Howdy Broncos Country!
Our first regular season home game is just DAYS away and I could not be more excited! All summer (since May!) the Cheerleaders have been preparing for the season by practicing and attending charity and promotional events.
We are often confronted with similar questions by the fans, so I thought I’d try to shed light on some of the most frequent questions we hear in case you haven’t had a chance to ask us yourself! I also hope this helps you to better understand the life of a Denver Broncos Cheerleader and what it’s like to dance for the best team in the NFL!
Do you have a weight requirement? I get this question a lot, and it always surprises me. No, we do not have weigh-ins, and there is no weight requirement. We are accountable for keeping fit so we look and feel our best in our uniforms, and represent the Broncos and the rest of our teammates well. Also, DBC’s have always been known for our abs and we want to maintain that reputation!
Do you guys eat? YES, we eat a lot!! I can’t go 2 hours without eating! It takes a lot of energy to get through practices and game days, so rabbit food diets won’t cut it either. Eating a balanced, healthy diet helps us looking and feeling our best, but cutting out all junk food is not realistic. My personal favorite is Mexican food, and one of our line captains (Nicole) even bakes treats for the team to celebrate birthdays!
Do you travel with the football team? No, we do not travel with the team. In fact, the NFL mandates against our being on the field of an opposing team during away games, with the exception of the Super Bowl, which is played on a neutral field. Life as a DBC is already so busy, I can’t imagine having a family, working or going to school full time AND traveling to away games. Our team does travel occasionally, several of the veterans performed on a AFE (Armed Forces Entertainment) tour in Australia last March!
How often do you practice? We have 2 formal rehearsals per week, each lasting anywhere between 4-5 hours in length. Most of us spend 1-2 nights per week “practicing for practice,” especially during the early summer months as we prepare the bulk of our routines for the season. By the first preseason game, we have 25-30 routines, and once the season kicks off we continue to learn new material. It is our responsibility to come prepared to rehearsal, so for many of us, extra practice time is often required.
Do you get paid? I get this question a lot, too. Yes, we are paid. I won’t tell you how much, but I will say it is enough. It is not about the money; field level seats for every home game are worth it in itself! We all feel so blessed to be able to do what we love (dance and perform), for the team that we love (the Broncos!!), and feel it is a bonus to be compensated for it.
Are the girls nice? Does everyone get along? Surprisingly enough, yes! On the field, we are professional and always act with the best interest of the team in mind. Off the field, I have made some of my best friends in life. It’s impossible to be best friends with 25 other women, but I trust that every one of my teammates would have my back in a heartbeat if it came down to it.
Do you have to tryout every year? Yes, all 26 women must compete for their spot at auditions each year, and trust me, no one is safe.
Hope to see you at the game this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks!
Go Broncos!
My best always,
- Katie
Look for more thoughts from Katie and other Broncos cheerleaders throughout the 2010 season.
Tags: 2010, Cheerleaders, Denver Broncos, Katie
This is actually the first game this regular season for you ladies, hope it turns out to be ok and that you can cheerlead our team to victory.
Thanks for your honest answers to some questions that I would have never asked but have always wondered. It is evident that you have alot of Bronco pride. Thanks for everyhting you and the rest of your crew do for us, the Broncos and the NFL.
Just read an article on DP that said Bay Bay will most likely suit up for the game. It also stated that Willis would probably be the one not to suit up if Bay Bay plays. Thought that would get Baylin worked up. LOL
Another article by Legwold talking about how the Broncos are not considered an elite team anymore. OUCH It is reality. We have gone 2-11 in the last 13 regular season games. I really hope and pray things turn around here, and soon.
Such is life, first round picks get preferential treatment, even so they may not deserve it as is the case here at this point in time between Willis and Thomas, but when Willis is suited McD doesn’t use him anyway, he always does that, find things and players that work well in preseason only to abandon it in regular season, I disagree with it, but I hope for the best for Thomas. I just hope it doesn’t all come down to the point that I have to ask for McD to trade Willis to anyone just so that he can get to play, just like I spend last year doing about Hillis. Plus Willis has shown potential in the return game, Thomas zilch, maybe that means Syd’Quan will be activated this week, now that would please me.
lol, late to the discussion I see. BTW, I LIKE CHEERLEADERS!!!
I’m sorry Baylin….
I know u are a fellow Bronco fan and I respect your opinion.
I think you have a valid point. Willis was pretty good in the pre-season, and he has potential I think.
The point I dissagree with is that the Broncos drafted Thomas for a reason, he has a star studded collage carreer, and he has all the tools to succeed in the NFL. THat said, thre is no telling that he will, untill we give him a shot. Look at Brandon Marshall. He was a 4th rounder, who was given a shot and made himself into a star(at the expense of his ego) now, the same could be said for Willis, who has a shot. However, it could also be said about Thomas. SO, I guess I don’t disagree, just have a different veiwpoint on it.
I think that each of these guys will eventually do well, and be used in our system.
Go Broncos,
BLEED ORAGE AND BLUE
Like you say we are not in disagreement, Thomas is the guy I’m banking on to come up big for us, in time, it’s just that right now he has 0 catch for 0 yards in preseason while Willis amassed 13 catches for a team high 263 yards, a 20.2 yd average!!! what’s the fairness of seating Willis out in favor of Thomas, that’s all. I would be very happy to see Thomas play now if we kept Willis on, Willis has earned the right to show us what he can do more so than Thomas, but that’s the way it is in the NFL, it’s often not a fair fight, and I understand that but I can say that it is wrong, no harm in that. Thomas has plenty of things to do to catch up to the NFL game, and here he will get a shot at showing what he can do while Willis has not been given that shot yet after the hard work he has put in and the numbers he has put up, is that fair? No it is not, it’s just the politics of the thing, the president McD has picked a guy as his #1, and for gosh sakes, no matter what, as soon as the guy is physically ready to go he will get in there, sorry about stepping over other players in the process (even though they have practiced and played so well), but Josh’s #1 man is the main man, I get that.
Anyhow, Lindsay Jones is the one who says Willis might be out if Thomas comes on, who knows maybe they will be both in, keeping all 6 WR’s since this looks like a difficult game to run the ball, then everything would be cool with me, so this discusssion would be for nothing.
yep.
hopefully we’ll see each of em out there
Katie, thanks for the view into a cheerleader’s world… I have to laugh at my fellow Bronco stalwarts, how they turn a cheerleaders blog into Bronco roster trivia! We can’t help it, we love this team, as do you, and as beautiful as you all are and as interesting as your discussion is, our minds quickly return to strategy, personnel and trash talkin!
I adressed the lady up top of the blog, what else do you want, life goes on, so do blogs, LOL.
Now that will work better for McBean to remember not to do stupid face mask penalties than to be yelled at on the sidelines:
Broncos defensive end Ryan McBean has been fined $5,000 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness for the first of his two facemask penalties in last week’s game at Jacksonville.
BTW…..HUBBA…HUBBA!!!!
Glad you can be a part of this stellar organization known as The Denver Broncos Katie! Congratulations and thank you are in order. And thanks for sharing a bit with Us here.
Baylin’ no worries. Willis will get his time too. Like you said, he has earned it…. Him and Kenny McKinley… I just hope that it’s not for another team. With McKinley hurt now, I am honestly not sure if this is his second and last season as a Bronco. With Willis, he can replace Lloyd, Gaffeny, or Royal in a pinch – plus he can be a gunner on ST, so I think he’ll keep his spot without question. Just how many regular season snaps will he see, is the question.
Thanks again Katie, to you and all the other Denver Broncos Cheerleaders – Try not to break too many hearts. ( =
Well, yeah, I believe that has been my whole point, how much time will Willis see, not whether he sticks or not.