Miss America contestant shows her tattoos

It's a first for the Miss America pageant.
Miss Kansas Theresa Vail, 22, will be proudly sporting two large tattoos during Sunday's contest (ABC, 9 p.m. ET).

She showed them off during Tuesday's preliminary competition in Atlantic City.
One of them is a Serenity Prayer on her right side. The other is the insignia of the U.S. Army Dental Corps on her left shoulder.

More: Judge Mario Canton has advice for Miss America
She has stirred up news this week with the revelation. On Friday's Good Morning America, she noted, "Half the girls have tattoos, they just choose to cover them."

But she has gotten lots of support. And not just for the tattoos. Vail is also a sergeant in the U.S. Army, only the second contestant ever to be on active duty.
"Nobody expects a soldier to be a beauty queen," Vail told People magazine. "But I'm all about breaking stereotypes."

She added, "My whole platform is empowering women to overcome stereotypes and break barriers. What a hypocrite I would be if I covered my ink," Vail said. "How can I tell other women to be fearless and true to themselves if I can't do the same? I am who I am, tattoos and all."
But wait, there's more. Vail is also an M16 marksman, a bow hunter and a mechanic. The beauty queen idea came just nine months ago on the advice of her commanding officer. One problem: she was told she wouldn't be able to use archery as her talent. No worries; she picked opera.
And how is she stacking up so far? According to Bovada.lv, we should look for her to be in the Top Five - at least:

Odds to win 2014 Miss America
Miss Oklahoma 13/2
Miss Florida 12/1
Miss Georgia 12/1
Miss Mississippi 12/1
Miss Kansas 15/1
Miss Minnesota 15/1
Miss New Hampshire 15/1
Miss South Carolina 15/1
Miss Illinois 20/1
Miss Kentucky 20/1
Miss Utah 22/1
Miss California 25/1
Miss Texas 25/1
Miss Alabama 30/1
Miss Maryland 30/1
Miss Michigan 30/1
Miss Virginia 30/1
Miss West Virginia 30/1
Miss Connecticut 33/1
Miss Ohio 33/1
Miss North Carolina 35/1
Miss Delaware 40/1
Miss Missouri 40/1
Miss Arizona 45/1
Miss Iowa 45/1
Miss New Jersey 45/1
Miss New York 45/1
Miss Tennessee 45/1
Miss Hawaii 55/1
Miss Indiana 55/1
Miss Louisiana 55/1
Miss Massachusetts 55/1
Miss Nebraska 55/1
Miss Nevada 55/1
Miss Pennsylvania 55/1
Miss Washington 55/1
Miss Alaska 75/1
Miss Colorado 75/1
Miss Oregon 75/1
Miss Wisconsin 75/1
Miss Idaho 100/1
Miss Maine 100/1
Miss Montana 100/1
Miss New Mexico 100/1
Miss North Dakota 100/1
Miss Vermont 100/1
Miss Wyoming 100/1
Miss Rhode Island 125/1
Miss District of Columbia 150/1