Football season is finally upon us and it’s already been a wild ride! My name is Christina Connolly and this is my rookie year as a Denver Broncos Cheerleader. I’ve always been quite the tomboy/sports-addict and I love watching football. As a Colorado native, the Broncos have been a big part of my upbringing, and I am a die hard blue and orange fan! Now I have the incredible opportunity and distinct pleasure of being down on the field watching the action first hand! What more could a football fan ask for?
I wish I could put into words how it feels to be down on the sidelines. We’ve had a few home games now and what an experience it has been! Being in the midst of all the action can definitely be a bit overwhelming but exciting nonetheless. You really get a feel for how hard those guys hit when you’re down on the field with them. One thing’s for sure, I am staying out of their way! We had a close call at the Broncos vs. New Orleans game. Before one of our quarter break performances, all of the cheerleaders were waiting behind the north end zone for the quarter to end. Brandon Marshall caught a pass and sprinted for, and straight through, the end zone. Fortunately we were all paying attention and quickly jumped out of his way as he ran straight for us. I’m just glad the wall is what stopped him instead of one of our cheerleaders!!
It’s interesting because I’ve had some fans express how surprised they were that we spend a lot of time standing on the sidelines and just watching the plays. For those who may have wondered the same thing, there are a few reasons for this. The most important reason is that we need to see what’s going on so that if a play is forced out of bounds and in our direction, we don’t get hit (i.e. Brandon Marshall running through the end zone)! Second, we don’t want to block our fans’ view of the play by shaking our pom-poms in the air and lastly, we LOVE football!! We want to see all the action just as much as our fans do! All of the women on the team understand and have a passion for football. Part of the audition process is actually being required to know an entire packet of Broncos information including the entire team roster and the Denver Broncos history. Yikes!!
Needless to say, it’s been an incredible year so far and absolutely nothing like I imagined it would be! Just as the players have been rigorously practicing, so have your Broncos Cheerleaders. We rehearse an average of 10 hours every week, and you better believe that our coaches, much like the players coaches, expect nothing short of a near perfect performance. We work ourselves into the ground to make our many routines look effortless, and we love nothing more than giving a great performance and connecting with our fans! October has been, and will continue to be, a very busy month as we are in the process of learning about 2 new dances each rehearsal! Talk about a brain overload!! On top of that, all of the women on the team are either in school full-time or have full-time jobs. I work in a law firm and it sometimes gets difficult finding time for everything. I’ve learned so much from the veterans as they have made an art out of managing their busy lives!
Well this season has been quite the rollercoaster ride thus far, but one thing has always remained the same and that is the loyalty of our dear Broncos fans! Come rain or shine, snow or sleet, we can always count on you to be there cheering on our team! We will win some and lose some, but nevertheless, you are always there for the next go-round with your heads held high. We can feel your incredible energy and enthusiasm from down on the field. I know that our team can bounce back from Sunday’s loss and I can’t wait to see you all back at Invesco Field on November 2nd. In the meantime, the in between time, lets pray for a win next Monday against the Patriots! Go Broncos!!!
Christina Connolly
DBC
Tags: Christina Connolly, Denver Broncos, Fans, gameday
Hi Christina,
It’s really great that you take the time out of your busy schedule to blog with the fans. Having had a chance to blog with some of the other cheerleaders over the past couple of years, I’ve learned something about how hard you all work to stay in shape and give that perfect performance every game. The fans really appreciate it. Even when our Broncos may be struggling a bit on the field we can always count on the cheerleaders to be on top of their game.
Yes, I can definitely understand why you all watch the game. I know part of it is about needing to know when to step out of the way (as in the Brandon Marshall episode you related) but I also know your love for and commitment to our team runs really deep. And of course it’s always good to know if you’re responding to a touchdown or an incomplete pass.
I just wish I could thank each of you girls for your off the field service to the community – you are really the best role models any young girl could have. Whether you’re entertaining the troops, visiting Craig hospital or doing one of the multitude of other community service activities the cheerleaders are involved in – I think you’re absolutely the best ambassadors for the Broncos organization.
Hope I get to meet you at one of the pregame appearances – or maybe at one of the malls around town. Thanks again for everything you do.
Don
Hey Christina,
Your cuuuuuuuuuute!
Hi Christina,
Thanks again for taking time out to visit us fans from far away distances. As you know we all don’t have the luxury to see you at the home games so getting to visit with you ladies on the Blogs is definitely a perk of the website.
Now my question to you is. You referred to the Brandon Marshall play in the Endzone on the North side can you explain, How did the referee think it was out of bounds when all i saw on every highlight was the POM POMS raised high? No i know you honestly can’t answer what a referee was actually thinking of course. But i was really mad that we had to use a challenge when it was Obvious to everyone it was GREAT CATCH!!!!! Catch of the Year IMO!!!!
You said this is your “Rookie” year as a Cheerleader for the Broncos. Do you have to try out each year or do you have a contract kinda like a player gets with stipulations that of course you know the routines and stay in shape?
Well thanks for the time! Here comes my Girlfriend i better go!!! Joking gl and have a great year and raise them POM POMS high as I know you all will!! Great Job and Ty GO BRONCOS!!
Christina thanks for the blog. Good luck the rest of the year…West Coast
Of course our cheerleaders are smart and knowledgable of the game (not to mention pretty), but although I don’t make it to Denver for games too often, I’m cheering you on from my laptop or HDTV at my parents’ house. Thus, GO BRONCOS as always and keep up the good work on the sidelines.
Hey Everyone!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment on our blogs! It really means so much for us to be able to connect and communicate with our fans. Denver has the BEST fans in the world!!!
To SuperBowl_32: Thank you so much for your response. I feel so blessed to be part of this organization, and knowing that we’re making a difference in the community just makes it that much more rewarding. I hope to see you at a promotion or game soon!
To BroncosRockdaRockies: I have no idea what the referees were thinking on that pass!!! It was a great catch and obviously a very exciting play for us! As for a contract to stay on the team, we do not have one like the players do. Our contract is for one year and is more geared towards what we can/cannot do, rules and regulations, etc. We are required to re-audition every year and are put on the same playing field as every other woman at trying out. We definitely have to keep up the hard work if we want to make it back!!
Well– I’m watching the game against the Patriots as we speak and like many of you I’m not too happy. Lets really pray that our team can pull out of this funk and play like the Broncos we’ve come to know and love!!!
Have a wonderful night!
-Christina