Fifth Avenue Mile - 2013

On Sunday, September 22nd 2013, Cheer New York had the pleasure of cheering on the racers at the 32^nd annual NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile.

photo credit: NYRR

As we walked towards the warm up area around 7:30am we were expecting to find tired, cranky morning people but to our surprise, everyone was so energized and excited for what the day had in store.  The weather was perfect for a fall morning: not to cool and not too warm, which was nice for the runners and spectators so they could comfortably stop to watch us in between their warm up. 

Not even five minutes into the start of the event you could already feel the high voltage energy our cheerleaders were exuding.

photo credit: NYRR

The runners themselves were so much fun to cheer for. It was so heartwarming to have them wave and smile back at us before speeding up for the finish line. Knowing that we played a part in motivating them to complete their run definitely made our day. 

We loved how responsive the crowd was as that’s what drives us as performers and cheerleaders. Great job to everyone who participated in the 5th Ave Mile. A shout-out to the adorable young runners who closed the race and Cheer New York’s own Katie M. who finished the race in 6 minutes and 54 seconds!

We can't wait for our next event this Wednesday (Oct. 2^nd from 7-10pm) THAT’S TOMORROW!! -- the "The Will Clark Show" Bingo Fundraiser at Uncle Charlie’s Bar (139 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017) Hope to see you there!

Sea Tea 2013

Sunday September 9th, Cheer New York embarked upon the Sea Tea Cruise Party on the Hudson, yet again.
For all of you who weren’t able to make it, here’s what you missed...  

Cheer New York set up in front of Pier 78 to get everyone pumped up before we all traveled down the Hudson on the Queen of Hearts with the Gay Men’s Chorus and the BOI Party.  

We had a great show with Madelynn Hatter, Pusse Couture and Jada Belenciaga, followed by a surprise performance by none other than Cheer New York themselves! 

But the highlight of the night is that Cheer New York was able to sell almost 150 tickets, which helped go towards our Cheer For Life Fund! Great job Cheerleaders!!

photo credit: Boi Party.com

GREAT news ladies and gents!!! Last night, the team voted for our 2013-2014 Cheer For Life recipients!! We will be announcing them to you all very shortly. 

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, THIS BLOG, and "like" us on Facebook! 

We're constantly updating our performance calendar and would love to see your shining face at our next event! 

Six Flags: Out At Night 2013

This year Cheer New York started off the 2013-2014 season with the 10th annual Gay Day "Out At Night" presented by Mark Nelson and Gage (Kris) in association with Six Flags Great Adventure. 

As the guests entered the park, we greeted them with stunts, cheers and dances to start their night off on a high spirited note. 

Gay Day "Out At Night" is the largest gay private event held annually in the U.S. It was an event filled with cute boys and girls, roller-coasters and a healthy dose of Jersey drama!

Cheer NY performed a few times for the LGBT Six Flag goers: At the entrance, at the water fountain and also at the main stage to the sounds of DJ's Eddie Baez, Steve Sidewalk and Hector Fonseca. Guests loved every moment of it! We even had a few record our performances and ask for pictures. 

After a few hours of performing all cheerleaders got the opportunity to enjoy the rides, play games and dance back at the main stage. 

Congratulations to all newbies who attended their very first event as an official Cheer New York member and thank you to all the veterans for warm welcoming love.

2013-2014 Newbies Announced!

Just a few weeks ago, we held tryouts for our upcoming season. This is anticipated to be a huge year for us with Gay Games just around the corner. We had a strong turnout this year, making choosing our new members very difficult, but we could not be happier with our selection. 
After much anticipation, Cheer New York is very thrilled to finally announce the new members of our 2013-2014 team!

Fans, please join us in congratulating eighteen fabulous new men and women to our cheer family-
Anthony M., Ashley C., Ashley Rose L., Christopher R., Destiny M., Jessica J., John G., Karen L., Kerry M., Kiran R., Lauren A., Lyndsay A., Malaea R., Milissa C., Rachel S., Theo B., Zaccary B., and Zavier C.

Thank you so much to each and every one of you that came to audition this year. If you didn't make the team this time around, please tryout again. We have a mid-season tryouts in the beginning of the year and again next summer. To the eighteen that did join us, CONGRATULATIONS! We are so happy to have you on the team... hope you're ready to WERQ!

Don't forget you can follow us on Instagram, Twitter and like us on Facebook!

Contact us at info@cheerny.org for any further information

Tryouts start THIS WEEK!

photo credit: Andre Photography

Have you been wanting to find a way to get back into cheerleading after all those years? Is cheerleading a sport you've always admired, but never knew how to get involved? Have you been searching for a way to work with charitable organizations within the local community? Well look no further! Dust off those pom poms folks! Cheer New York is looking for YOU!

photo credit: Andre Photography

It's hard to believe that with our season only having ended a few weeks ago, that tryouts are already here, but they are!

That's right! Our first clinic will be this Wednesday 7/31 from 6:45-10pm. We will have an additional/make-up clinic the following Sunday (this Sunday) 8/4 from 1:45-5pm. You must attend at least one of the two clinics to be eligible to tryout for the 2013-2014 season. We will hold the final tryout on Wednesday 8/7 from 6:45-10pm.

Cheer New York (Cheer NY) is an all-volunteer non-profit adult cheerleading organization by and for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight communities that combines cheers, gymnastics, dance and acrobatic stunts into a professional and exhilarating crowd-pleasing performance. Cheer New York is made up of adults from the NY/NJ area who are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. Our mission is to support the fight against AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses and conditions by raising money for small local charities through our "Cheer for Life" fund.

If this sounds like a group that you would like to be a part of, please contact us for more information about tryouts including exact locations, requirements, and any other questions you may have: info@cheerny.org

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@cheernewyork)!

Queens Pride 2013

June 2, 2013 officially kicked off Pride season for us starting in Jackson Heights, Queens. All of Cheer New York arrived at the parade line up early to go over a few last minute details and to throw a few practice stunts before the parade got going. It was a warm, humid morning, but that wasn't going to stop us! The energy that goes along with this parade is incredible. 

Queens Pride promotes awareness and education among and of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning community of Queens, New York. The first Queens Pride march was held in 1993, now attracts more than 40,000 spectators and is the second largest Pride celebration in the New York metropolitan area.

 The Queens Pride parade route is a short one for us, but never short on enthusiasm, great energy and fun.  One of the things that we love most about Queens Pride is the opportunity to perform on stage in front of an audience during the multicultural festival. 

 It is such an honor for us, and always a great time. It's not often that we get the chance to perform for our fans in such a way, so we try to soak it up as much as we can.  

A HUGE thank you to Jason Russo from HeyMrJason Photography for providing many of the photos you see here in this post.

Cheer New York is taking the next couple of weeks off from our high flying stunts to gear up for Manhattan Pride on Sunday June 29th. But that doesn't mean you can't come hang out with us and donate to some of the greatest local NYC charities around! This Saturday 6/15, we will be at The Ritz Bar & Lounge from 10pm-3am. We'll be selling shots, go-go dancing, collecting donations and generally just making sure YOU have a good time. This is one of the last opportunities to meet up with us this season and donate to our Cheer For Life fund. Already have plans, but still want to donate to a good cause? No problem! You can donate on line: http://www.gofundme.com/36igwg. We are trying to raise $5,000 by the end of June and can't do it without your help! No amount is too big or too small!

We hope to see you soon! Have a great week and weekend everyone!

Jovani Is...FABULOUS!

Jovani P. is always a team player who is willing to step up whenever the team needs him. This past week, one cheerleader had to step out of stunting and couldn't do his part of the pyramid, and Jovani stepped in right away to make the stunt happen.

Way to go, Jovani! 

Here's what you need to know about this week's Fabulous Award winner...

Name: Jovani ("Jeo") P.
Member since: 2011.
Position: Base / Tumbler.
Age: 25.
Favorite stunt: 360 full-up high-to-high tick-tock bow-and-arrow double-down.
What would people be surprised to learn about you? That behind this tough exterior lives a quiet and innocent little boy.
Who is your celebrity crush? Prince Harry of Wales.
What do you do in your spare time? Cheerleading.

Sing It On!

Last Sunday, April 14, Cheer New York hosted a karaoke fundraiser night with DJ Patrick Kuzara at the Time Out New York Lounge. Patrick took the stage at 8 o'clock sharp singing Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" to get the night started.

The rest of the night, the stage was never empty. We had a great mix of performances from our own Cheer NY cheerleaders, as well as some really talented audience members. Adele, Shania Twain, Lady Gaga, Sister Act, Beyonce... you name it, we sang it.

A loud shout out to everyone who bought the raffle tickets too! Congratulations to all of the winners!

For everyone that was able to make it out on a school night to sing along with us, THANK YOU!! These charitable cheerleaders sure are proud of you! 

NEXT FUNDRAISER: If you missed us last weekend, we will be at The Ritz Bar & Lounge this Saturday (April 20th) night from 10pm-3am! Make sure you pick up a"TICKET" from a Cheer New York member as the Ritz will be donating TWO DOLLARS to Cheer NY on behalf of every person that walks in the door with a ticket. We will also be dancing, selling shots, drink specials.... all that good stuff, so please stop by! Get in touch with a member from our team, or contact us directly for more details. 

Don't forget to spread the word about our charitable cheerleading on your favorite social media site!
We are now on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram  @CheerNewYork

Cassie Is FABULOUS!

Even though Pride season isn't for another couple of months, Cheer New York is already working hard on getting our stunts perfected. As a sport, it comes with the territory that sometimes we are going to get bumped, bruised, and a little banged up. But this week's Fabulous Award winner didn't let that stop her. Even if she may have been a little nervous about trying new stunts, she never showed it. Like a true professional, she remained safe and encouraged her teammates to try again until they got it right...Just a few of the reasons why CASSIE J. won the Fabulous Award this week!!

Get to know one of our awesome Newbies! 

 

Name: Cassie J.
Member since: February 2013.
Position: Base.
Why on Cheer NY: I recently moved to New York from California and was looking for a way to meet a new group of people when I happened to see Cheer New York at Barnes & Noble wrapping gifts around Christmas time. I immediately looked up the team online and knew I just had to try out, not only because I missed the sport and wanted to meet all these amazing and talented people, but because everyone on the team works for a common goal that is completely selfless and helpful to the community. I’m so happy to be a part of this team and I already feel that I’m helping make a difference in New York even though I’ve only been on the team for a couple of months!
When did you start cheerleading: 8th grade.
What’s your favorite Cheer NY event: So far, the NYC Half Marathon. It felt so good making people smile and giving them that extra encouragement toward the end of the race.
What would people be surprised to learn about you: I’m trilingual! Quieres hablar en Español o vuoi parlare in Italiano?
What’s your favorite stunt: Baskets, they always get the crowd going.

Who is your celebrity crush: Ryan Gosling, his abs are ridiculous!

.

NYC Half 2013

On Sunday, March 17th, Cheer New York layered up to cheer at an event we participate in every year, the NYC Half Marathon. The thousands of racers weren't going to let the unseasonable cold keep them from putting a "spring" in their step! Upon arriving at the designated Cheer NY Cheer Zone, teammates were shaking and chattering due to the weather, early hour and excitement for the NYC Half. 

Once the race started, a sea of faces streamed down the West Side Highway, and Cheer New York was there near mile 11 to pump the runners up for the final stretch.

photo courtesy of NYRR

For many members of the team, this race is possibly one of the most emotional. It's always fun to dance, stunt and cheer but at this race we are able to connect more with several runners who not only waved and smiled but, high fived, hugged and a few racers even got a little jiggy with us. This race is longer and more physically demanding than a 5k, but more intimate than the NYC ING Marathon.

 We rallied on the athletes for three hours and in that time we saw the spirit of those racing; beginning with wheelchair racers, followed by the top men and women, LGBT friends from the Front Runners NY team, the thousands of NYRR racers and all the way to the very last local runner.

Some runners who were out of steam seemed to come alive and picked up the pace once they saw us. It is incredibly inspiring to see runners light up and get a second (or perhaps third or fourth) wind.

When the racers laughed, smiled and even thanked us for cheering them on, all thoughts of chilly weather were gone. And it was a special treat for us to cheer on three of our own teammates, Abbey C., Katie M., and Rachael G., as they traded in their pom poms for some sneakers and took to the pavement.

It was an intoxicating feeling knowing that you helped at least one person achieve a personal goal. We did not stunt or jump this year (due to the bitter cold), which for some members is a personal favorite part of events, but it was always easy to keep a smile on our faces at the NYC Half.

Great job and a huge congrats to the thousands of finishers from this past weekend’s NYC Half Marathon. We are proud of YOU!

This Is Your Time - Become A Member Of Cheer NY!

Join Us! We are "Cheerleaders for Charity!" Join Cheer New York to help your community, make new friends and have fun, while staying in shape. Besides the joy of raising money for charities through our Cheer for Life Fund, Cheer NY provides a positive and mutually supportive environment for our athletes, where adult men and women of all ages, gay and straight can share their talents and training with each other and strive for personal excellence. We are a sport, charity, social club, and family all in one! If you are 21 years old or older, you can audition to be a performing member on our Cheer Squad or join our Cheer NY Auxiliary Group (“Behind the scenes” Helpers, Fundraising or Marketing Assistants, Team Photographers, and Team Mascots).

Tryouts include one day for a MANDATORY Clinic/Registration on Feb. 6 (MAKE UP Clinic/Registration- Feb.  10), and a second day for your MANDATORY Audition (Feb. 13).

At clinics, you will get an orientation, get your questions answered, complete registration paperwork, and then review/learn jumps, cheers and stunts needed for tryouts. You must come to one of the two clinics (but are welcome to attend both, if you want the extra practice).

TRYOUT CLINIC: February 6, 2013.