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!

Chris = Fabulous!

June is by far and away our busiest month of our entire season. So it somewhat goes with the territory that not every member is able to perform with us at each event.  that being said, we still ask that everyone comes to each practice, because as the saying goes, "practice makes perfect" and we want to make sure we keep all of our skills as sharp as possible for all of our fans out there! This week, it was one of our members who won't be able to attend the weekend's events who really stood out at practice. Even though he wasn't placed in any of the stunt pods or set in any of the formations, Chris W. worked the entire practice long doing countless burpies, endless crunches, and push-ups until he just couldn't push anymore! It's that kind of dedication to the team that we love so much about our hard working members. Please join us in giving Chris a big congratulations as he is our Fabulous Award recipient for the week! 

 Name: Chris W.
Member since: August 2012
Position: Base
Why did you tryout for Cheer New York:  I wanted to give back to my community and get involved in a group of people in the city that enjoyed do the same things. And I wanted to do some stunting in the meantime!
Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Masters of Arts in Art Education
What would people be surprised to learn about you? I am a puppeteer! I was fascinated with puppets when I was a kid, but didn’t really start seriously working with them until grad school. Now I perform with a Latino children’s theater on the Lower East Side.
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? My favorite kind of ice cream is anything except mint chocolate chip. I do LOVE chocolate or vanilla ice cream with chocolate birthday cake and frosting mixed in with it.
What’s your favorite time of year? I really like the summer because I love swimming and getting my tan on, but fall is my absolute favorite because of the beautiful colors and pumpkin anything!
What is your favorite quote? "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -Eden Ahbez "Nature Boy" (song, recorded by Nat King Cole)

Looking to add a little spirit to your weekend? We will be super busy both Saturday and Sunday cheering through the streets of New York! Saturday, we will be alongside all of the walkers, runners, and racers as they make their way through Central Park for the YAI Central Park Challenge. Sunday, we will be out in Queens officially kicking off the start of our Pride season! The parade gets going at 12 noon followed immediately by the multicultural festival where we'll be performing on the main stage! Two great events that you will NOT want to miss. We can't wait to see you there!

Thank You, GLBT Expo 2013!!

This past weekend, Cheer New York appeared at The Original GLBT Expo in New York City as one of the many exhibitors at the 20th annual Expo on March 9th and 10th at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center.

Cheer NY showed off our new members, new uniforms, did some recruiting, performed stunts, jumps, cheers, dances and even tumbling to raise awareness our two local charities (Art Start & Bronx Aids Services).

The two-day event was the first performance for many of our new team members and our very own John-Deric M. performed on the main stage as did David G. with drag performer Peppermint, who even gave us a special shout out.

This event marked the start of the 2013 Pride season for Cheer New York; so many fans that came and told us how great we looked and couldn't wait to see us at the Pride Parades.

This event was such a fun and successful experience for us. Cheer New York is always honored to be with such a dynamic group of people that attend The Original GLBT Expo and who cheer us on just as much as we cheer them on.

If you missed seeing us at the Expo this weekend, fear not! Cheer New York will be on the sidelines of the NYC Half Marathon Sunday morning (March 17th) cheering on all of New York City's finest Road Runners (including a few of our own teammates, Abbey C., Katie M. and Rachael G.)! Make sure you check us out at the "Cheer NY Cheer Zone" on the West Side Highway near Christopher St. (around mile marker 10!) and say hi, help us cheer on the runners and give them a bit of encouragement!

Photo courtesy of NYRR 2012

NYC Pride Parade 2012

Please join Cheer New York on June 24th (Sunday) 

12noon–4pm for the NYC LGBT Pride March!!!

 (photo by: Andrew Werner)

The parade (one of the BIGGEST pride marches in the world) began as an annual civil rights demonstration beginning the year after the Stonewall Riots in 1970. Over the years, its purpose has broadened to include recognition of the fight against AIDS and to remember those lost to the illness, violence and neglect. It has also evolved to include being a celebration of the LGBT community! 

The parade will start at E. 36th St and go down 5th Ave, across 9th St and then down Christopher Street. To watch the parade step-off you should be in the 30s. For larger crowds and high energy, Chelsea or the West Village is ideal. Cheer NY will be in Section 5 = Sports.

Happy Pride to everyone!!…and don’t forget, when you see us…"Cheer Loud, Cheer Proud!!!" 

Brooklyn Pride '12

Cheer New York just wrapped up at Brooklyn Pride in the beautiful Prospect Park/Park Slope area. Since 1996, "Brooklyn Pride has grown to become the largest and most prominent organization serving Brooklyn’s LGBT community."It was a perfectly warm night and we had such a blast. Thank you to all our fans who came out to support us along with all the new ones we made tonight. Your energy was so fabulous and uplifting - performing for you could not have been more fun! 

This was our second of four Pride parades that Cheer NY participates in during the Pride season. Tomorrow morning, we're off to Philadelphia to participate in Philly Pride! We cannot wait and hope to see you there!