sisters are beauty queens

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Kenli, Joy and Taylor (R to L) Whipple are all beauty queens.
Kenli, Joy and Taylor (R to L) Whipple are all beauty queens.
OKEECHOBEE – Though outward beauty is a trait of the Whipple sisters; they were also gifted with inward beauty and display it daily.

Taylor Whipple, 15, was recently awarded the title Miss Speckled Perch. Her little sister Kenli, 8, was crowned Speckled Perch Princess.

Taylor Whipple was recently crowned Miss Speckled Perch.
Taylor Whipple was recently crowned Miss Speckled Perch.
Like the title holders who came before them, Taylor and Kenli plan to serve the community anywhere they are needed. Their first responsibility was to appear in the Speckled Perch Parade followed by the festival and the livestock show.
Kenli Whipple was crowned Speckled Perch Princess at the 2022 Speckled Perch Pageant.
Kenli Whipple was crowned Speckled Perch Princess at the 2022 Speckled Perch Pageant.

The Speckled Perch Pageant was Kenli’s first pageant, and she said she was a little intimidated by the judges. She has been on stage before but never with someone judging her every move. Another interesting factor for Kenli was competing with her best friend Rowan for the title. The girls were very supportive of each other, and Rowan was happy for Kenli when she won.

Kenli (left) and Rowan (right) are best friends who competed for the title of Speckled Perch Princess.
Kenli (left) and Rowan (right) are best friends who competed for the title of Speckled Perch Princess.

As if competing with your best friend was not difficult enough, Taylor competed with her older sister Joy, 17, in the Miss American Legion pageant in February. In that pageant, Joy was awarded 1st runner up and Taylor was 2nd runner up.

Joy (left) and Taylor Whipple competed for the title of Miss American Legion this year.
Joy (left) and Taylor Whipple competed for the title of Miss American Legion this year.
The American Legion Pageant was the first for the Whipple girls and was way out of their comfort zone, but they had a great time and felt it was a good learning experience for them. Taylor said,” The talking part came easy, because I talk a lot.”
Taylor and Kenli Whipple wave to the crowds during the Speckled Perch Parade.
Taylor and Kenli Whipple wave to the crowds during the Speckled Perch Parade.

Joy decided not to compete in Miss Speckled Perch because she is getting ready to go to college and would not have the time she would need to devote to the title.

All three girls enjoy sports, especially volleyball which they grew up playing because their mom loves the game and has been a coach for years. Taylor also plays soccer, softball and lacrosse. Another favorite for Kenli is swimming, but she does not get to do it as often as she would like since they do not have a pool.

The older girls help with their mom’s volleyball club, Chobee Volleyball Academy, and Joy is coaching her own team this year. Kenli is on her sister Joy’s team. Joy coaches the 10 and under group and said most of the girls on her team are 8 years old.

Taylor is on the student council and enjoys planning homecoming and the different dress up days. “I got to help design the float. It was stressful finding time to do that and still do volleyball, but it was fun,” said Joy.

The Whipple Family has enjoyed helping with Toys for Tots and other local fundraisers over the years, and Taylor said doing more things like that will be one of the best parts of being Miss Speckled Perch. “It will give me a bigger platform to help others,” she said. “I’m a Christian, and I want to go out into the community and show the children love and show them who God is.”

Joy is not sure which college she will attend but has been attending classes at IRSC and will have an AA degree by the time she graduates high school. She plans to be an optometrist. When asked if she planned to enter any more pageants, Joy said, “It was a bucket list thing. Now it’s off the list.”

Taylor and Kenli plan to enter the Crowns for a Cure Pageant in April. This pageant is raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness, and competitors can sign up at the Chamber of Commerce.

The Speckled Perch Festival began in 1965 as a way to honor the fishing industry. The community celebrated with a parade and a fish fry, although for many years, the menu has not actually included speckled perch. Because speckled perch is not commercially harvested, they had to stop serving it in the mid-80s, due to health regulations. At first, the chamber sold catfish dinners but later that was phased out. Now, the Buckhead Ridge Fire Department’s booth sometimes has catfish dinners for sale.

Miss Speckled Perch, Speckled Perch Pageant, Miss American Legion, Whipple

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