COEUR d'ALENE - According to Mary Ann Taibi, last year's Ms. Idaho Senior America, Stephanie Koennel's performance on Saturday afternoon was "flawless."

The judges agreed.

Standing on the Kroc Center auditorium stage, the 62-year old Koennel, of Coeur d'Alene, was crowned the 2011 Ms. Idaho Senior America. She was quite surprised.

"It was totally unexpected," Koennel said. "There are women here who are angels in every aspect of their lives. I am so honored to be part of that group."

She was selected from a field of 12 delegates, representing cities from across Idaho. In October, she will travel to Atlantic City, N.J., for the national pageant.

"The competition was pretty stiff this year," said Taibi, of Coeur d'Alene. "And they picked the right person."

Testing her poise and presentation ability, Koennel told the audience her life philosophy. Her background is in education, so she said that children should learn the "Three R's" before they set foot in school: respect, responsibility and righteousness.

"That was the easy part for me, because that really is how I try to live my life," Koennel said.

In the talent portion of the contest, she tap-danced to the classic "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," performing a high-energy routine. The crowd clapped as she danced.

"I wanted the audience to have fun watching it," she said.

She also conducted an individual interview with the judges and modeled an elegant evening gown.

Despite her talent and preparedness, the contest still offered a challenge, Koennel said.

"The anticipation was the most challenging. Because once I got the talent part over with, I felt like I could breathe."