Eli, You Are F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S!

Sorry we haven't been blogging about our events as much lately, but trust us, we've been BUSY! Don't worry, we'll tell you all about them very soon!

In the mean time, please join Cheer NY in congratulating Eli R. who won the Fabulous Award last week! We definitely pushed Eli to the max last week, but you wouldn't know by watching him that he was tackling stunts and pyramids that he had never done before. He was high-flying in the air like a pro! Way to go Eli!

Eli R. is a constant bundle of energy and we would love for you to get to know him a little better.

Name: Eli R.
Member Since: August 2012.
Position: Mid-Base Flyer.
Why on Cheer NY: I joined Cheer New York because I wanted to give back to the community, create new friendships, and pursue my passion for cheer & dance again.

Fun Facts About Eli:

• My celeb crushes are Adam Levine, Joel Madden, & Daniel Radcliffe
• Favorite bands are Green Day and Blink 182! Do Britney Spears & Madonna count too?
• Favorite meal is sushi. I'm Asian/Islander, I know! Typical. 
• Favorite dessert is red velvet cake.
• People might be surprised to know that I enjoy fishing. 
• In my free time, I roam the city looking for design inspirations, whether it's from browsing at flea markets, sketching at Central Park, or running in my neighborhood. This city is truly magical.
• Growing up I always thought I'd be a nurse or a doctor but as you grow up you learn more about yourself and discover your passion in life. For me, it's fashion design and that is how I ended up here in NYC. 
• I am so glad to be part of this amazing organization. The people on the team have become my closest friends. Everyone is genuinely passionate and kind, I definitely felt at home after the first practice. In cheerleading trust is important and I think that's what initially connects each and everyone of us immediately. 

  

Ember D. Is Fabulous!

In case you missed the memo...Pride season is just around the corner. Cheer New York's first Pride appearance will be in Queens, NY in less than a month and the "main event" (NYC Pride) is just a short 53 days away. So what does that mean for us? New tricks, new flips, new dances and practice, practice, practice! 

Someone that is a true pro when it comes to rolling with the punches, bumps, and bruises that go along with Pride preparation is none other than Ember D! We are so excited that she will be with us for her THIRD Pride season this summer. Ember truly is such an amazing asset to our team and we are lucky to have her. 

Take a moment to get to know Ember D. 
a little better!

Name: Ember D.
Member since: 2010.
Position: Flyer / Tumbler.
Why on Cheer New York: C-H-E-E-R-N-Why? Because cheering for charity is an inspiring and productive way for me to support the community. Also, my belly-baring uniform motivates me to stay in shape and my teammates are all wonderful friends who totally rock.
Occupation? Family Nurse Practitioner.
Where are you from originally? Sacramento, CA.
How long have you lived in NY? 4 years.
When did you start cheerleading? When I was 12 years old.
What’s your favorite Cheer NY event? Out at Night at Six Flags
What would people be surprised to learn about you? I'm 1/4 Chinese.
Who is your celebrity crush? Natalie Portman.
What’s your favorite meal? Sushi.
List 6 things you could never do without: Ketchup, earplugs, NYC MTA, Rainbow sandals, toothbrush, laughter.
What’s your silliest fear? Clowns.

Mikaela Is F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S.!

Now that we are getting closer to Pride season, Cheer New York is working really hard to learn new and exciting stunt sequences to wow the crowds. Last week at practice, we tried something new that was a challenge to even the most experienced of flyers. Mikaela D., who is not only new to the team but also new to flying, took this challenge in stride and was able to successfully hit the stunt. That's why she's this week's Fabulous award winner! She listened to the advice of her bases with a smile and wasn't afraid to try something new. Great job Mikaela! Thank you for all of your hard work each week!

 

 Mikaela D. (right) pictured at The Original  GLBT Expo with her sister, Ember D. (left)

Here's a little more about Mikaela!

Name: Mikaela D.
Member since: February 2013.
Position: Flyer / Tumbler.
Why are you on Cheer New York: My sister Ember has been on Cheer NY for the past few years and I had always wished there was a similar organization where I was living. After visiting, I decided to stay and live in NYC just a couple weeks before tryouts. I jumped at the chance to join Cheer NY, get involved in the community and meet new friends. It is awesome to be able to make a difference while doing something I love with such a fantastic group of people. I am looking forward to the rest of the season!
Occupation? Commercial Real Estate.
Where are you from originally? California.
How long have you lived in NY? Since January 2013.
What’s your favorite stunt/trick? Anything new!
What do you do in your free time? I love to spend time with my sister and friends cooking, eating, and going on adventures.
What’s your favorite meal? Kimchi jjigae.
What’s the last book you loved? The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Oh Hey, Pam! You're Fabulous!

With so many fabulous members on our performing team (we have close to 60 now!) it can be hard for the coaches to pick who the Cheer NY Fabulous Award winner is each week. At last week's practice, it was easy for leadership to choose their winner...Todd R. (a.k.a., "Pam") has been around Cheer New York for over a year now, but didn't officially join the team until the summer of 2012.

Get to know Todd R!!

Todd has lived in NYC for just over a year and comes to us originally from Bowling Green, Kentucky. As a member of Cheer NY, Todd really brings his A-game to our performances as a base, backspot and a tumbler. Todd began cheering when he was just in 8th grade and Cheer for the University of Kentucky - so he really knows the sport of cheerleading backwards and forwards. He is very helpful and knowledgeable when it comes to mastering new acrobatic stunts and is assisting leadership in taking our team to the next level. We are so lucky to have him as a part of Cheer New York.

Congrats again Todd R! Thanks for everything you do for us! 

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!

Fabulous VAL!!

This week's Fabulous Award winner comes to Cheer New York all the way from Russia!

Valerie D. joined Cheer NY this past August because she saw it as a great opportunity to combine her love for cheerleading with helping the community. Val is one of our most flexibly flyers, with her favorite stunt to perform being a scorpion twist. One of the reasons leadership crowned Val this week's winner is because while she may often come across as timid and shy, she really goes out of her way to get to get to know each of her teammates personally.

Having only been in New York City for about a year and a half, Val says that through Cheer NY "I've gained an amazing family, I love my cheerios!"

Well, we love you too Valerie D! Congratulations on winning the Fabulous Award - keep up the good work!!

If you think you've got what it takes to be a fabulous member of Cheer New York, show us what you got! Mid-Season Tryouts start this Wednesday for the remainder of our 2013 season and we'd love to meet you.

 Please visit www.cheerny.org to REGISTER & get more details.



Who's Fabulous? Mark C!!

Cheer New York was at it again last Wednesday for another grueling practice. At the end of each practice, our leadership gets together and decides who should win that night's fabulous award. Some nights, it's a no-brainer and other nights, each of the teammates have worked equally as hard so it might be a bit tougher for them to decide. It's especially difficult when you have a teammate who is consistently fabulous, they can almost fly under the radar. That is exactly why Mark C. won last week. Since joining the team at the end of the summer, Mark has showed up to every practice and almost every event. He has helped a ton behind the scenes and always gives 110%. 

"I am so honored to be part of Cheer NY and to be recognized as fabulous. Thank you team for allowing me to be part of something greater than myself!" - Mark C.

Thank YOU Mark, for being so fabulous!
Cheer New York is taking a break from practice next Wednesday to go trick-or-treating! But keep checking in with our blog, we've got some great posts coming up from our most recent events!

Terry, You Are FABULOUS!

This past week, Cheer New York had an exceptionally amazing practice. We cannot wait to show everyone what we've been working on. Bases and back-spots were busy showing off their muscles tossing and flipping flyers all over the place. One strong base really impressed the leadership this week, which is why Terry R. won the Fabulous award! Terry is one of our newest newbies and has had such a positive attitude from the get-go. He has gone out of his way to get to know everyone on the team and gets involved at every chance he can.

"From day 1 Cheer NY has taken me in as one of their own, and that is why I'm fabulous... because this whole team is awesome!"
Congratulations Terry, keep up the fabulousness! We can't wait to see who steps up to the plate tonight when we join together again for yet another weekly practice.

Luis L, You Are Fabulous!

Last week's Fabulous Award recipient was none other than Luis L! 

Luis started this season better and stronger than ever. He has really stepped-it-up athletically and behind-the-scences and proven why he is such a vital part of Cheer NY. This award could not have come at a better time for him either as he received it on the eve of his birthday! 

"Winning the fabulous award is something that I feel proud of that my coaches and teammates see how I am growing as a cheerleader and I am proud to be a member of Cheer New York" - Luis L.

Congrats and Happy *Belated* Birthday Luis! Keep up the fabulousness!!

Juan C, You Are F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S!

This past Wednesday, August 29,  Cheer New York  had another great practice as we learned some new and unique stunts and worked on our team dances. It's always great when our Newbies work hard at practice, pick up the material quickly, and go out of their way to get to know their teammates. Well this week, Juan C. did just that and stood out, winning him the Cheer NY Fabulous Award for the week! We asked Juan to tell us a little bit about his time so far on Cheer NY,

"It is a pleasure and a great pride for me to be a new member of the Cheer NY family...I thank you for accepting me as a new member of the family and giving me the Fabulous Award of the week. I LOVE YOU CHEER NY!!"

Congratulations Juan C., we are happy to have you join our family too. Your award is well deserved, keep up the great work!

And the Spirit Stick goes to... EMBER!

February is the month for love, and who better to give the Spirit Stick award to than one of the Cheerleaders we love very much? Ember D. won the Spirit Stick back in February and with her love of cheerleading and the team, she very much deserves this award. Ember has been a member of the team for two years and is one of the best flier's in the whole state of New York and we couldn't be more proud to have her on the team. She attends almost every event and is never afraid to try new stunts and is able to get them down instantly, even when she is being flung upside down or sideways.

Ember is very passionate about cheerleading and Cheer New York and says that she loves getting to tell her friends and family about Cheer New York, what we do and about the charities we sponsor. 

She even made the Spirit Stick a new bag! 

We love Ember's enthusiasm for the team and the talent she brings to the squad, which is exactly why she won the Spirit Stick award!

Fabulousity!

Cheer New York would like to send out one more CONGRATS to last week's Fabulous Award recipient, Deanna G!!

Deanna worked hard and really stepped up her game at our first practice of 2012. A very well deserving recipient!

"I was so excited to have won such a "fabulous" award! Especially after how amazing each teammate performed during the first practice back! We're bringing 2012 in strong!" -Deanna G.

Cheer New York is having Walk-On tryouts in January & February
for new fabulous members! Please contact us at info@cheerny.org or you may also call 1-888-671-7312 for more details!