DBC Finals - April 10, 2011

Denver Bronco Cheerleader Finals

Me performing my solo

Sunday April 10th - Finals began for the DBC squad of 2011-2012: Held at Performing Arts Complex

After a long and stressful week of workshops, interviews, and football tests.. it came time to perform the 4 dances and kickline I had been practicing all week long. The walk through began at 4 pm and the show started right at 6pm with a packed house and screaming fans! Jon, Christy and Diane were there to cheer me on! 

After stretching, running the dances over and over again, make up, hair, and wardrobe.. I was ready! #49

We started the evening by walking through the audience on to the stage where we performed as a group (31-60) to our first dance, "Born this Way". - With a smile on my face I finished the dance perfectly! 

Next up was our introduction... trying to catch my breath and put some sort of saliva back in my dry mouth I walked up to the microphone and announced " Hi I'm Kendal Volpe, Number 49. I have a degree in Fashion Photography and award winning portfolio books. But this season I hope to be in front of the camera dancing in orange and blue!" - I did it! without a stutter or mumble! Everything was going as hoped! 

As we marched off to side stage I was pumped! Ready for the next step! All my nerves gone! and adrenaline pumping through my veins! We lined up in order and strutted out for the famous Mile High Kick line-

Next up was our group routines. I was in group B performing to "On The floor" with two other girls. As # 49 approached I marched out there with my two other girls and did group b routine perfect!

With a short break I had some time before my solo began. I rested, drank lots of water, streched, and rehearsed. Finally.. the last stage of finals. I twirled myself out onto stage and performed my funky 4-8 counts, and strutted off. I WAS DONE! I DID IT! :) I was so releaved that everything went perfect and I gave it my all! I was so confident and I knew in my head I had this in the bag! I got dressed for the final routine.. because duh. I was gonna make it....

As I sat there patiently in a group circle with the rest of the girls... I closed my eyes, prayed, and waited for them to call out my name and number. As they aprroached the #40's my hands bagan to sweat. I kept repeating my name and number in my head and was invisioning her saying it aloud..#45 (whatever her name was)... #50...... my heart sank.. no number #49? what!? how could this be!? I had this.... as soon as the names were called I sat there in shock. Tears began to swell my face... and I watched as 26 girls got dressed in broncos outfits to go on stage for the finaley. 

And in one second.. that was it.. all my hard work, stress, nerves, emotional distress... all for what? I was disappointed.. not only in myself.. but in how convinced I was that I was 100% gonna make it. I started looking back at the whole experience trying to rack my brain as to what I must have done to make them not choose me. It just didn't make sense.

So I left the PAC - crying on Jons shoulder. He gave me a hug and was too in disbelief. He had made a huge sign and purchased a beauitful bouquet of flower for me. It made me cry even harder. I felt like I didnt deserve that... I didnt make it. I'm not sure what I would have done if Jon wasn't there. He is amazing, supportive and truly my best friend! 

So with my head held (sorta) high. I will take all that I can from this amazing experience. Learn, grow, and hopefully be more prepared and ready for NEXT SEASON. " If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!"

So next season - I WILL MAKE IT!

Denver Bronco Cheerleaders

Ever since I graduated high school a huge part of who I am has been missing.... that part is dancing. Dancing on a poms team through out school made me who I am. It helped me understand myself, express myself, and release passion and frustration all at the same time. For some reason dancing always came naturally and I am able to feel the music through my veins when I dance.

After High School I never got the chance to dance on a College Team because of the school I decided to attend. Unfortunately the Art Institute doesn't offer much on the athletic side. After several years of pondering what my next step could be for my dance career I looked toward professional dancing with some of the Denver Sports teams. I knew that to be a Broncos Cheerleader you had to be 21.. so I waited until that day came. But when 21 rolled by and I was knee deep in school and work full time.. dancing seemed to slip out of sight.

Now that I have graduated and currently working at an amazing company, I feel it's necessary and important for my health, sanity and overall balance of my life. On March 18th I attended the Denver Broncos Cheerleading workshop at Invesco field (1 week before that I made up my mind to give it a shot and see what it was all about).... After attending the 3 hour, non stop dance session, I quickly relized that "THAT" was exactly was I was missing in my life and there was no turning back - I was gonna try out for the team!

So I worked out hard for 2 weeks, tried to get my skillz back on track.. and on April 3, 2011 I headed off for Preliminaries at Invesco field. Not knowing what to expect, I walked in to 170 amazing beautiful and talented girls - bedazzled out! Extremely nervous and ready to show all that I had.. I danced in front of 13 judges (some ex football players and cheerleaders!). First round went off without a hitch! The first elimination came and I made it! #42 was called and I had a sigh of relief. But... then came the announcement that we would then learn another dance and perform it right away for a 2nd cut. SO trying to keep my confidence up I gave it all I had left.. and yes with a few mess ups I finished the routine with a huge smile on my face.

Not sure what to expect.. I knew in my mind that I had a 50-50 chance I could stay or go. But as the judges deliberated and came back with results I realized how "real" this had became. I sat there with sweaty palms as they ran through the numbers and soon enough #42 came through their mouth. :) I was over joyed, shocked, and speechless! I made it.. I was one of 60 girls to go to finals!


The week to come brought two workshops, 4 dances, kickline, interviews, a football test and a whole lot of memorization! Exauhsted and drained I pushed through.


This Sunday April 10, 2011 - I will be a finalist for the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders! Performing 4 dances and kickline I will show off my stuff and hope for the best! Whether I make it or not... I have realized a huge passion and dream of mine that had been supressed for so long! And even after so long I still had so much to give. I made it this far for a reason and that with confidence and motivation there was no stopping me!  I want this, and I'm gonna get it! 

Photos they took after my Preliminary Dance - April 3, 2011

The Symbol

For some reason-this symbol follows me everywhere! From the bath curtains in the bathroom where I grew up to the window of Jon's car... seemingly everywhere I go (on a daily basis) I see this symbol. So what does it mean?
- "God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere"

• Inclusion
• Wholeness
• Focus
• Unity
• Nurturing
• Cycles
• Initiation
• Everything
• Perfection
• Womb
• Centering
• Revolution
• Infinity
• Mobility
• Completion

Sunshine oh! Sunshine

As I was walking outside on January 28th in 65 Degree weather... the realization of sunshine and it's true effects on the human spirit and happiness crossed my mind. As the sun hit my face and I could feel its warmth spread... it was like getting a shot of happiness, adrenaline, relaxation, and joy pumping through my body. I could feel an immediate difference in my mood that second. It's true that Colorado gets the most sunshine out of all of the states... with 300 days of sunshine! It's hard to imagine what it would be like to go weeks or even months without sunshine. Truly depressing I'm sure!

It not only gives us light during the day and helps our plants grow... but without the sun - nothing could exist. Which brings up the question... is it possible the god is the sun? Or even Nature?

"Afterall, the sun has appeared in the sky and visited man for as long as the Earth has been in existance. If the Sun ceases to exist, the earth the heavens and the Universe will be no more. Many people who reject man-made religion's claims and deceptions of who God is, often ask: "where is God" or "Why doesn't God show himself"? Yet, the Sun has revealed itself to man EVERY SINGLE DAY for Billions and Billions of years? Is not the Sun man's source of life, food, air, water, etc.? Is not the Sun the center of the Universe?

Before Paganism, Judiaism, Christianity and Islam, man was a Sun worshiper.

If man prays and ask God to reveal himself in human form or speak in an audible human voice, God will not answer. However; the next day, if the man looks up, into the sky, the Sun or the light thereof will be there.

Draw your own conclusion..."

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/religion-philosophy/656489-could-god-bethe-sun-egyptian-islam.html#ixzz1CkrT1mCH

I hope you Dance...

 One of my Favorite songs: "I hope you Dance " Lee Ann Womack 

This Song truly says it all!

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances but they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth making

Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
[ From : http://www.elyrics.net/read/l/lee-ann-womack-lyrics/i-hope-you-dance-lyrics.html ]

I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance
I hope you dance
(Dance)
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder
(Dance)
Where those years have gone
(Dance)

The Secret : Changing the way you think about life

The Secret - A book about changing the way you think to enhance the way you live. 

If you haven't read this book yet.. you are missing out on your life!

The Secret is giving you the opportunity to understand the way you think about everything in your life and how your thoughts truly impact your reality. If you are living your life always stressed out, depressed, living paycheck to paycheck, feeling like you never have things go your way... well your right. You will never have anything else but that! Unless you start living the way you imagine you want to live! You hold all possibilities in your life and you deserve everything imaginable! Start using your thoughts, wants, desires, dreams, as a shopping cart of possibilities in your life. You really can have and do anything you can imagine!

At first it seems daunting or impossible. But I am a believer! And it is truly amazing how looking back at my life all of the thoughts I had that became my reality.

From everyday thoughts and emotions that encompass every moment of our lives impact our reality.

Every positive or negative affirmation we think becomes our reality.

Every desire, want, and need becomes our reality. : THIS IS THE LAW OF ATTRACTION

Think about what you want. Imagine that you already have it. Believe you deserve it. And wait for it to come! Because it will!

Go out and get The Secret, I promise you wont be disappointed in the amazing changes that come your in life!http://www.thesecret.tv/

My Photography...

 Here is just a very small glimpse into my fashion photography work...

VISIT MY WEBSITE FOR MUCH MORE!!  : www.kendalvolpephotography.com