Meet Talyah Polee: Could She Be First Miss Colorado to Win Miss USA Pageant?

Three Colorado women have won the Miss America pageant: Sharon Ritchie in 1956, Marilyn Van Derbur in 1958 and Rebecca Ann King in 1974. However, no one from the state has been named Miss USA, even though the competition has been held since 1952. Could Talyah Polee break the streak a...

By Michael Roberts

June 25, 2015

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Three Colorado women have won the Miss America pageant: Sharon Ritchie in 1956, Marilyn Van Derbur in 1958 and Rebecca Ann King in 1974.

However, no one from the state has been named Miss USA, even though the competition has been held since 1952.

Could Talyah Polee break the streak a few weeks from now?

She certainly made a splash when accepting the crown last October, as you can see in this clip.....

...and her background hardly conforms to the stereotypes most associate with beauty pageant contestants. She was a world-class track-and-field heptathlete at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, completing in events such as the high jump....

...the javelin throw....

...and the shot put.

According to 9News, she's using her sports expertise for charitable purposes, working with the Senior Olympic Games and Hoops for St. Jude's Foundation — and she's currently interning for the NBA Summer League.

Obviously, she knows a little something about competition — and even if she doesn't win, we feel confident she could kick the ass of whoever takes the crown instead of her.

The Miss USA pageant takes place on July 12. Learn more about Polee from her appearance on Colorado & Company.

Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: 111180895657427

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo