Miss Nevada hangs up her heels and crown

by Sharlene Irete

sirete@recordcourier

Along with the usual pageant duties of modeling evening gowns and a swimsuit, performing a talent and being judged in interviews, Miss Nevada Christina Keegan examined a venomous snake with a snake expert and flipped pancakes during the week-long Miss America competition in Las Vegas.

Her experiences as Miss Nevada also included being the color commentator at an University of Arizona Icecats hockey game.

"Now I'm getting some sleep," Keegan said, back at home in Gardnerville on Tuesday.

"I'll make appearances as Miss Nevada until June. It's an accomplishment to be a state title holder.

"I received a lot of positive feedback during the past week and more opportunities to make appearances. I still have a lot of time to work on my personal platform," she said.

Keegan was second runner-up and received $2,000 for the Miss America Organization's Quality of Life scholarship for her personal platform of Strength Over Silence: Rape Education and Recovery. She also received a $3,000 scholarship for being one of the 53 women who made it to the national level of the Miss America contest.

The competition ended Saturday when Miss Virginia Caressa Cameron was crowned Miss America 2010 at Planet Hollywood.

"I wanted to take in every minute of my week in Las Vegas. It goes by very quickly," Keegan said. "I got some hometown attention, which was important on having my issue out there. I got a lot of support. It reminds you of why you do what you do."

Keegan said the Miss America competition is a week of working from early morning to late evening.

"We were out at 7 a.m. and got back in our rooms at 11:30 p.m. There was no lounging around," she said. "With rehearsals and the competition, it was a long week, but I'd never take it back."

Her eventual plans include returning to medical school, but there aren't any other pageants in her future.

"I'm opening my eyes to all of the opportunities I'll have in the next few months and I'll enjoy being with my family," Keegan said. "I'm hanging up my crown and heels after I give up my Miss Nevada title."