Tops in Blue - A Dream Come True
A Dream Come True
Katie Badowski, a 2008 graduate of Oregon State University (B.A. Music), is the newest member of Tops in Blue, an all active duty United States Air Force special unit, made up of talented amateur performers selected for their entertainment abilities.
Badowski, a member of the Air Force Reserves from Detroit, Michigan, saw her first Tops in Blue performance in 1999, when she was already a member of the Army National Guard. That performance inspired her to change branches of the Armed Forces (something that is not easy to do), so that she could one day try out for Tops in Blue.
Each year, thousands compete in talent contests at their Air Force base, and only the most talented move on to higher levels of competition for Tops in Blue. The end result is an elite group composed of 35 of the most talented vocalists, musicians, dancers, comedians, magicians, and dramatists in the Air Force.
It took Badowski six tries and a lot of perseverance. She advanced in the auditions four different times before she was finally accepted as a member this January at the final auditions in San Antonio, Texas. She leaves Oregon this month for three months of rehearsals and will be on tour with the group by mid to late May of this year.
Known as the Air Forces’ expeditionary entertainers; the group’s main mission is to perform for military personnel and their families throughout the world. The enormous popularity of the group has also made them America’s goodwill ambassadors around the globe.
Badowski says there were many aspects of the Tops in Blue mission that were attractive to her.
“The purpose of the program is unique in that their mission is to entertain and do community outreach,” Badowski said. “(Tops in Blue) travels world-wide, entertaining the troops and visiting hospitals, veteran homes, schools. This type of service really appeals to me.”
Badowski adds that the travel is also attractive. Tops in Blue regularly tours most of the 50 states, as well as Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. This year, the group is scheduled to spend Christmas in Korea.
“The travel is really going to be amazing,” she said. “I will visit more than 25 countries in a single year!”
Before the tour begins, however, there’s a lot of work to be done. Badowski has 50 songs to learn and has heard that 18 hour days are not uncommon. But, she says she's confident that she is well prepared for that grueling schedule, because she's been working towards this goal for a long time. Even as a teenager, she sang in her church choir and studied ballet, jazz, tap, and ballroom dancing.
While working on her undergraduate degree at OSU, Badowski worked hard in the military and in the performing arts. She participated in choir and theater and studied voice and dance. She was also in the Air Force Reserves. In 2003, she was deployed to the Middle East. After completing her degree she was deployed again, this time to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Recently, she returned to OSU to take additional voice and post graduate classes, and participated in the Bella Voce women’s choir while waiting for the January 2010 Tops in Blue auditions.
Finally, her wait is over, and the news is good. She’s in. And, when the tour is over, numerous opportunities await her.
“Right now, it’s about performing and making other people feel good. I love to entertain an audience. It’s about them, not me. But when the tour is over ... people get a variety of opportunities when they leave Tops in Blue. It could lead to a permanent position, or I might go to graduate school, or ... who knows … the sky’s the limit!” Badowski said.
More information on Tops in Blue: http://www.topsinblue.com