Cheerleader 0f The Year: Wilson V.

Cheer New York is made up of adult men and women varying in ages, from all different walks of life. Each year we have approximately 30-40 Performing Members plus 15 or so Active Alumni and Auxiliary Members. Each November, the entire team gets all dressed up for our annual Cheer New York Awards Banquet. There are a handful of awards that the team gets to vote on, "Best Jumper," "Best Dancer," "Most Improved Flyer," etc. But there is one award, that is given by the Cheer NY Leadership, and it just might be Cheer New York's most coveted award..."Cheerleader of the Year!" The winner of this award embodies what Cheer NY is all about. They put their heart and soul into every practice, every event, every parade, raising money for local charities etc., etc., etc. We are fortunate enough to have many members of our team that could easily win this award, making leadership's job to pick only one person each year a bit difficult. But after careful consideration, leadership made their choice for the 2012-2013 recipient. Drum roll please.......

This year's Cheerleader of the Year is......

Wilson V!!!!

Wilson has been a vital part of this team since August 2009 and was a Co-captain for the 2011-2012 season. He is one of our strongest bases and one of our most talented tumblers.

He says that he is on Cheer New York because "It's a great way to give back to the community while doing one of my favorite activities, whether it be cheering, tumbling or dancing. I enjoy learning new skills and challenging myself with new stunts. But most of all, I've had the honor to meet some of the most incredible people in New York City."

Wilson makes time for Cheer NY after long days at the office as the Senior Account Service Representative for Turner Broadcasting. In his free time, he enjoys going to gymnastics classes, diving at Columbia University, coaching adults and kids in gymnastics, watching movies, and dinning out with friends and loved ones. The one meal that he just cannot get enough of is pasta, pasta, and more pasta!

What inspires Wilson? "My biggest inspiration has been my dad. He came from Cuba at the young age of 19 and was able to start a business, buy property, raise a family and become an American Citizen. He's inspired me to work as hard as I can in just about everything I do. It has affected my gymnastics, my education and my career in so many positive ways."

Giving back to the community, and raising money for charity is so much a part of this team, and a part of Wilson. "I really like how Cheer NY focuses on giving back to local organizations. How these organizations are small yet have a big impact in the community. Also, being that they are small organizations, we don't have to raise $100,000 for it to benefit the organization...every little bit counts, if it's 2k or 20k. These organizations do a lot for our community and I like to know that we can do a lot for them with the money we raise for them through our Cheer For Life fund."

Congratulations Wilson V!!! Thank you for your commitment and everything you do for Cheer New York.

Make sure you say hi to him at our next event, and congratulate him on receiving this prestigious award!