WAYNE TOWNSHIP — During the awards ceremony following the international competition known as the “Olympics of hairdressing,” Crystal Pruskowski took her place on the winner’s podium, scoring a third-place individual finish in OMC HairWorld 2006 — the World Championship of Beauty.

“As soon as I got done with the classic cut and style, it was amazing,” Pruskowski recalled during a brief break from her duties as a stylist at Cathy’s Beauty Salon on Lippert Road, where the owner is both her mother and staunchest supporter and she has worked full-time since graduating from Cochranton Junior-Senior High School and Crawford County Area Vocational-Technical School in 2001.

During the 35 minutes she had to cut, style, blow out and comb a winning hairstyle, Pruskowski faced a potential disaster. As she quickly picked up a comb, it caught the edge of the towel holding all her tools and sent everything flying onto the floor. A record-breaking pickup ensued.

“I finished in time — and I felt really, really good about it,” she continued. “When I came off the competition floor, my trainer was crying. He knew — we all knew — that that was the best I’d ever done.”

This year’s competition, which took place in early July in Moscow’s newly-renovated Expocenter, was hosted by the Russian Hairdresser’s Federation. More than 800 hair, make-up and nails competitors from 50 countries participated in the three-day event, which was capped by an awards ceremony and black-tie dinner in the Kremlin.

Although Pruskowski stood on the competition floor alone, she credits her whole community with getting her there. A cut-a-thon in Meadville’s Downtown Mall and a rummage sale in the East Fairfield Township building went a long way toward defraying the cost of her trip. Salon customers chipped in and local businesses even sent checks in the mail. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to go,” she said.

The biennial event is sponsored by the Paris-based Organisation Mondiale Coiffure.

Competing in the Junior Gents category, Pruskowski, 23, placed third out of 39 competitors in “classic cut and style” and seventh in “creative hairstyle.” With the Cochranton resident as its high scorer, her three-member team placed fifth overall in the competition. The junior category is open to competitors age 25 and under.

No stranger to high-stakes competitions, Pruskowski kicked off her international career by representing the United States in WorldSkills Competitions 2003 in Switzerland, having finished first among eight medal-winning competitors from SkillsUSA-VICA national championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Now known as SkillsUSA, the national organization represents more than 280,000 high school and college students as well as professionals in technical, skilled and service occupations.

Since then, she has competed in Italy, France, Uruguay, China and, now, Russia.

HairWorld is only held every two years, but mini-competitions lead up to it. In September, for example, there’s Paris. In May, Germany. While she may compete in Germany. Pruskowski is taking a pass on seeing Paris in September because she’ll be getting married in October.

When HairWorld 2008 opens in Chicago, however, she definitely plans to be there. “I don’t think I have a choice,” she said with a laugh.

Mary Spicer can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at mspicer@meadvilletribune.com