Miss North Carolina, Julia Dalton, said she too was concerned about NBC dropping the broadcast, especially because she remembers watching pageants on TV as a young girl with her mother, who was Miss North Carolina 1982.
“I can remember playing with all of her crowns and dresses and watching the pageant on TV with her,” Ms. Dalton said. “It’s sad to think that there are young girls out there who won’t be able to experience it the same way I did. But the show must go on.”
Despite the brewing controversy, the show goes on, as did the event at the sports park, billed as the Miss USA “Extreme Sports Outing!” As the skies cleared Wednesday, about a dozen contestants — sashes declaring homesteads in Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts, North Carolina and other states — posed for group photos and collectively screamed “Woo-hoo” for the organization’s film crew.
“It’s being recorded for something,” said Jackie Shahinian, director of public relations for the Miss Universe Organization, nodding her head at the cameraman. “For the show, wherever it airs.”
Women were mostly dressed in athletic wear, ranging from spandex biking shorts, sneakers and tank tops. Polikseni Manxhari, Miss Massachusetts, who was born in Albania, stood in the shadow of a 35-foot rock wall that her fellow contestants were climbing during a promotional shoot.
“I started watching Miss USA by the time I was 10, and for me, it was all about the pride I felt in having come to the United States,” she said. “That’s when I decided that was what I wanted to do. That was my American dream.”
When asked about Mr. Trump, she was diplomatic.
“For a lot of people, they think that was offensive,” Ms. Manxhari continued, before pausing. “For me, I’m taking it day by day and being as positive about everything as I can. There’s nothing negative I’m going to say about it.”