Shaela Rae Wlodarcyk

Known for her brawn and athletic prowess, Simon Fraser University criminology honours student Shaela Rae Wlodarcyk finds it amusingly ironic that she’s in the running to become the 2008 Miss World Canada.

“It’s actually pretty hilarious,” says Wlodarcyk, a self-described “jock to the bone”.
The Kamloops-born Coquitlam resident is scrambling to complete her undergraduate honours thesis this month before joining the other 43 finalists for the beauty pageant being held March 9-15 in Toronto.

“In high school I was captain of the rugby team, I played basketball and volleyball and the yearbook called me mostly likely to end up on TSN.

 “I didn’t wear make-up, I wouldn’t wear the colour pink and I would never have imagined that I would end up being one of those ‘girly girls’ that I always made fun of.”

Wlodarczyk entered SFU on an athletic scholarship and played two seasons on the Clan women’s softball team before retiring to focus on her studies.

It’s doubtful that Wlodarczyk’s philosophy of law thesis, which she describes as “a postmodern deconstruction of the legal positivist paradigm,” will carry much weight in the judges’ evaluation of her during the personal interview, the swimsuit/fitness or evening wear portions of the Miss World Canada contest.

But it could serve the current Miss World B.C. and former Miss Golden Spike well if her hopes pan out for a law degree from McGill University and a career in international law and diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Wlodarczyk holds down three jobs as a server at the Golden Spike Pub, a support worker for young adults with disabilities and a part-time French teacher at Place Maillardville.

As for winning the Miss Canada crown, Wlodarczyk is taking a “strategic approach” by encouraging British Columbians to help boost her odds by voting online from Feb. 15 to March 15 in the Miss World Canada People’s Choice award at www.missworldcanada.com.

“The candidate who gets the most votes gets fast-tracked to the final round and if I win that and the fitness competition I’m guaranteed a spot in the finals,” says Wlodarczyk.
If she wins, Wlodarczyk may need time off from law school to compete in the 58th Miss World 2008 pageant Oct. 4 in Kiev, Ukraine.