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!

NYRR's Gridiron Classic

On Sunday February 3, 2013 Cheer New York joined the New York Road Runners, Front Runners and other running enthusiasts  for the 22nd annual NYRR Gridiron Classic 4 mile race and Longest Football Throw Competition. 

 Photo courtesy of: NYRR

 It had snowed the night before so Cheer NY knew they had to bring the energy to help pep up the crowd of over 5,500 runners that ran the 4 mile race (including Cheer NY's Abbey C!).
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Photo courtesy of: NYRR

The annual Super Bowl Sunday race starts with a longest football throw competition, which had a little extra excitement this year when a poodle rushed the field. The game day fun continued with many participants sporting their favorite teams jerseys and a midway poll allowing runners to predict the games outcome that night.
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Turns out the runners guessed wrong as the Baltimore Ravens were victorious that evening, but Cheer New York still had a blast cheering each and every runner on to their own personal victory that morning. Great job to all that participated! We look forward to seeing you at our next event!

Guess what???
Cheer New York tryouts are STILL going on! 
You've got one last chance to make it to cheer clinic 
this Sunday (Feb. 10).
You must visit our website www.cheerny.org 
and contact us to REGISTER and get exact details. 

Good luck Recruits!!!

NYC 1/2 Marathon

If you live in NYC, you've probably already heard.... The NYC 1/2 Marathon is this weekend!

It's pretty hard to miss the mass quantity of posters everywhere along the city.
Cheer New York is so excited to have been invited to be in the cheering zone at mile 11 to encourage all the runners.

We are especially excited to cheer at this race because our very own Rachael G. is running the race this year! This is Rachael's very first 1/2 marathon and we could not be more proud to be there to support her in this endeavor.

I sat down with Rachael last week and picked her brain a little bit about what she thinks this race is going to be like for her, enjoy our interview!
Abbey C.: How long have you been a runner?
Rachael G.: I just started running last spring! I took a beginners class with the NYRR that was super basic. The goal was just to run for 20 minutes.
AC: Wow, so you just caught the running bug then hu?
RG: Yeah, then I started doing a bunch of 5K's
AC: So what made you want to do a 1/2 marathon?
RG: Well I heard about the lottery and I figured, I'd just enter. If I made it in, it would be a sign it was meant to be. Then my name was picked....
AC: What is the farthest distance you have ever run?
RG: 8 miles; I need to tackle 10 miles later this week though.
AC: What is your pace like and what is your goal for finishing on March 18th?
RG: I'm currently running about 10 minutes per mile. Really I just want to finish the race, but I'm hoping to run it in 2 hours 30 minutes. Just finishing is such a mental challenge. There's a lot of pain involved. My goal is to not stop running. If I feel like I need to, then I'll allow myself little 30 second rests, and that's OK.
AC: Have you had any injuries since you started training?
RG: Nothing major. I have bad knees, so that's always an issue; but I also think my toe nails might be bruised.
AC: Bruised toe nails?! I didn't even know there was such a thing. That sounds painful!
RG: Yeah, I have polish on them right now, so I can't see if that's actually what's happening but that's what it feels like.
AC: Do you have anyone coming to watch you from the sidelines?
RG: Not a lot, just a few friends at the finish line.
AC: How do you feel about Cheer NY being there at the 11th mile?
RG: It's going to be so cool that I'll know people along the way. I'm totally running this alone, so that will be comforting. I've cheered the race in years past and it was always so much fun to watch.
AC: What do you think finishing is going to feel like?
RG: Ohmigosh! I don't even know, I just hope I make it there. No, I know I will. But I know I'm going to be crying at the end; like full on snot ball. I cry at the end of every long run I do like "I can't believe I just did that!". I'm going to be a mess.

I know I speak for the rest of Cheer New York when I say a huuuuge GOOD LUCK to Rachael this weekend! Run like the wind girl!

Gridiron Classic 2012

Hey Cheerleading & Football Fans...

Join us Feb 5th (Sunday) 8am-10am, inside Central Park (near W. 69th St), Manhattan at The GRIDIRON CLASSIC 4-MILE RACE & FOOTBALL TOSS!!

Start off your Superbowl Sunday by trying out your arm in New York Road Runners (NYRR)'s annual Gridiron football toss. Cheer NY will be there to cheer you on!

And before you head home to park yourself in front of the TV for the big game, go for a touchdown of your own by running a quick 4 miles in the Gridiron Race.

Don't forget to wear your favorite football jersey!

Happy New Year!!

It is always nice to see members of Cheer New York doing something productive with their time away from the team. Read to below to discover the unique way Maiko K. and Rick H rolled in the New Year. Way to represent CNY!

On December 31st Maiko and I ran the Midnight Run in Central Park, a New York Road Runners 4 mile race, and a great way to start the New Year. However, it was BRUTALLY cold. So during the race while we were running, Maiko and I did Cheer New York cheers to help us keep warm. After finishing a rendition of "G-O Go New York, G-O Let's Go!" a fellow runner behind us shouts out, "Is that Cheer New York??" Maiko and I looked at each other quizzically and then turned around and shouted back, "Yes, why, yes we are Cheer New York!" While Maiko was was wearing the red warm-up pants, there was nothing on us that said Cheer New York. Plus, being from the back he could not even see our faces. I guess it goes to show those cheers really are meaningful to the runners of New York! We are so famous! -Rick H.

"N-Y-R-R! Five more to be a star!"

Though a rainswept, overcast day, our stars never shined so bright the morning of July 27 at the New York City Half Marathon presented by Nike, as we cheered on runners and walkers coming out of Central Park between miles 7 and 8 (hence 5 more miles to go in the cheer) onto the surface street of Seventh Avenue. It was one of my proudest moments being on Cheer New York, and yes, that is due somewhat to my bias as a New York Road Runners employee, the producers of the race. Nonetheless, for it being short notice and while on the off-season, to have nine members of Cheer New York as chipper and high-spirited as ever at 7 AM on a Sunday was simply mara-torious.

Race participants traveled 13.1 miles through Manhattan, and we traveled thirteen feet into the air in photographed full extensions. A few of my cheer mates knew people in the race making it that much more personally meaningful, but even for the people we did not know we cheered our hearts out. Moments that really struck me were when towards the end a few runners began to slow down and actually walk looking worn out but at the sight of us lifted their faces and ran ahead renewed with vigor. Also, as luck would have it, our area was adjacent to a cheering zone full of my coworkers and kids from our programs who I had just met on that previous Friday. They loved us!

Next stop, CNY, the full marathon in November with 40,000 of our closest friends!-Rick H.


(top photo courtesy of New York Road Runners)