Happy Birthday Jason, Clay & Will!!

Last year we thought it was pretty special that Clay and Wil had the same birthday but now we have yet another CNYer that was born on March 24th! Three really is the magic number. Today is Clay, Jason and Will's birthday.

Clay has been a part of Cheer NY from the very begining and has been contributing behind the scenes as the Team Manager for as long as we can remember. Aside from having the nicest legs on the team, Clay's dedication a endless passion for CNY are constantly on display.

Jason joined the team back in the summer of 2008 but it feels like he has always been a part of the family. His infectious laugh and big bear hugs make it such a pleasure to be around. His stunting skills aren't too shabby either.

Wil is our energizer bunny. He's up to try any dance, cheer or stunt and if he doesn't have an assigned task you better believe he will be off to the side working on his dance moves or encouraging teammates to try a new stunt.

Happy birthday boys!! We are so proud of our "triple threat". : )

(Top: Clay with Diego T; Middle: Jason standing behind Scott (with megaphone) while basing Nicholas F; Bottom: Wil hamming it up with Nicholas F)

Meet the Cheer NY Newbies: Gray

"I had no idea what to expect when coming to tryouts. I've seen "Bring it On" a million times and was just praying I was not going to be walking into something like the movie...a bunch of college cheerleaders doing handsprings and cheers like crazy. Luckily, I quickly realized there were people of all different skill levels.

Everyone could not have been any nicer. I went to both clinics and had a blast! To top off the great tryouts, I found out I made the team! YAY! I couldn't wait to start practicing and get to know the cheer family!"-Gray (on left with Jason at CNY Anniversary Dinner)

Newbies at Sea

My first event with Cheer New York and I had no idea what was in store, nor had I ever been on a Sea Tea Cruise before. It turned out to be the perfect day for being outside. We performed for an hour as the ticket buyers started boarding the boat. Performing the new fight song dance and all the cheers that I have learned since I joined the team really made an impact to the crowd that was watching. Friends were clapping, people were smiling and we were all certainly ready to get on the boat and have a good time!

As we boarded the boat and changed out of our uniform into jeans and t- shirts, I was greeted by my good friend who bought a bunch of tickets from me (I ended up selling over twenty tickets!), who immediately escorted me upstairs to the dance floor where all my friends were hanging. The music had started and I was ready. We all started to dance. And dance. And dance. And dance. Next thing you know, the sun is down; we had passed the waterfalls, the Statue of Liberty and ABBA’S “Dancing Queen” was blasting as we made our way back to the pier.

So much fun was had by all. In fact, three of my friends now want to try out to be a member of Cheer New York. The most touching part was when someone I hardly know and who had just moved to NYC was so happy to be there with so many fun people. He was so in awe of the fact that although he had been to New York several times, he had never seen the Statue of Liberty and had the opportunity not only to see it up so close, but lit up in all her glory.

Of course, the question that came to me afterwards as we were boarding off the boat was: “Are you guys doing this again next week?” -Jason

Meet the Cheer NY Newbies: Meet Jason

For the second installment of "Meet the Cheer NY Newbies" we are going to delve into the mind of newbie Jason. What did Jason have to say about his tryout experience?

"I came home a few months ago to a postcard about Cheer New York tryouts with a handwritten note from my room mate saying "You would be great at this!" Months later, I found the postcard and thought that it would surely be fun, but because so much time had passed, I figured that I had missed it. However, I called and orientation was the next day. I decided to go.

I was a cheerleader in high school--easily over 15 years ago. Without hesitation, I just thought to myself that I would just go grin and bear it and see what would happen. That first day was hilarious and filled with such positive energy. Although my jumps and flexibility are not really what they used to be, I was quite surprised how quickly it all came back to me. I made the squad! Everyone seems really nice and this is surely going to be an experience. Of course, fundraising is part of the plan, raising money for charity is a big plus."

Check back next week to hear more from our newest members!