"Nothing with full-blown makeup and hair," the Sunnyvale resident says. "I'll only let her do the type that's not based on beauty, where they're judged on talent, academics and other things little girls have to offer. She can still be a kid and get out there and show off her talent."

Amanda, an eighth-grader at Sunnyvale Middle School, will show off her skill as an Irish dancer this week when she travels to Sacramento to compete for the title of National American Miss. Should Amanda win the state pageant in her age group, she'll receive a $1,000 cash award and transportation to compete in the national pageant at Disneyland.

Contestants are judged on their "inner beauty, as well as poise and presentation," according to the pageant website, and they stand to win scholarships and other prizes.

Amanda, who has been competing in pageants since age 3, has a couple of local wins under her belt; she was crowned Petite Miss Los Altos two years running. Her mother says the American Miss pageant is her biggest competition to date.

"There are 75 to 100 girls in her age group," Lee says. "This will be a good experience for her. I told her, 'You've been given an opportunity to go and have fun.' "

With the fun comes a good amount of structure. Besides her weekly Irish dance rehearsals, Amanda is a competitive cheerleader with the Sunnyvale Micros. Her mother says pageants have helped her develop her stage presence.

"She started dancing very young as well," says Lee, who used to compete in Irish dancing herself. "It's better to start them young because dancing is so disciplined. I wanted her to get used to being on stage in front of people."

While she supports her daughter's activities, Lee makes sure Amanda's plate doesn't get so full that her schoolwork suffers.

"Homework has to be done first," Lee says. "If she doesn't keep her grades up, she's coming off of cheerleading and dance."

Despite her efforts to keep Amanda away from swimsuit competitions, Lee has trouble convincing some people that her daughter isn't being judged on her outward appearance when she competes in pageants.

"When we were looking for sponsors [for American Miss], we got that reaction from some people," Lee says. "I'm like most mothers: When they show glamorous pageants on TV, I don't think they should allow kids to do that kind of stuff."

In addition to finding sponsors, Amanda had to have letters of recommendation to enter the American Miss pageant. To satisfy the competition's community service requirement, she worked with her mom at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

"Amanda wants to be a registered nurse or a professional Irish dancer," Lee says. "She has a very strong heart, and she wants to take care of people. She wants to be out there in the medical profession if her stomach will allow it."