Las Vegas Weekly

April 20, 2009 · 9 AM

Photo Gallery: Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton focused on crown

By Robin Leach

Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton of North Carolina is congratulated by other contestants.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Newly crowned Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton of North Carolina was still on the stage moments after her coronation when I was invited to join her for her first one-on-one interview.

The 22-year-old motivational speaker and entertainer was remarkably poised and confident less than 10 minutes after Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart had passed on the crown to her in the Theatre for the Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood yesterday.

Kristen was swept up in a flash bulb frenzy as she posed for photos with pageant owner Donald Trump and all the judges who chose her over runner-up Miss California USA.

As handlers, makeup artists, hair experts and PR folks mobbed Kristen, she remained completely calm, collected and as cool as a cucumber. She didn’t even concern herself with the fact that one of the live show’s mishaps was that the video of her evening gown didn’t match the one she wore for the big night!

I asked Kristen if her knees knocked or if she felt faint or dizzy when her name was called. She told me: “My heart definitely jumped, but in all of that split second of excitement, it all felt natural, though. I had envisioned that particular moment as my goal for the past four months. I had been preparing for it for so long.

“I thought I could nail it the moment I landed in Vegas. For the entire three weeks I have been here, I felt it. I was getting ready for this moment because I tried to live my life every day as if I was already Miss USA. That was my motivation, and it worked.

“I had filled my days with as many events and appearances as was possible going into this like I was Miss USA -- and it worked! It was all about the challenge of endurance and not changing -- not giving up -- the way I felt. So it felt completely natural.”

The Miss USA executives picked up her packed suitcases from the room she had shared with Miss Florida USA to move her into the special Miss USA suite. Today at 10 a.m., Kristen flies to New York City to start her 365-day reign.

Paula Shugart, Miss Universe Organization president, who also oversees Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, told me we will be seeing a lot more of Kristen here in Las Vegas, and they want to work closely with our Nevada Cancer Institute over the next 12 months.

Kristen also told me: “I don’t look at this in any way as giving up my life for a year. There will be so much to do that is good for people. We can really work hard on cancer awareness and initiatives.

“I know and appreciate that there will be many opportunities that I’ve always wanted. I hope to pursue an eventual career in entertainment. I think Miss USA will help me gear that to find the best interests in which particular field, be it acting, hosting, singing or dancing. I can do all of them, so I will find out what the future will be.”

I asked Kristen if there’d ever been any jealousy or catfights of any kind between the 51 contestants. She said: “We all got along so well. It was the greatest group of girls you could have ever wanted to be a part of. There wasn’t one tiny problem of any kind. These were amazing and beautiful women, so this win for me makes it all the sweeter.

“I knew what I had was what it took to be Miss USA. I knew the inner personal skills I’ve worked so hard on are the very important quality of being Miss USA. I kept telling myself I had that better than anybody.”

The message that the well-spoken young lady gave me was it’s all about being focused on a single goal, and she proved that by winning the title. We’ll welcome her back to Las Vegas several times over the course of the next 12 months until next April, when she’ll return to Planet Hollywood and crown her successor.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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