TARA BATTIATO - HERLIFE Magazine

herlife | inspirations
back to community and to men and women in uniform through her
affiliation with the Broncos. She has been involved in several Armed
Forces Entertainment tours, which take groups of two to twelve
women on the road to do interactive shows with the troops. She has
visited troops stationed in Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, Germany and Australia,
among others.
Here in Colorado, the team took a group of players and cheerleaders,
three of each, to visit the firefighters who were fighting forest
fires around Colorado Springs. This was not an entertainment visit;
it was very low-key, just chatting with the firefighters and listening to
their stories. Their mission was simply to let the firefighters know that
people were thinking about them and appreciated the work that they
were doing. Tara gained a new respect for these men and women
and the sacrifice they make on the front line of defense against the
onslaught of flames, smoke and heat.
Every month, Tara and several others from the Broncos cheerleader
team also serve as instructors for the Broncos junior cheerleader
program. The day-long program has become extremely popular,
with more than 650 junior cheerleaders enrolled in the program
each month.
Tara is also a team captain for the Broncos cheerleaders and
has been for the last three years. The Broncos cheerleading team
is divided into four groups, each with their own captain. Captains
are nominated and voted on by their fellow team members, so Tara
considers this role an honor, as well as a position of responsibility.
Captains serve as the spokespersons for their team in communication
with the coach and provide the leadership role for their team.
Each year, one of the cheerleaders is chosen by their team members
to represent the team at the Pro Bowl in January. In 2012, the
team nominated Tara to be their Pro Bowl representative for the 2013
Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Tara got to spend one whole week of January in
that beautiful Pacific island state with cheerleaders from all the other
NFL teams.
When Tara isn’t working at her office or as a Broncos cheerleader,
she enjoys a pretty laid-back lifestyle. Simply chilling and hanging
out with her friends is her favorite pastime. She also enjoys running
to keep fit, but considers it more of a fun way to stay in shape rather
than a competitive sport. “I don’t expect to ever be running in a
marathon,” says Tara.
For now, Tara is simply enjoying her place on the team and all
that goes with it. What the future holds for her is yet to be determined,
by next year’s tryouts and other opportunities that may
present themselves. Tara knows that her career as a Broncos cheerleader
will eventually come to an end, but she feels that it has been
an important part of her career as a dancer. “I really love being a
cheerleader, but I know it won’t last forever,” according to Tara. “I’m
excited to find out what will be the next step in my dance career.” ■
Visit the Broncos website at
www.denverbroncos.com/cheerleaders to learn more about
Tara and the Broncos Cheerleading Team.
16 HERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM