Nuggets dancer takes rural route in journey to NBA
By Aaron J. Lopez
Nuggets.com
10-6-11
When your dad is a world champion steer wrestler and your knees are scarred from sliding into second base, it’s hard to envision a future on an NBA dance team.
Not only did a Longmont farm girl become a Denver Nuggets Dancer, but she enters her fourth season as the longest-tenured member of the team.
“I didn’t ever think I could be a cheerleader because they look almost untouchable in the public eye,” Krista said before a practice at Forza Fitness and Performance Club. “I was like, ‘I could never be one of those’ It never crossed my mind that was something I could do.”
Krista, who started dancing at a studio at age 3, became a Nuggets dancer in 2008-09 and fell in love with the job as the Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in 24 years.
“For that to be my first year, it couldn’t have gotten any better,” she said. “I hadn’t really been to many Nuggets game before. Once you get to go to a game and sit on the court, I’m a huge basketball fan now.”
With her dad competing on the rodeo circuit in the 1980s, Krista was a self-described tomboy while growing up in rural Colorado. She was interested in competing herself, but her mom wouldn’t allow it because of the inherent dangers associated with roping, riding and interacting with various livestock.
Other sports helped fill the void, but dance was always Krista’s No. 1 passion.
She helped her studio, Dance Dimensions, win a national title in high school, but she wasn’t sure what the next step would be as she studied marketing at Colorado State University. Krista spent two years with the Eagle Chicks, the dance team for minor-league hockey’s Colorado Eagles, before making the move to the Nuggets.
“I planned on quitting dance after high school,” she said. “I didn’t want to go out to Los Angeles. I’m a family girl. I want to be around my family.”
Even staying close to home had its challenges. While going to school in Fort Collins, Krista spent the past three NBA seasons commuting to games and practices in Denver. Depending on the Nuggets’ schedule, she could make five or six trips along I-25 every week.
“People definitely don’t realize how hard we work,” she said. “They also think we do it to get somewhere else. They ask if I’m doing it to meet the players or become a model or get into show business. That’s not the case with the Nuggets. I’ve never done it to be on TV or hang out with the players. I already have my degree in marketing. I would love to go into marketing.”
In a difficult economy, Krista is content to dance for the Nuggets and provide leadership for a squad that features nine rookies among its 17 women.
“I definitely feel the most seasoned on the team,” she said. “I still think it’s fun to do this, but I take it a little more seriously because I’ve invested so much of my time. I’m very proud of it. A lot of the girls think it’s more for fun, but I remind them that it’s serious.”
From the first day of tryouts each summer, Krista goes out of her way to welcome perspective teammates. She gives them her e-mail address and phone number and encourages them to contact her if they need any advice that might help them succeed.
“Krista continues to be a solid team member and an excellent course of positive energy for the group,” said Denver Nuggets Dancers coordinator and choreographer Amy Jo Wagner. “Each season she takes on the responsibility of welcoming rookies onto the team and ensuring that all her teammates feel supported and appreciated throughout the year.”
Knowing that she can work in marketing at any age, Krista plans on dancing for the Nuggets as long as possible. In addition to the games, the 24-year-old enjoys the camaraderie of her teammates and the community work that helps make a difference in people’s lives.
During community appearances, some people are surprised to find out that the women in the Nuggets dance outfits are the same ones who perform entertaining routines during games at the Pepsi Center.
As a farm girl from Longmont, Krista sometimes can’t believe it herself.
