Broncos Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar Shoot Update

Teresa Shear, Special to the Rocky Mountain News


Denver Broncos Cheerleader Katie Layman

Members of the Denver Broncos cheerleading squad are on location in the Riviera Maya this week, shooting next year's cheerleader swimsuit calendar. Squad director Teresa Shear is sending the Rocky exclusive updates from Mexico, as the women hit the beach and model the latest in swim styles.

DAY 3

This morning we started hair and makeup at 3 a.m. to get five cheerleaders ready for their shoots at X-Caret (pronounced ish-car-et). X-Caret is an internationally-known ecological park. It is one of the most beautiful places in Mexico. The park features dolphins, sea turtles, lagoons, an underground river, jaguars, plenty of beaches, hammocks to relax in, a butterfly pavilion and much more.

Our first two shots were both set at sunrise in adjacent lagoons with second-year vet Katie Layman and newcomer to the team Erica Golding. Photographers Pete Eklund and Rob Hawthorne set up their equipment and started shooting simultaneously, which was perfect for the light, but a little hard on the rest of the staff and me. We were all running back and forth from shot to shot to make sure everything was just right – hair, makeup, poses, accessories, etc. I have to give it up for our staff. They have all been working so hard. Alex Taylor, one of our current cheerleaders and a captain, took on the role of stylist for the 2009 Calendar. She is up every morning, getting the cheerleaders dressed and accessorized for their shots. She has an amazing sense of style and has made all the cheerleaders look very glamorous.

We had a change of plans for shots three and four at X-Caret. We had originally planned to shoot Mary Johnston at a Mayan archway, but while walking around we found a beautiful hammock grove that was cool, shady and perfect for her bright red suit.

We changed up our fourth shot of the day, starring Amanda Brophy, as well. We found a salt water pool at the edge of the ocean where the waves crashed against spectacular lava rocks right behind where we originally planned to pose her. So, after spending an hour getting her hair done at 3 a.m., all of Octavio’s work was quickly undone and wet.

Melissa Aust, a third-year team member, was our last shot at the butterfly pavilion. She had been scheduled to shoot in a green jungle area, but the waterfall at the entrance captured all of our attention. There had to be a way to get her in that water. It was a good thing we made that change, because the rain started to fall about half way through Melissa’s shoot. Her photo is one of my favorites so far. The more we moved her into the waterfall, the better the photos became. Rob shot with a very slow shutter speed to “freeze” the water as it rolled over the top of her. Just beautiful.

It was the perfect finale to a perfect day at X-Caret.

Tuesday night was a scheduled press reception for the local media as well as local dignitaries in the Riviera Maya area to meet the cheerleaders and ask them questions about the trip. In attendance were the assistant to the mayor, the secretary of tourism, the president of the hotel association, the general manager of the Iberostar property and several local media shooting for their papers. We have several cheerleaders on the team that speak fluent Spanish and were able to communicate and answer their questions. Rob and Pete had also put together a slide show of all the shots we had taken so far on the trip and quite a few behind the scenes photos, as well. I hope you enjoy them.

More soon. Go Broncos!

Visit Day 3 slideshow here.

DAY 2

What an amazing day for photos for our 2009 Broncos Cheerleaders Calendar! The day started with a beautiful sunrise and a very fun and sexy shot of eight of our newest team members, all decked out in custom-made Broncos jersey suits! Liz Harris, Janelle Mangurm, Stefanie Buttars, Perry Jackman, Kim Hildago, Sarah Karlan, Jessica Flores and Brenna Lee all began their day at 3:30 a.m., getting their hair and makeup done for the 6:30 a.m. beach shot. It was another beautiful morning right here on the Mayan Riviera.

This was the first calendar shoot for our rookies, and they all looked amazing. They were so excited and a little nervous for their first shoot as Broncos Cheerleaders. They all bring such a new energy and spirit to our team. I am so exited for our fans to meet the new team members. What a talented and impressive group of women.

After we finished with our rookie shot on the beach, we headed to a new resort at Maroma Beach. We started with Jessie Greenberg in the beautiful pool. Jessie is a second-year team member and I was so excited to work with her one-on-one for her first individual shot in the 2009 calendar.

Karouko Horiike starred in our second shot of the day and she was just breathtaking. I'm not sure if you all know, but Karouko (we call her Kao) is from Japan and moved to Colorado specifically to audition for our team. It has been her dream to be part of the squad since the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders performed at the American Bowl in Japan years ago. She met a Denver Broncos Cheerleader at the game and decided that is what she wanted to be! She is a testament to going after your dreams.

In the middle of the afternoon, we had a torrential downpour and it looked as if the rest of our day was going to be canceled, but we waited it out and after about an hour, the sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon.

Our next shot was of Katie Kosters. Katie is one of our new team members. We chose a very unique-looking palm tree with an amazing view of the blue water.

Our final shot of the day was with Terita Walker. Terita is a third-year veteran and holds a master’s degree in education. Terita looked beautiful in her hot pink suit against the white sand beach and the turquoise water.

Tomorrow, we visit the internationally-known Xcaret Ecological Park, so log on to get your update on the new team and the 2009 Denver Broncos Cheerleaders Calendar.

Visit the Day 2 slideshow here.